While The Big Bang Theory pulled off a sitcom reunion after 16 years, I was annoyed when the hit show then went on to waste this pairing. The Big Bang Theory’s cast of characters were all likable, but the show’s original protagonist was Johnny Galecki’s Leonard. Over time, Jim Parsons’ breakout character Sheldon ended up becoming The Big Bang Theory’s central focus, as evidenced by its first spinoff, Young Sheldon. However, Leonard’s attempts to woo his neighbor Penny were The Big Bang Theory’s primary early focus. Galecki was a sitcom mainstay before the show began thanks to his Roseanne role.
While Galecki also appeared in an episode of Blossom and the short-lived sitcom Billy, Roseanne was his big break. 16 years before The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard and Penny ever met, Galecki’s nebbish David Healy was paired off with Roseanne’s sardonic teen heroine Darlene. Sara Gilbert’s Darlene and David had a tumultuous sitcom romance that culminated in the birth of their first child, Harris, in the show’s final seasons. Gilbert and Galecki reunited in The Big Bang Theory season 1, but the series failed to take advantage of their shared screen history even though the duo had a lot of potential.
The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard/Leslie Winkle Relationship Reignited A Roseanne Romance
Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert Were Paired Off In The Classic Sitcom
While Leonard nursed a crush on Penny as early as The Big Bang Theory’s pilot episode, the pair didn’t pursue a romantic relationship until later in the show’s run. One of Leonard’s first serious love interests was Gilbert’s Leslie Winkle, a sarcastic scientist who had a longstanding feud with Sheldon. Leslie was a regular fixture in the early seasons of The Big Bang Theory, with Gilbert’s character appearing in three episodes of season 1 and four episodes of season 2. However, her screen time all but ended when Leonard and Penny began dating, and she never returned to the show in earnest.
Winkle’s main role in the series was playing Leonard’s romantic false lead.
Leslie put in a lone onscreen appearance in season 9, but this cameo hardly fleshed out her relationship with the main characters. While The Big Bang Theory’s next spinoff might check in on Gilbert’s character and update viewers on her life, Winkle’s main role in the series was playing Leonard’s romantic false lead. Since the pair shared the same chemistry that made their time on Roseanne so memorable, her appearances made the duo’s relationship seem viable. However, it was easy to see even early on that The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard and Penny were always destined to end up together.
Leslie Winkle’s The Big Bang Theory Role Ended Early
Leonard’s Early Love Interest Was Phased Out Fast
While Leonard and Penny ending up together was no bad thing, it is unfortunate that Leslie was effectively written out of The Big Bang Theory after season 3. Leslie was one of the few characters who could convincingly challenge Sheldon. Before Bernadette’s arrival rewrote his personality for the better, Leslie also called out Howard’s creepy conduct. Both Howard’s early attitude toward women and Sheldon’s The Big Bang Theory character flaws were often ignored or excused by the show’s heroes, so it was a welcome change when Leslie took both characters to task and refused to write off their behavior.
The gang was split by gender in later seasons, but Leslie’s appearances subverted this approach.
Leslie Winkle’s addition to The Big Bang Theory’s main group also diversified the gang before Amy and Bernadette’s arrival, and she was more integral to the group than either of those later love interests. Although Leonard and Leslie did hook up, she was also a member of the gang and even replaced Sheldon at the Physics Bowl in season 1, episode 13, “The Bat Jar Conjecture.” In contrast, most of Amy and Bernadette’s storylines revolved around either their romantic relationships or their friendship with Penny. The gang was split by gender in later seasons, but Leslie’s appearances subverted this approach.
Leslie Winkle Deserved A Bigger Big Bang Theory Role
Leslie Never Got To Hang Out With Penny, Amy, And Bernadette
As evidenced by her ability to seamlessly integrate into the show’s central gang, Leslie deserved a bigger role in later seasons of The Big Bang Theory. Like Young Sheldon’s wasted character, her role was never expanded even though it had plenty of potential. When Bernadette, Penny, and Amy formed an unlikely friendship in The Big Bang Theory’s later seasons, Leslie could have been a great addition to this lineup. Furthermore, her existing relationships with Raj, Howard, Leonard, and Sheldon would have allowed her to bridge the gap between the two district groups of friends in the series.
Although Sheldon resented Leslie, he also respected her intelligence. As such, his relationship struggles with Amy could have been ameliorated if Leslie had been around to advise him. Sheldon was barely willing to listen to Penny or Leonard when it came to his romantic relationships, but his rivalry with Leslie could ironically have resulted in him respecting her opinion. This might have saved the couple a lot of hardship during their breakup and could have given Leslie a compelling role in one of The Big Bang Theory’s most important relationships. However, there’s another character who needs her presence even more.
Leslie Winkle’s Role Could Have Solved Another Big Bang Theory Mistake
Raj’s Unhappy Ending Would Be Fixed By A Leslie Winkle Romance
Raj’s unhappy story ended ignominiously, with The Big Bang Theory’s most love-obsessed main character being its lone single hero in the finale. The Big Bang Theory’s next spinoff might improve Raj’s story, but the character’s arc was the most disappointingly unfinished of the show’s central heroic journeys. Although there is nothing wrong with Raj remaining single as a life choice, his romantic relationships felt increasingly pointless and repetitive in later seasons. Raj overcame his fear of speaking to women, but he never overcame his self-centered inability to view them as people. Leslie could have been the key to this.
Raj’s Big Bang Theory finale fate was frustrating both because it didn’t feel true to his character and because keeping Leslie around might have fixed this issue.
Raj was constantly saying he was desperate to fall in love and settle down, but he then mistreated and two-timed his love interests. Leslie definitely wouldn’t have put up with that and, like Bernadette did with Howard, she could have helped him grow out of his immaturity. Raj’s Big Bang Theory finale fate was frustrating both because it didn’t feel true to his character and because keeping Leslie around might have fixed this issue. While everyone else in the group grew and changed, Leslie was forgotten while The Big Bang Theory’s Raj remained the same.
