How THIS Character Solved Big Bang's Biggest Problem

[@shom4458]

Great analysis... But one other "problem" was fixed: Penny didn't have any friends. She was stuck in the boy's world without anyone. And at its core she was just an "object of desire." Adding Amy and Bernadette gave her a "world" that really added to Penny's story and the overall story. The story telling really evolved.

[@shannendawes8725]

> And at its core she was just an "object of desire." Absolutely, and you see it most starkly when she and Leonard finally became an item. The writers didn't know what to do with this two-dimensional character they'd concocted, now that her purpose had been fulfilled. It took a while for Penny to find her true stride.

[@JPIbanez84]

Penny had friends...or "friends". She had a bunch of guys over with some of their gfs for a football game once. Although I'm sure most of those dudes just hooked up with her.

[@ranoutofgoodusernames8394]

@@shannendawes8725 They did go on a brief venture of portraying penny as that one wife who wonders why she married her husband, believing to have settled for him. It begun at season 9 iirc Glad they made her better, but It took a while

[@kingbeauregard]

It's true, Penny was just a prize at first. She didn't even have a last name ... but she did have a monetary value.

[@scipio7766]

Penny had plenty of friends when the show started. She even dropped by with girlfriends to make fun of the guys. It always bugged me her friends disappeared after she and Leonard started dating.

[@benwasserman8223]

Bernadette made Howard less creepy, Penny made Leonard more confident, and Amy gradually encouraged Sheldon to get out of his OCD routines. So i guess alcohol was Raj’s main lady at first.

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

So, the women changed the men from funny to less funny.

[@benwasserman8223]

@@Bow-to-the-absurd They were still funny. Just less aggravating :P

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

​@@benwasserman8223much less interesting

[@478Johnnyboy]

They did Raj so dirty. Everyone could find someone even Sheldon but Raj was an after though.

[@malikmalcolm425]

I don't totally agree especially towards the end Penny took every chance to beat Leonard and his confidence as a man down. I don't know if it was intentional or not but Penny despite saying otherwise quite literally became what Leonard's mother was to Leonard's father

[@robertlunderwood]

"Tell her I’m really sorry, and if she doesn’t want to marry me, I get it. But what I really want her to know is the guy that she’s disgusted by, is the guy that I’m disgusted by, too. But that guy doesn’t exist any more, he’s gone, and the reason is because of her. So, if this relationship is over, let her know that she made me a better man, and tell her thank you." The entire video can be summed up by this.

[@PhilosophyOnTheNightbus]

True, those were the best words that TBBT Howard ever said. But here is the problem that I have with all those IRL Howards out there: The sentence "this disgusting guy doesn't exist anymore" may be true for THEIR lives, but they are still very much part of the lives (memories) of all the women they harrassed & hurt on their path to finally becoming a "nice guy". This means that they are stil responsible for having hurt the boundaries & feelings of those women, and that it's their job to apologize and do their best to heal/minimize the damage done. Unblocking those women's path of healing is a prerequisite for self-forgiveness (and self-healing). They should not let themselves off the accountability-hook too easily. And if there's no way of contacting some of these women again, at least join the fight against sexism. And if your dude friends think that's embarrassing/uncool, you'll need to re-evaluate a couple of friendships. (Also: it's not enough to just defend the females of YOUR family, patriarchs have done that for centuries. It has to be ALL women.)

[@pamelakrumvieda3153]

@@PhilosophyOnTheNightbus, what is the problem exactly? He is obviously repentant of his younger behavior (aren't we all to varying degrees) and declares even without Bernie, he's a better person because of her. You can't cancel a person forever for their past.

[@PhilosophyOnTheNightbus]

@@pamelakrumvieda3153 Your reply makes me assume that you have missunderstood my point: I am not advocating for "cancel culture", I am advocating for "consequence culture". It is the job of all those "reformed Howards of this world" to minimize the damage they have done to all the women they harrassed before they met their future wife: Apologize face-to-face, in a phone call, or write an email. Ask what they need to forgive you and and heal. I personally would not consider marrying a man who hasn't done everything (within reason) to undo the sexism he has brought upon other women. That's why I live my life on the side of a wonderful male feminist. (Wonder what those men are like? Watch "Jimmy on Relationships", it's awesome)

[@kingbeauregard]

@@pamelakrumvieda3153 The problem is that he caused grief to countless women along the way to becoming a better person. If he is not mortified by his past actions enough to want to make up for them - apologies for a start - then he's not sincere. There's an entire much better show called "My Name Is Earl" about how bettering one's self is impossible without making amends.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

She doesn't make him better, she just dominates him more than his mother does.

