The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar has admitted that he angers co-stars on the classic sitcom by often breaking characters. Nayyar memorably played astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom.
Nayyar reflected on the early seasons of the sitcom for his appearance on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast, where he said it was hard for him to keep a straight face while filming many of the funniest scenes. The actor light-heartedly fessed up that he was “the worst in the beginning on the show” because he “broke all the time.”
Kunal Nayyar Reflects on Early Years of The Big Bang Theory
“\[Breaking character] really pissed everyone off, but I couldn’t help it,” he recalled. “I would also break a lot of my own jokes, which are funny. But I mean, how can you \[not], Simon \[Helberg, co-star] is a genius.”
Nayyar explained that it was “very hard for \[him] to keep a straight face” when he was working with Helberg — who played Howard Wolowitz — in particular because of his co-star’s very specific line delivery.
“The beauty of Simon as an actor and a performer — even a simple line like, ‘Friday works for me.’ Just the cadence, like, ‘Friday works for me!’ \[was funny],” he remembered.
The Big Bang Theory Aired for 12 Seasons
The Classic CBS Sitcom Averaged More Than 20 Million Viewers At the Height of its Popularity The Big Bang Theory premiered on September 24, 2007, and concluded on May 16, 2019.
Throughout its lifespan, The Big Bang Theory won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Prequel series Young Sheldon aired for seven seasons between 2017 and 2024, while spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage launched in October 2024.
For his podcast appearance, Nayyar looked back on the season one episode “The Grasshopper Experiment” from 2007, but confessed that it had been “a long time” since he’d watched everything from the show. However, Nayyar acknowledged that he’s often found it “comforting” to have The Big Bang Theory “on in the background sometimes” even if he wasn’t actively watching.
“\[Breaking character] really pissed everyone off, but I couldn’t help.”
Producers Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn are currently developing a new Big Bang Theory spinoff, tentatively titled Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.The proposed series will bring back Big Bang cast members Kevin Sussman as Stuart, Lauren Lapkus as Denise, Brian Posehn as Bert and John Ross Bowie as Barry.
While Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has yet to receive an official greenlight, Warner Bros. Television Group CEO Channing Dungey confirmed in April that there’s a solid chance of the project moving forward.
“Chuck, Zak and Bill are hard at work writing stuff,” she said. “We’ve seen some material at the studio, and we’ve had some creative conversations with Max, so we are hopeful for good news soon.”
The Big Bang Theory Made Hollywood Stars of its Cast
The WB executive described the early scripts as “creative \[and] imaginative” as well as “very, very funny,” in addition to addressing the likelihood of more original Big Bang Theory characters returning.
“I would never say never. We’re very excited and focused on our series regulars who have great stuff to do in these episodes,” Dungey teased.
Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik could be among those returning guest stars at some point, as she recently said she was “100%” willing to reprise her role as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler.
“I have no qualms about that. I think it would be fantastic,” she said. “I know that people have such a special attachment to all of these characters. I read about \[the spinoff]… like everyone else but I’d love to get a call, sure.”
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream in its entirety on Max. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe does not have a premiere on Max.
