Jessica Radloff, New York Times best-selling author of “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” and host and executive producer of “The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast,” is taking her deep dive into the beloved sitcom one step further. On March 17, she launched the new podcast, a weekly show that goes episode by episode, bringing in cast members, writers, and creatives to unpack the show’s biggest moments and behind-the-scenes secrets.
For Radloff, who grew up attending United Hebrew Congregation and graduated from Parkway Central High School, this latest project has been years in the making. Currently the Senior West Coast Editor at Glamour, Radloff has spent years covering Hollywood, but “The Big Bang Theory” has been a career-defining passion.
“I was asked by Warner Bros. publicists if I had any ideas for a podcast, and I said, ‘Well, given that I just wrote the book on it, I think The Big Bang Theory would make a great podcast.’ And from there, they got the ball rolling,” Radloff said.
Unlike the book, which explored the series through more than 120 hours of interviews, the podcast is structured as a rewatch series. Each episode revisits a specific episode of the show, featuring insights from key players—many of whom haven’t seen these episodes in more than a decade.
“We’ll play clips from major scenes, dissect why something happened (or didn’t happen) and get insight into all the behind-the-scenes happenings,” Radloff said. “There’s a lot that we can expand on that I wasn’t able to in the book, even though the book is over 500 pages!”
The first episode, now available on all major podcast platforms, Max and “The Big Bang Theory” official YouTube page, dives into the show’s unaired pilot with co-creator Chuck Lorre and former Warner Bros. Television Group chairman Peter Roth. The two discuss how they got a rare second chance to rework the pilot after the first version wasn’t picked up, why they shifted the show’s tone and the decision to recast the role of Penny.
“I’m so thankful for Chuck and Peter as my first guests,” Radloff said. “These two have supported me so much, and I am forever grateful.”
New episodes will follow the series in order, with the second episode focusing on the official pilot and future episodes working through the series chronologically.
“I always tell people if they’re going to watch the show, don’t start in the middle—go to the beginning,” Radloff said. “So that’s why we started in the true infancy stages.”
So far, the podcast is set for at least 41 episodes, taking listeners through the end of season two. But Radloff is hoping for more.
“Once the cast expands in season three with the addition of Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, it truly became the iconic show that it is,” she said.
Future episodes will feature guest stars like Christine Baranski (Dr. Beverly Hofstadter), John Ross Bowie (Barry Kripke) and Vernee Watson (Nurse Althea).
“Watching Christine Baranski re-watch some of her most iconic scenes—and cracking up while doing so—might be my favorite thing ever,” Radloff teased. “Fans are going to lose it.”
Episodes are available weekly on Max (under the “The Big Bang Theory” landing page in the Extras tab), as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