[@johnnorman4416]

I thought Bernadette served 2 major functions on TBBT. 1) The first was her role in being a love interest that served as a means to redirect and soften Howard's chararacer and 2) To - at least initially - provide a communication bridge between Penny and Amy. A dynamic which would have been very forced without Bernadette

[@l30S3UX]

3) she's super hot

[@advmx3]

TBBT had this bad problem where Penny was just an object, Whenever she wasn't on screen to be the object of desire of the group, she was off-screen with another man. Bernadette and Penny was the first time we actually see Penny's interaction with a co-worker and possible friend.

[@williampotter2098]

Clever observation

[@stephwu8]

​@@l30S3UX 4) she's super hot

[@SusanaXpeace2u]

OH SO TRUE> They had a kind of sisters in law who get on vibe about them, but just penny and Amy wouldn't have felt right.

[@FitzyyLives]

When Rausch did her impression of Howard's mom, I thought she actually voiced Howard's mom and they brought her onscreen to play bernadette

[@carolfigueirars]

So did I😅

[@dayschange2]

I think that had been an actual rumor going around at the time. I remember a friend telling me that back when she was trying to sell me on the show.

[@maryhildreth754]

I honestly thought that too!!!

[@reviewcentral1209]

Me, too.

[@RobertJohnson-bj5lk]

Rausch did such an incredible job of doing an impersonation of Howard’s Mom’s voice within the context of Bernadette’s voice. The vocal skill level level was exceptional.

[@AverageDrafter]

Had the best line in the series "How do you know Red Hulk's not worthy?! YOU DON'T KNOW HIS LIFE!!!"

[@johans3164]

Bernadette seeing Red Hulk: "i can fix him"

[@michaelshort2388]

My favourtie was "You'd better find my husband's mother, because one way or another we're walking out of here with a dead woman"

[@hotpotato5587]

For me it’s “Gee Amy I’m sensing some hostility. Is it perhaps because like Sheldon’s work your sex life is also theoretical?”

[@deandeck]

Raj: Will I ever find a girlfriend? Bernadette (viciously): Of course you will, you’re a cutie pie. Any woman would be lucky to have you!

[@Transfixed]

@@michaelshort2388 Featured in this very video!

[@Craxin01]

Howard got his best line in the series after his bachelor party, apologizing to Bernadette (well, asking Penny to relay his apology, though Bernadette heard it anyway). I loved Penny's reaction, "Oh my God, Howard. That was the most beautiful thing I ever heard. And it came out of YOU!"

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Howard is always dissatisfied with B, so why does his strong attraction to Penny suddenly, permanently disappear when he meets her?

[@Khwerz]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu HUGE KNOCKERS

[@helenacalli9132]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu Offer examples of Howard's "always" dissatisfaction with B?? Preferably a dialog segment, but am ok with behavior descrip & episode title?

[@poryg5350]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu Howard's antics towards Penny weren't ever a result of his attraction towards her. It was out of desperation. When you're this desperate, you're essentially trying your shot with everybody who lets you, never expecting anything. Very few people will accept you and mostly it's for sex, so you begin to pursue girls for sex too. It's creepy, but in your mind you have nothing to lose. You've dealt with rejection your whole life, you're used to it. And from time to time someone will have sth with you. But it doesn't fulfill you or anything. When Howard found Bernadette, for the first time he found someone who was able to accept him, handle his antics and who made him genuinely happy. Experiencing this is a very liberating feeling and it will bring a harsh change. What looked like "his strong attraction to Penny suddenly disappearing" to you was simply his desperation disappearing. He simply no longer felt the need to pursue anybody. I've been very similar to Howard, so I understand him very well.

