Summary
- Fans felt let down by unresolved storylines like Howard's half-brother, Josh, creating disappointments in The Big Bang Theory.
- Jim Parsons' abrupt departure blindsided cast members, sparking mixed reactions about their lack of preparation for his exit.
- Scrapped storylines and characters like Toby Loobenfeld and a potential Penny-Raj hookup showed the challenges of maintaining TBBT's longevity.
Looking back, The Big Bang Theory did a lot of things right, especially the finale which was regarded as one of the best. However, the show also left several unresolved storylines. Simon Helberg's Howard character knows all about that, as fans typically think of Howard when look back at issues on the show that ended abruptly.
In the following, we're going to take a closer look back at Jim Parsons' departure, and how it might've caused wasted potential for a certain storyline. In addition, we'll take a look back at the reaction to his Big Bang exit. Which cast members reacted positively, and which felt betrayed.
We're going to conclude by featuring other storylines on the show that were scrapped, and characters that didn't last as long as fans thought they would.
Fans Felt Like The Storyline Of Howard's Half-Brother Wasn't Revisited Due To Lack Of Time
Over on Reddit, fans are constantly bringing up Howard's half-brother, Josh. There seems to be disappointment among The Big Bang Theory fanbase. Whether the question is what is the worst storyline, or an underdeveloped character, Josh's name typically comes up.
On Reddit, it got the most votes as the worst storyline. A fan wrote, "Howard is reunited with his half brother in one episode and is never seen or heard from again."
Fans felt the same way when assessing characters who should have gotten more screentime. Josh was once again at the very top of the life, but this time, fans attached a theory as to why.
"Generally, I think it was all about right, but Howard's half brother should have had a full episode. I suspect it was planned before Parsons backed out."
Fans might actually be on to something with this theory, as Jim Parsons abruptly announced his departure just prior to the filming of season 12. Surely, once he announced his intent, plans were changed behind the scenes given that it was going to be the final season of shooting.
- Reddit users discussed Josh's brief involvement on the show:
- "Yes, he did: Josh. He appeared in “The Fortification Implementation” (S8E20) and after that was never seen or mentioned again. This is one of the worst things the writers did!"
- "We are introduced to a half brother he never knew until season 8. We meet him once and the pair seem to get along... and then we never hear from him again. It's like they wanted to increase Howard's family and then decided to just drop the storyline."
There could be the possibility of the writers not liking the outcome of Howard's half-brother, and wanting to take his character in a different direction. It remained an unsolved mystery on the show, and a major letdown for a lot of fans.
Even The Cast Admitted Jim Parsons' Exited Blindsided Them, But Simon Helberg Wasn't One Of Them
Kaley Cuoco immediately started to cry, while Johnny Galecki admitted Jim Parsons could have handled his departure differently. It seems like some of the cast did not expect his announcement, and felt like they should have been briefed prior.
- "I was shocked. We were just blindsided that day. And not necessarily shocked by Jim's decision, but that he hadn't had that conversation with his castmates first to prepare us," Galecki said. "So yes, it could have been handled better. We're a family; have a conversation."
- He continues, "I stopped myself from doing so and I hugged [Jim] instead. Still, that's what literally went through my mind because it was tearing me to shreds watching Kaley break down and see the tears from everyone."
It was a different reality for Simon Helberg. The actor admits he knew about Jim's choice prior, and was ready to move on from the comfort of the show as well.
“It was time to say goodbye. I think that’s a healthy thing. I don’t think that means that you’re going to have an easy go of it. But it feels like we’ve said all we could say. And I think that’s something we can all be proud of."
Jim Parsons showed the love back, mentioning that he'd miss Simon Helberg the most.
- "I’ll particularly miss Simon Helberg; we spend a lot of time together, we go back and forth to our dressing rooms, we’ve talked for almost 12 years now," Parsons tells Mirror.
- "Six months down the road after we finished, I will be like, I haven’t talked to Simon in a deep way in a long time. And that will be hard."
The two had a touching moment during the finale as Sheldon gave his speech. Definitely a genuine moment both actors won't ever forget.
TBBT Had Other Storylines They Ended Up Scrapping
There were lots of other characters and storylines that should have gone on longer. DJ Qualls is an example. Playing the role of Toby Loobenfeld, the plan was to keep Qualls for an extended period of time. However, given his experience with Lorre, he wanted it to be one and done.
“I try not to take things that I feel that can’t rise to. And I’ve only taken one job, and I won’t mention it … it was on Big Bang Theory … that I shouldn’t have taken it. That’s not me. That presentational style of acting is so not me. And I took it and regretted, I cried. I cried that night. The day I remember driving to Warner Bros praying to God and I don’t do that, that here would be a fire at Warner Bros and there was! Isn’t that crazy? Don’t f*** with me. But it wasn’t big enough for it to delay taping.”
Showrunner Steve Molaro also worried about the season 4 ending, with Penny and Raj hooking up. He spent the entire time off thinking of ways to end the storyline.
Although Chuck Lorre wasn't onboard initially, they eventually agreed to scrap it.
“I really did not like that season finale ending,” Molaro admits. “I spent the entire hiatus being upset about it… I went upstairs to [Lorre’s] office right when we got back to work [on Season 5] and said something like, ‘This is really bothering me. I think I have a way that we can… get out of it and preserve the characters as they are.’ He didn’t love it, but he knew it was important to me to the point that he conceded.”
Given its longevity, it only makes sense that certain storylines and characters did not last the test of time.
