But he for sure acted like one.
If you are a fan of The Big Bang Theory, you know how easy it is to get sucked into the show accidentally and end up rewatching the entire thing in less than a month. After spotting yet another compilation of Sheldon’s best moments on YouTube, I decided to jump in and rewatch the series from the beginning to the very end.
Turns out, my perception of the show has changed completely! After watching 7 seasons of Young Sheldon and taking time to reflect on every episode it becomes very obvious that no matter how hard the show promoted Sheldon Cooper as its main character, he never truly was. If anything, I now believe that giving Sheldon so much credit was a mistake.
Who Was The Big Bang Theory’s Main Character?
First and foremost, The Big Bang Theory has always been an ensemble show, and the cast is what got it off the ground and kept it afloat through the 2008 WGA strike, which could have easily ended the show in its first season.
Sheldon Cooper, portrayed by Jim Parsons, of course, stood out from the rest thanks to his inability to understand social cues, balanced by an enormously high IQ. But he wouldn’t be able to carry the entire show on his back if it weren’t for Johnny Galecki’s Leonard, Kunal Nayyar’s Raj, Simon Helberg’s Howard, and Kaley Cuoco ‘s Penny.
The key to the show’s success was the dynamic between all of these characters and the way the actors bounced off each other, making viewers believe they were witnessing the banter of good friends. What made Sheldon seem like the main character was the way he acted in the universe, always drawing attention to himself.
Narrative-wise, however, his story was no more important than anyone else’s. So it was a little upsetting to see the finale of the show give all the attention to the person who longed for it the most.
Each member of the group was equally important, and The Big Bang Theory wouldn’t be the same without any of them. Still, it ended up being a Sheldon show, even before a standalone Sheldon show was created in 2017. And even Young Sheldon ended up moving over to the Coopers pretty soon, realizing that Sheldon’s quirkiness wasn’t enough to keep the ratings up.
Do I think the show would have had a much more rounded ending if it hadn’t put all its eggs in Sheldon’s basket? I definitely do. But you can always re-watch and make a better judgment if you disagree. The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
