‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 8 spoilers: Could Billy Bob Thornton return?

At this point, the secret is out about “The Big Bang Theory” and its surprise cameo from Thursday night. While some diehard fans may have known that Billy Bob Thornton was going to appear as a doctor who had mistakenly fallen for Penny, they were kind enough to keep it a secret from everyone else.

How this gig seemed to come about stems from many months ago, when during his Emmy nomination tour for “Fargo,” he mentioned being a big fan of the show and he would love to make an appearance. The producers reached out, and they found a way to tell this great story. He and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting also had a common connection, as they had both worked in the past with the late John Ritter.

This connection was noted by showrunner Steve Molaro in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he explained how Thornton enjoyed the experience:

“He has said he had a wonderful time … All of us just fell in love with him. It was a magical week. If it can work out, we’d love to have him back. After we finished taping, we had a table read the next morning. Everyone was a little sad that Billy was gone. It was that much fun having him around.”

We feel like if he ever does appear on the show again, it needs to be as a complete surprise to everyone again. This is almost like it was with Bob Newhart; you want to have an opportunity to use him as much as you can, but the part has to be 100% perfect.

What do you think: Should Billy Bob return at some point, or is this better as a one-time gig? Share below, and head over here to see our full review on this episode right now. Also, to get a further big bang of TV news sent right to your email, be sure to sign up right now for more via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via CBS.)