Penny is one of the most popular characters from The Big Bang Theory, and Kaley Cuoco has been lauded for her performance in the role. As the audience surrogate for the sitcom featuring a group of geeky characters, Penny received the most focus as she had a connection with everyone in the social group.

Still, there have been aspects to Penny's characterization that new fans don’t like as much as viewers did when the series first aired. Looking in hindsight at Penny’s lifestyle choices, relationship with Leonard, and attitude with the group reveals several things that don’t fly well these days.

Updated on September 6th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: Since The Big Bang Theory premiered in 2007, there were some jokes and character arcs that didn’t sit well with newer viewers 15 years later. Penny’s behavior, in particular, rubbed fans the wrong way at times. Whether it was the way she used her group of “nerdy” friends for free Wi-Fi and food, or the way she liked a glass of wine a little too much, Penny was a beloved character who didn’t exactly age gracefully.

Penny's Frequent Drinking When Around Her Friends

Bernie upset with Penny while drinking an office party on TBBT

This was noted as one of the main characters' quirks on The Big Bang Theory that Penny had, as she took out a bottle of wine on just about every occasion. It was played for laughs because Penny found coping with her friends’ eccentricities easier when she had something to drink.

RELATED: Each Main Characters Best And Worst Quirk On The Big Bang Theory

However, it has since been seen as an underhanded attitude toward her friends, as Penny seems insensitive to them. It appears as if Penny doesn’t have much respect for her social group, and she acts like she has no choice but to put up with them.

Fans Wished She Was More Independent

Penny and Sheldon eating pizza on the sofa from TBBT

One of the ongoing gags in the series was that Penny thought she was an independent woman after moving to Los Angeles to make her dreams of becoming an actress a reality, but in actuality, Penny relied on others far too much.

It was always seen as comedic that Penny stole the guys’ Wi-Fi, but her behavior reached an annoying level when she ate the food they bought without paying them back. At first, Penny promised to pay them back, but it got to a point when Leonard was buying her food when they weren’t even dating, without receiving a dime from Penny. Fans wished her dependency on Leonard and Sheldon lessened over the years.

She Became More Cynical

Amy hugging Penny while Penny seems annoyed on TBBT

Some felt that Penny’s character arc got worse and worse on TBBT because she became more cynical. In the early seasons, Penny played the bubbly, stereotypical “dumb blonde” neighbor. The more comfortable she became with the guys, the more she let her guard down and became real.

After dating Leonard, getting close to Sheldon, and becoming best friends with Bernadette and Amy, Penny became more cynical, which didn’t age nicely. She wasn’t as supportive or interested in Leonard’s work and she rolled her eyes at most of the group’s science talk. Her cynicism came off as bullying at times in later seasons.

Sexism & Comics

Penny buying a comic book from Stuart at the store

The Big Bang Theory had a problem in that it depicted that women weren’t interested in comics and found them dorky or geeky — especially Penny. There was an ongoing joke that Stuart’s comic book store rarely saw female visitors, and when it did, the male visitors were frozen in shock.

Whenever Leonard or Sheldon got excited over a comic, Penny often made a joke about comics or how nerdy her friends were. This insinuated that women were not interested in comics, let alone men who enjoyed reading or collecting them. Bernadette and Amy made similar comments. While Penny and Leonard were couples goals, the ongoing sexism in comics did not age well in their relationship or friendship.

Penny's Decision To Tell Leonard She Didn't Want Kids After Marriage

Leonard and Penny look angrily at each other in The Big Bang Theory

There was a long history that formed part of Leonard and Penny’s relationship timeline in The Big Bang Theory before the two got married. Penny revealed as late as Season 12 that she didn’t want children, which saddened Leonard because he always wanted to be a father.

While viewers commend Penny for not conforming to the idea that a wife always has to give children to her spouse, many have noted that Penny was wrong not to tell Leonard beforehand. She never told him about her views on becoming a mother and Leonard was essentially forced to accept it since they were already married.

Penny's Obsession With Fashion And Shopping

Penny and Bernadette shopping in The Big Bang Theory

A negative trait of Penny was her tendency to go shopping when she didn’t have the money to do so. It wasn’t seen as a big deal at the time of airing because it was presented as a comedic aspect of her character. However, Penny comes across as highly irresponsible when seen in retrospect.

