Johnny Galecki Makes Surprise Return to Acting After 5-Year Hiatus
Johnny Galecki took on a new acting gig, but it wasn't for a TV series or movie. Instead, the Emmy-nominated actor reunited with his longtime Big Bang Theory co-star Kaley Cuoco to shoot an ad for Royal Kingdom.
In the 60-second spot, the former co-stars tossed out their board games—and a bunch of other stuff— and downloaded the free mobile puzzle app for a new twist on a traditional game night.
For more than a decade, Galecki and Cuoco played Leonard and Penny Hofstadter on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The show ended its 12-season run in 2019. While the Royal Kingdom ad may not have been the reunion fans have been waiting for, the actors had a blast shooting it.
'This was so fun to shoot! Back together with my buddy JG,' Cuoco wrote on Instagram.
'It truly was. XO,' Galecki agreed.
The commercial marks Galecki's first onscreen acting gig since 2019. In addition to The Big Bang Theory finale, Galecki appeared in a 2019 episode of The Conners, where he reprised his role as David Healy, the ex-husband of Sara Gilbert's character, Darlene Conner, per IMDb.
Fans had been hoping to see Galecki one last time to wrap up his character on the seventh and final season of The Conners. The series finale for the Roseanne spinoff airs on April 23 on ABC, but Galecki won't be a part of it.
In an interview with TV Line, executive producer Bruce Helford explained, '[David is] very much mentioned, very much alive in the story. We love Johnny, he was always welcome, but he has more or less started life anew down in Nashville [following the end of The Big Bang Theory]."
Helford added that Galecki's Conners character didn't have much to offer as his ex-wife has long moved on. 'Honestly, once you see the arcs [you will understand],' The Conners EP added. 'What we never want to do is just bring somebody in just to see that person on the show. We want everyone to have something important to play.'
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