[@georgh.]

While Howard might not be the most relatable character in the show, in my opinion Helberg is by far the best actor of the whole cast.

[@deandeck]

Crazy talent. Parsons too though

[@rutik42]

The one episode where he mimics Nicolas Cage and more in dungeons and dragons game made me his fan. That man is so talented

[@bepohal]

@@deandeck helberg is a way, WAY better actor than parsons

[@angelaherwald3422]

I hav always thought so too. His reactions and quick line delivery are genius 😂

[@victoria-xe6sq]

and also insanely hot

[@pallaviyadav2560]

You know bernadette also solve the issue being a mediater bridge between two other female leads. Because she is smart intellectual which help Amy to conversation and make penny that conversation easy, and also she is well aware about relevant pop culture which make her bond with penny and include Amy with defining the terms. Without her I don't think that characters chemistry remains same.

[@erikruser6047]

The three ladies certainly had good chemistry together that helped make the later seasons infinitely better than the early seasons. But unlike Howard's sleaze, the Penny/Amy friendship dynamic wasn't a problem that needed solving at the time Bernadette was introduced as Amy wasn't even around yet. Bernadette was supposed to be a one-off character early in season 3, and Amy was supposed to be a one-off character in the finale of season 3.

[@sad_dad]

She was def an element that the show benefited from. Can’t believe she was first off only casted for one episode. Never knew that.

[@melissamurray8307]

Same with Amy’s character.

[@alexwilliamrussell]

Big bang writers cheated. These nerds w good jobs in reality would get at best avg women w avg looks and avg job. The women would accept nerds for stable home and children. But magically then she got a sense a humor, a great career making MORE than him, and into sex. Unrealistic. They didn't want to portray how couples are realistic and settle. Nerds don't get the top women .. in reality Bernadette with great job and sexy would get a jock or banker, not a midget ugly engineer ..... Only Penny clearly was lower class and low education, but then magically she ALSO got a job that paid super well .. no poor person on tv anymore?

[@Robert08010]

There was a similar story on Breaking Bad where Jesse was supposed to be killed off in the first season. Can you imagine Breaking Bad without Jesse Pinkman?

[@LamanKnight]

That happens more often than a lot of people would realize --- a great character, sometimes even a fan favourite, was originally going to be just a brief cameo. Steve Urkel was only supposed to show up once on Family Matters. The cabbage merchant in Avatar: The Last Airbender was originally going to be a one-off joke. And one of the most extreme examples: Harley Quinn was originally going to be a one-off character on Batman: The New Animated Series... but look at her now.

[@Richie_Godsil]

Bernadette had great timing and delivery too, such an unexpectedly funny character

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

She's one bad joke, repeated endlessly.

[@psio4213]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu the entire series can be described like that.

[@DeltaEcho303]

Melissa brought the house down when she did her 'Mrs. Wolowitz' voice at Comic Con: "Howard! What's this Comic Con thing you're going to?! Is it the sex thing I saw on 20/20?!"

[@JuanEnriqueFloresJr]

Oh yeah. I saw that. She was very good at imitating Howard’s mom’s voice.

[@ILikeMyPrivacytbt]

I thought she said it was a sex convention.

[@wesholland2474]

The song they sang to her while she was in quarantine actually made me cry. I can admit it. It was a beautiful moment in TV history.

[@quesobuddy]

"I like the Wii. 😊" "Thanks Grandma."

[@STho205]

That line really reminded me of my little blonde Catholic wife.

[@shannendawes8725]

Such an iconically Bernadette thing to say. 😁

[@nanalamystique]

"I like Cinderella" Emily : "did you know that in the original story, the stepsisters cut their feet off?" Bernadette : "I mike the bidibibapbidiboo 👀" As a French raised with both versions : This was hilarious, and Melissa's delivery 😘

[@XavierAxelrod]

Shoutout to Bernadette's Dad. That one episode with Sheldon when they bond over football. I'll never forget. She's my favorite girl among the main cast.

[@rockoorbe2002]

Yes, I enjoyed that whole bit. Particularly when they get drunk. And maybe by accident it's a good intro to Young Sheldon.

