Landing a series regular role on any kind of television show can be a dream come true for an up-and-coming actor, particularly if that series happens to be a network sitcom with an episode order that stretches into the 20s. That’s some serious financial stability that, should the show catch on, could turn the actor into an audience favorite if not a full-blown television star.
Few ensembles have experienced greater long-term success in this department than the cast of “The Big Bang Theory.” For 12 seasons stretching from 2007 to 2019, the series was anchored by its core five stars: Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter, Kaley Cuoco as Penny, Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz, and Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali. Some of these folks were better known than the others at first, but by the end of the show’s run they’d become one of the most beloved sitcom casts in television history.
If it sounds like a dream come true to be earning around $1 million per episode to pursue your passion for acting, most actors will tell you that it absolutely is. This doesn’t mean there aren’t drawbacks to blocking out a massive chunk of your year for a decade-plus. For Kunal Nayyar, who endeared himself to “The Big Bang Theory” fans as the adorably stylish, if socially awkward particle physicist Raj, devoting 12 years of his life to the series came at high personal cost.
The Big Bang Theory kept Kunal Nayyar from his family in India
During an appearance on Channel 4’s “Sunday Brunch” in 2022, hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer asked Nayyar how he felt about ending “The Big Bang Theory” after its 12th season. “I think 12 years was enough,” he said. “I think it was time for all of us to move on and do other endeavors in our life.”
When pressed on what made him personally feel that the time was right to bid farewell to the show, he cited the demanding schedule that didn’t leave him much time to take roles in other projects. Most difficult of all for Nayyar was spending so much time away from his family. As he told the “Sunday Brunch” hosts:
“People don’t realize the sacrifice it takes to do an entire season, you know, and for me living away from my family in India, I had missed a lot of births and deaths and anniversaries. It was time for me [and] for all of us to spend more time with our families.”
Nayyar, who has been married to model Neha Kapur since 2011, doesn’t seem terribly eager to re-commit to the network sitcom grind. He starred in the short-lived Apple+ political thriller series “Suspicion” in 2022, and will soon be seen as Scrooge in “Christmas Karma,” a Bollywood-esque take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but the days of the 24-episode show-order seem to be comfortably in Nayyar’s rearview … for now. Perhaps “The Big Bang Theory” braintrust will try to lure him back for a spinoff à la “Young Sheldon” or “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.” Personally, I’d like to see him hook up with Jesse Eisenberg again after their well-received theatrical collaboration “The Spoils.” At a age 43, it feels like we’re still getting to know Nayyar as a performer.
