The Big Bang Theory Storylines That Went Absolutely Nowhere
“The Big Bang Theory” ended in 2019 after 12 seasons. For much of this time, it was one of the most popular sitcoms on TV and juggled a whole bunch of storylines to keep things interesting. Several characters went through numerous changes and ended the show in considerably different places than where they started — which, of course, is only natural. That’s how life should work, even for fictional characters.
The flip side of the show’s lengthy existence and numerous arcs is that every once in a while, something slipped through the cracks. It wasn’t just a single something, either. In fact, there were several storylines that “The Big Bang Theory” treated as significant at one point in its run, only to completely bury them a little later while pretending that nothing much had happened.
Of course, such side quests are also a part of life, and not everything is meant to last. Still, for an observant viewer, the show is surprisingly full of storylines that abruptly hit an absolute brick wall. Here’s a look at five of the biggest “The Big Bang Theory” storylines that went absolutely nowhere.
Cinnamon the Yorkshire terrier used to be such a big deal. The Season 5 newcomer entered the “Big Bang Theory” fray as Raj Koothrappali’s (Kunal Nayyar) beloved new pet, which he received as a gift from Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) when she was but a pup. Raj almost immediately developed a somewhat worrying affection for the dog, pampering her for a good couple of seasons. In fact, for a while, it seemed that the adorable Yorkie was set to become the show’s contribution to the best TV animals of all time, joining sitcom all-timers like Marcel the Monkey from “Friends” or Eddie from “Frasier.”
Alas, this wasn’t meant to be. Despite getting her share of limelight, Cinnamon slowly faded into the background. Before long, she was reduced to extremely rare and brief cameos and references that left her with less agency than the average couch pillow on the show. It got to the point that her crowning late-game glory was peeing on Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) off-screen in the Season 10 episode “The Collaboration Fluctuation.”
Sure, it’s possible that the show realized that there was only so far it could take the extent of Raj’s affection with the little dog (which, uncomfortably, was framed like a girlfriend expy of sorts early on). As such, “The Big Bang Theory” may have simply decided to carefully step away from the animal and explore other avenues of comedy.
One of the great could-have-beens of “The Big Bang Theory” was Sara Gilbert’s straight-shooting Leslie Winkle, who brought chaos to the university (and a couple of main characters’ romantic lives) during the show’s early period. However, after Leslie memorably established herself as a recurring character in Season 1 and as part of “The Big Bang Theory” main cast in Season 2, she abruptly left the show in Season 3 and wasn’t seen again until a brief and largely inconsequential guest appearance in Season 9.
Leslie was a fun foil for the comparatively meek main characters — Leonard in particular — and brought plenty of laughs with her invariably hostile attitude toward Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). However, Jessica Radloff’s 2022 book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” shed some light on the reason behind Leslie’s comparatively quick exit, courtesy of executive producer and writer Steve Holland, who framed the character as a thematic experiment that simply didn’t work out.
“There was always a desire to have more female scientist representation because it was a very male-heavy show,” Holland said. “It wasn’t a thing where we were like, ‘We’re going to write this character and have her be part of the show,’ but it was a thought that this was important for us to do. Bill [Prady] and Chuck [Lorre] wanted to highlight women in science as well, but it had to be the right role. You don’t just write a new character and say, ‘This is our new female scientist.’ You have to find the right roles for people. Sara Gilbert kind of filled that role early on, but she wasn’t part of the show as much by Season 3.”