Among the many standout characters on “The Big Bang Theory” is Amy (Mayim Bialik), who was introduced in the season three finale as the only woman in the world who could be a real love interest for Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). Depicted as robotic and dim-witted, Amy proves to be not only one of the few characters who can match Sheldon's eccentricity, but also proves essential in softening Sheldon and transforming him into a finer, kinder, slightly healthier person. While Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is arguably the biggest catalyst for Sheldon's development throughout the series, Amy's importance to Sheldon's character cannot be overstated. Despite this, her role in the series was almost cut short.
“After my season three finale, I literally thought my character might never come back,” Bialik said in a 2022 interview. “I had been out of the industry for so long…it really could have gone either way…When I joined the cast, it was met with some negative reception because some people considered Sheldon very near and dear to them and didn't want to change him or stay trashy boyfriend. Writer/showrunner Steven Molaro expanded on this point in the same interview:
“We in the writers' room were very interested in it, but we didn't know where it was going. “We didn't know they were going to have a second date or how it was going to play out and evolve over time,” but we're on it like we're on all the additions to the show and all the characters: we're hopeful and we're trying to do the best we can, for it to grow into something better and interesting; However, it took some time to shake off the “female Sheldon” description and allow her to become her own person.
As fans will recall, Amy truly came into her own throughout the series, evolving to become a more beloved (and more interesting) character in ways that few fans expected. Much of this would not have happened without the help of Jim Parsons.
Parson was Amy's biggest defender
“At one point in the fourth season – I don't know if something caused it or not – I remember saying to (producer) Todd (Spiewak), 'I'm not letting this character go without a fight.' It was noteworthy to me, except that I almost never agreed with the authors,” Parsons explained. “But at some point I felt like I was working with Mayi and I thought, 'If for some reason it felt like we were going to take her out of this show as a character, I would go talk to them.'”
This approach may have helped lead to Amy's promotion to a series regular in Season 4, which was a surprising decision for the actress on the show. “The week I was offered a permanent contract, I told my manager, 'I think this is my last episode; I think they're done with me and done whatever they wanted with my character.” Instead, it turned out that they were just getting started.
“I know they said at the audition that they basically needed a female version of Sheldon, but that's not sustainable in the long run,” Parsons explained. “There was no choice but to develop this character.” Indeed, Amy's initial image as a “female Sheldon” turned out to be wrong; yes, she really was that nerdy and awkward in the beginning, but unlike Sheldon, she had a strong, genuine desire to connect with other people. Once she made a real group of friends, especially with Penny and Bernadette, she turned out to be somewhat outgoing, at least by Sheldon's standards. Sure, she sometimes uses Penny as an unwitting test subject in her experiments (shame!), but she's still more emotionally intelligent than Sheldon.
Why Parsons thinks Amy did so well
For Parsons, a big key to Amy's success was not only the writers' willingness to transform her into someone more interesting, but also the fact that they didn't wait until the last minute to introduce her. “The writers didn't let the well run dry before they thought, 'Oh God, should we adopt a baby? Should we bring a monkey?». You know what I mean? They hooked up these people to see what would work and how it would work, and I thought it was genius.
In most other shows, the seemingly asexual Sheldon getting the girl is something the writers would have to wait until much later. If that happened, the plot might feel like a desperate attempt to keep the show fresh, like Joey has a crush on Rachel seven seasons into Season 10 of “Friends” or “The Fairly Oddparents” suddenly forces Timmy to share his fairy godparents with new character Chloe. Instead, “The Big Bang Theory” dropped Amy into the series right in the middle of the show's best years, instilling confidence and gaining much-needed goodwill from viewers who were skeptical of Sheldon's romance storyline.
Although Amy isn't as pivotal as some other major sitcom characters who were introduced surprisingly late in the game, such as Danny DeVito's Frank in the second season of “Always Sunny” or Ben Wyatt as Adam Scott in “Parks and Rec” continues to be an impressive example of how to change the show's status quo in a fresh and bold way. When The Big Bang Theory ended in season 12, it was hard to believe that Amy wasn't ever around.
