The Big Bang Theory star reveals he’s relieved a spinoff on his character was never considered, despite the character’s standout evolution.
Spin-offs have become a common way to extend the life of a beloved television show. And with Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Chuck Lorre is all set to give new meaning to Kevin Sussman’s Stuart Bloom. But while Sussman is excited for his new project, not every Big Bang actor is eager to see their character in a standalone show.
In an interview, Simon Helberg, who played Howard Wolowitz, shared that he was relieved that no one attempted to make a spin-off of his character.
This was obviously in contrast to Jim Parsons, whose role of Sheldon Cooper lives through the successful Young Sheldon. Let’s dive deeper to understand why Helberg didn’t want a spin-off of his character.
The reason why Simon Helberg is glad there’s no Howard Wolowitz spin-off
The Big Bang Theory truly transformed the sitcom genre with its smart, science-infused jokes. It also presented the entire world with six actors who would then go on to be some of the most sought-after celebrities on television. While in this, Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper will reign in popularity, Simon Helberg with his role as Howard Wolowitz is also not far behind.
Every true fan of the show would attest to the fact that out of the entire gang, it was Howard who went through the most transformation. From being desperate for a relationship to being the first of his friends to get married and have a family, he truly surprised everyone.
This also presented a lot of scope for a spin-off, and Helberg could have joined the leagues of Parsons, who also has a spin-off based on his character. But apparently, Helberg was relieved this plan never even popped up in the head of Chuck Lorre.
While he has nothing but fond memories from his time on The Big Bang Theory, when it comes to the topic of spin-offs, he’s more than happy to be left out of that conversation. During an interview via Newsweek, he talked in detail about his 12-season run as the aerospace engineer turned NASA Astronaut.
While he reminisced about his favorite moments from the show, which included working with Stephen Hawking and emotional moments with Melissa Rauch, he confirmed that a spin-off based on his character was never seriously discussed. He said:
No, which is good. I’m happy everyone had the wits about them not to try to make more of me on television. Young Howard, Old Howard, Dead Howard, You know, Undead, whatever… Undead Howard, could have been a good one.
Helberg was definitely delighted that his character didn’t get a spin-off. But given the amazing storyline he had on the hit sitcom, it’s a shame that this never even crossed the minds of the creators.
Simon Helberg never wrote his own lines in The Big Bang Theory
Some actors like contributing to the shows they are a part of, but Simon Helberg took a different approach for his 12-season run on The Big Bang Theory. So, in a world where riffing on lines is often encouraged, Helberg stood by a firm principle: the writers write, and the actors act.
This was the only reason why he didn’t insert his own jokes or lines into the scripts, not because he lacked confidence but because he respected the writers of the hit sitcom. In an interview via Collider, he explained that Big Bang operated with razor-sharp precision.
It’s not really about confidence. It’s just something that isn’t really in the vocabulary of what goes on at work. The writers write and the actors act. I’ve worked very differently before. There’s a lot of changing lines while we’re taping, and coming up with jokes, punching it up and rewriting scenes.
He continued:
My impulse is always to try to contribute, but very quickly, I felt that that wasn’t necessarily the way that this show worked.
Also, the operating room was filled with some of the sharpest minds in sitcom television, so adding his own lines or improvisation simply seemed unnecessary.
So, all in all, the actors had full trust in the writers and the collaborative effort that made The Big Bang Theory one of the most popular sitcoms out there.
