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On the May 26 episode of The Official Big Bang Theory podcast, host Jessica Radloff was joined by the sitcom's executive producer and writer Lee Aronsohn, where the duo discussed Sheldon Cooper's iconic knock.
During the podcast, Radloff brought up this topic by discussing episode 10, The Loobenfeld Decay, from season 1, where Sheldon Cooper knocks on his roommate's door for the first time in the sitcom. She found it fascinating how Sheldon switches between three and four knocks and believed that the knocking was an important aspect of the show.
"Because it’s a big deal in The Big Bang world, so we have to discuss it," Radloff commented.
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Recalling the making of the Three-Knock Rule, Lee Aronsohn stated that when he reconstructed this knock, he could see that it fit Sheldon Cooper's character since he needed structure in The Big Bang Theory.
Aronsohn also recalled a scene where random knocking occurred at the door and felt there should be some order to it. He mentioned that timing is essential when you’re an actor or a performer, especially in writing sitcoms. The live audience during shooting requires something to coax them to laughter, which he kept in mind while thinking of this iconic knock.
"So all I remember is that there was this scene with knocking on the door, and it was just this random knocking, and somehow something in me said no, there needs to be some order to this. There needs to be some structure."
The reason behind Sheldon Cooper’s Three-Knock rule in The Big Bang Theory
Although in the earlier seasons, Sheldon Cooper’s three knocks were just a funny quirk, the real reason for this ritual was revealed in the 10th season of the show when Sheldon told Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, that he had accidentally walked in on his father being unfaithful when he was 13. Since then, he has been afraid of just knocking once, as reported by MSN.
"The first is traditional, but two and three are for people to get their pants on," Sheldon Cooper said.
The outlet noted that Tara Hernandez, the writer and co-executive producer of the sitcom, further explained that the darker reasoning behind the knock was not intended to justify Sheldon Cooper’s behavior but emerged organically during his conversation with Penny, clarifying why he really knocked three times.
"It scared a lot of people because something that was played off as really silly and a joke was actually rooted in something that was kind of traumatic for Sheldon. Moments like that, that are kind of scary, are always my favorite in a writers room because people are going to react very strongly," Tara continued.
She also shared that the crew talked about the Three-Knock Rule "a lot," adding,
"But ultimately we trusted that it felt real for Sheldon, so it should go in the show, whether or not that brought up complicated feelings for people or not."
Subsequently, the trailer for Young Sheldon, season 7, episode 4, Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker, aired on March 1, 2024, teased a part of the story where Sheldon Cooper catches his father with another woman, as reported by The Economic Times.
Along with this, the trailer also showed the much-anticipated reunion of Sheldon's parents and his return to college, with a potential dark twist.
