'Big Bang Theory': Why I'm hoping Sheldon's new [SPOILER] is Penny

Talk about a season going out with a Bang: After spending four seasons torturing Leonard, The Big Bang Theory‘s Sheldon Cooper is getting a new roommate, as EW’s Sandra Gonzalez reported last night. Two things: 1) This, of course, presents an opportunity for high comedy — there’s nothing quite like watching Sheldon adapt to that which he hates most: Wil Wheaton change, and 2) Who will this poor, poor person be? (Apparently, according to executive producer Bill Prady, it’s an existing cast member.)

It’s a scientific fact that opposites do attract. So as much as I would enjoy watching Amy Farrah Fowler shack it up with Sheldon — as Gonzalez predicts — I’m rooting for a different Big Bang Theory lady to take on the role of Sheldon’s roommate: Penny. {C}Honestly, I don’t see how this match-up could lose: Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco already have so much chemistry, some Big Bang Theory fans still hold out hope that the two will become romantically entangled at some point before the show’s run ends. (I’d rather see hear Howard’s mom pick her toenails than see a Penny-Sheldon relationship, but it’s still a testament to how enjoyable it is to watch the duo act together.) They, somehow, have a deeper friendship than Sheldon and Leonard do — who else would regularly soothe Dr. Cooper to sleep with “Soft Kitty”? And it makes sense thematically as well: Perpetually short on cash, it’s logical that Penny would sell her soul split the rent with Sheldon, someone who has helped bail her out in the past. And, really, is living with Sheldon that much more painful than living next door to Sheldon?

Who is with me? Who wants to root for a Penny-Sheldon roommate match-up in season 5?

Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWardEW

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‘Big Bang Theory’: Sheldon’s getting a new [SPOILER]!