[@M.W.2]

Sheldon daddy issues is one of the parts I wished they explored more in the series. Instead of treating him like a kid with 3 mommies he could have grown up more but that is not milkable for 12 seasons

[@cherrydelrey1949]

I love that episode, Sheldon really misses his dad, so that was a sweet bonding moment.

[@chadportenga7858]

Don't forget the episode where Howard tells her dad he's afraid to go to space. He's having a heart-to-heart talk with Bernie's dad. Howard Wolowitz: I'm going to level with you. I'm terrified about going into space. Y'know, what if I don't make it back? Mr. Rostenkowski: It's gonna be okay, son. Howard Wolowitz: You really think so? Mr. Rostenkowski: Of course. A pretty girl like Bernadette, she'll find a new guy.

[@Robert08010]

He definitely had that "drill sergeant" vibe - the kind of guy who needed to tell you he could kill you with ease.

[@chaceedward]

Bernadette is my favorite character in TBBT, along with Howard, and it's because of the unique dynamic they share. Bernadette is sharp, ambitious, and only comes across as mean when faced with utter nonsense or immature behavior, which makes her reactions all the more relatable. What really stands out is how she serves as a catalyst for Howard’s growth-she pushes him to mature and become a better version of himself. Together, they add depth to the show, balancing out the quirkier, less developed characters. I also connect with Bernadette’s no-nonsense attitude, which stems from growing up taking care of her siblings, a relatable experience for anyone who’s had to handle early responsibilities. She’s an inspiration, showing that ambition, strength, and compassion can go hand-in-hand. Bernadette’s character represents real-life qualities we should all strive for, which is why she, alongside Howard, is such a standout for me. 😊

[@exdee__]

I'm ngl Bernadette became such a bitch 😂 pre the Scavenger Hunt episode she was great but she ended up being horrible

[@neverstopmovingforwardfitn7277]

They went too far making Bernadette like Howard's mom. Her character became not so liked but that was what happened with most of cast

[@jliller]

I only watched the show sporadically, but I'm in the target audience. Bernadette's domineering behavior toward Howard never sat right with me; I otherwise liked her character. I also never liked the Leonard-Penny relationship because they never really seemed to have anything in common. Sheldon-Amy I was fine with.

[@AlanCS1104]

I agree. Pretty much every character became too predictable for the rest of the series from Season 8, in my opinion.

[@BrutalCarnage]

​@@jlillershe just became off-putting. Like imagine if the show was flipped and if it was about nerdy geeky women with attractive boyfriend's. Imagine a male version of Bernadette constantly ripping into a female version of Howard acting like he was doing her favour by being with her and having sex with her, calling her a slut whenever she makes jokes about dicks. Then eventually making more money than her and ripping into her even more

[@SunshineCatwoman]

I hated how they changed Amy. She should have remained more like Sheldon, and she should have been a comic book and/or science fiction nerd, too. The writers denied the fact that women can and do like nerdy things -- not just men. Also, I thought Penny and Sheldon would have been the better couple. He made her crazy, but they had chemistry, and she liked playing with him; e.g., {{knock, knock, knock}} "Who do we love?" "Penny." "What's the gist, physicist?"

[@jliller]

@@SunshineCatwoman Technically, Amy was interested in nerdy things (science), but not as much geeky things (comics). I agree having her as more of a geek would have been an interesting angle, even explore how at least one of the characters possibly dealt with feeling threatened by a woman who knew more about some geeky topic than he did. Sheldon was, intentionally or not, coded as Asperger's + OCD (IIRC, the showerunners didn't explicitly intend it that way originally, but they and Jim Parsons kind of recognized and ran with it over time). I'm not sure that Amy was written quite the same way, in terms of mental health. I've seen some argument the character also has Asperger's, but it seems to me like it could be more anxiety and stunted social development caused by environmental conditions (parenting, peers, and being a high-IQ woman interested in science). I don't know if Mayim Bialik or the showrunners ever discussed this?