RELATED: Penny's 10 Dumbest Decisions, According To Reddit

Viewers of today don’t find stealing to be a good source of comedy and found it as one of her dumbest decisions, which is what Penny did when she stole clothes from charity because she thought it was easy. Although she eventually came around, fans aren’t too sympathetic to Penny’s other financial woes since she refused to cut down on buying expensive things.

Penny's Fitting The Dumb-Blonde Trope In Early Seasons

Penny looking surprised in season 1 of TBBT

There were some moments in later seasons where Penny was smarter than the guys in TBBT, but they weren’t highlighted as much as her less-smarter moments earlier on. Upon introduction, Penny was the stereotypical “dumb blonde” who made comments like her belief that the Cold War was fought in winter, which the others were exasperated by.

The trope is widely disregarded now because it undermines people simply based on the color of their hair, along with placing women in lower roles. Viewers who watch the series for the first time today are more likely to be turned off by Penny’s characterization in the first season.

Penny's Judging Of Her Friends' Geeky Nature

Penny serves the guys food in a restaurant in The Big Bang Theory

Fandoms about comic books, TV series, among others, are no longer seen as a niche and fans tend to get very defensive about it. Penny never had anything nice to say about the guys’ fandom antics, which makes her seem needlessly mean now.

There was no Marvel Cinematic Universe or the culture of big, mainstream showcases when the series started, so watching Penny judge the guys for their participation in comic conventions is something that younger audiences just won’t find funny or relevant.

Penny's Lack Of Care About Her Brother's Drug Dealing

Leonard and Penny's wedding party on the Big Bang Theory

Sensitive issues like addiction are very difficult subjects to joke about these days and Penny’s tendency to wave off her brother’s drug activities isn’t too funny for today’s viewers. Penny knew he was making drugs but claimed her brother was “kind of a chemist.”

Audiences nowadays prefer to have such matters addressed directly instead of being left out in offhand comments. Penny’s attitude toward her brother’s problems can be seen as her either denying the obvious or simply coming across as apathetic to a serious situation.

Penny's Tendency To Invade Leonard's Personal Life

Penny knows on the window while Leonard and Priya have dinner on TBBT

While season 4 generally ranks high in The Big Bang Theory’s audience ratings, the storyline of Priya and Leonard’s romance isn’t fondly remembered. Penny’s role in sending Bernadette as her spy is too invasive to Leonard’s privacy, making Penny seem like a stalker.

The series played into the will-they-won't-they trope that usually has characters acting out of bounds, but newer audiences aren’t very taken by it. Penny also comes across as selfish since she wanted Leonard broken up just because he wasn’t with her.

Penny's Knack For Letting Sheldon's Attitude Slide

Sheldon feeds Penny a piece of chocolate as a part of behavioral conditioning on The Big Bang Theory

Sheldon’s status as the breakout character has lost some of its novelty because viewers have started to see some of his rude attitude to be inexcusable. Penny was Sheldon’s enabler in many ways as she gave him a free pass to act mean due to their brother-sister connection.

RELATED: 13 Ways Sheldon & Penny’s Friendship Was The Best

It was seen during times when Sheldon argued with either Amy or Leonard, with the latter two even confronting Penny on her favoritism toward Sheldon. Newer fans would be inclined to believe that Sheldon could have curbed his attitude if Penny called him out when he needed to be put in place.

Penny's Hairstyle In Season 8

Penny looking dissappointed in The Big Bang Theory

Penny had a new haircut in season 8 that didn’t have any relevance to the plot. While it wasn’t given as much attention at the time, the hairstyle doesn’t have many fans — a point the sitcom itself acknowledged in an episode. It was a part of Penny's slow transformation into maturity that fans didn't love.

The characters conceded they didn’t like Penny’s short haircut when she asked them years later, which was a reference to the fans’ perception. It’s aged even worse after the series’ conclusion because the different hairstyle looks out of place among all the other seasons.

Penny's Denial About Her Fledgling Acting Career

Penny pretending to be on the phone on The Big Bang Theory

Audiences these days aren’t sympathetic toward characters who don’t take responsibility, which makes Penny’s acting career out to be a waste. She ultimately came to the same conclusion but took as long as eight years to realize it was going nowhere.

Her early failings are usually seen as Penny being in denial and viewers are likely to be frustrated with Penny ignoring all the obvious signs that she wasn’t cut out to be an actor. Penny’s habit of blowing up in anger at Leonard for her own career frustrations is another point that hasn’t aged well.

NEXT: Ranking Penny's Jobs By Income