Before The Big Bang Theory made TV history, Simon Helberg was already crafting his nerd DNA – only hardly anyone noticed.
In the short-lived Friends spin-off series Joey (2004–2006), he played a minor role that feels like an early draft of Howard Wolowitz.
Seth Tobin – Howard 1.0?
Seth Tobin is a space engineer at Caltech, lives with his grandmother, and regularly fails at flirting.
He wears a Space Invaders shirt, talks about robot women, and is a big Star Trek fan. Sound familiar?
No wonder: many of these traits appear almost one-to-one later in Howard.
Not Quite Howard – But Close
Of course, Seth isn’t a fully developed main character like Howard. He only appears in four episodes, stays more cliché and superficial – but the foundation is there: the nerdy charm, the arrogant facade, the emotional insecurity.
It’s like seeing Howard in beta version.
Sitcom Fate Or Just Nerd Destiny?
Simon Helberg’s role in Joey was more than just a forgotten minor part – it was the unofficial casting for one of the most iconic nerds in TV history. That he later skyrocketed as Howard Wolowitz almost feels destined.
And here’s a little series fun fact to finish:
Two familiar faces from The Big Bang Theory years appeared before the big nerd hype in Roseanne. We’re talking about Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) and Sara Gilbert (Leslie Winkle). As David Healy and Darlene Conner, they were even a couple in the cult sitcom – long before reuniting in the Big Bang universe.
Multiverse vibes? Definitely. Just with more sitcom flair than superhero action.