[@nykki21]

I liked Bernadette period. Howard aside, she was so much fun to watch. Until the later seasons, when they leaned too hard into how much she resembled Howard’s mother. But by then, a lot of nuance in the ensemble was getting muddled

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Her voice is far from fun.

[@BassRacerx]

yeah the later seasons could have been squished into fewer episodes and had been better for it but that show as on the top of the world and making so much money that they stretched it out a bit to far just like every successful sitcom.

[@LujackLvr]

I don't remember the exact lines but it's the episode where Howard is stopped by the police & he has to step out of the car & do the "perp walk" & then he & Bernadette are late for dinner & when they arrive at the restaurant, Bernadette says something like, "I [or is it Howard?] can be a very vengeful person--with access to weaponized smallpox"--that line kills me.

[@trinaq]

I loved that giving Howard a stable girlfriend and later wife in Bernadette decreased his sleazy, creepy behaviour towards women, and made him more likable.

[@Kjos_jax]

No, it was showing that he was a care free fun loving guy and ended up with a controlling monster for a gf who ended up replacing his mother. It's a cautionary tale and they even make it clear that she's a horrid gf, wife, friend, and overall human being. Can't believe you thought it was good for him to have his life ruined... He was so happy just being a nerd and should've stuck to that. Raj didn't become obsessed with finding a woman until his friends started leaving him behind. The 4 of them could've lived happily ever after the way they were. Sheldon is the only one who benefited from letting a woman into his life

[@natbarmore]

@@Kjos_jaxI’m kinda wondering if we watched the same show? Howard at first wasn’t so much “care-free” as he was “immature, desperate, and shameless”. And Bernadette didn’t ruin his life, at least not according to what was shown on-screen. Both Howard and the writers generally clearly thought he was happier and better-off with her. As for her being a horrible person: yes. But arguably less horrible than Howard.

[@rockoorbe2002]

​@@natbarmore nope..she was a bit of a pervert herself

[@BrutalCarnage]

They made him more likeable but Bernadette very unlike will my opinion. Like she constantly criticises, mocks and tries to emasculate Howard, even when he's not there she's just with her friends, acting like she's doing him a favour by being with him despite the fact that he's a doctor and an astronaut working at MIT. Imagine if the roles were flipped and the show was about unattractive women with attractive boyfriends and the boyfriends were constantly making fun of them joking about their femininity and acting as though they were doing the women of favour by being with them/ having sex with them and earning more than them...

[@JuanEnriqueFloresJr]

@BrutalCarnage Agreed

[@RaikaSTi]

Don't like how they changed Bernnadette from quiet and sweet to loud, mean, bossy later on

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Yes, greatly worsening her voice & personality.

[@geloyzarsadias4244]

Honestly I liked it .......we "small" people don't get our voices heard unless we should them or through passive aggressive comments....ok it sounds dumb and childish....but it's the only way for us to get heard.....at least that's with me and my family

[@thatjeff7550]

I chalk it up to her being a waitress and having to bottle it all in for a long time and then she found some friends where she could let it all out.

[@danyf.1442]

​@@geloyzarsadias4244Oh I get it, I am a very short lady who also looks way younger than her age ...now it's better but especially when I started my career my appearance definitely didn't make it easier for me to be taken seriously...so I understand a bit where Bernadette attitude may have come from.

[@eBrunoro]

She represents many women that also unexpectedly change from quiet and sweet to loud, mean and bossy

[@lilac951]

Later in seasons Howard became my favorite character because his arc was always progressing, and Simone is the best actor of a group

[@maximuscesar]

Melissa Rauch is an outstanding actress.

[@jamielondon6436]

I think the 'Howard problem' also wasn't quite as, well, fatal as HIMYM's, because he didn't actually score with (and then dump) women. He just wished he could. Not *a lot* better, but still maybe somewhat more redeemable. Now tell us why Doctor Stephanie was erased from the show as if she never even existed, please!

[@Lolkop555]

A bit like Brock from the Pokémon Anime, but than a bit more PG

[@stevenscott2136]

My guess: she wasn't crazy enough. Everyone on the show is a neurotic or nutjob of some sort. But Dr. Steph was basically a 1980's sitcom mom.

[@Craxin01]

@@Lolkop555 Or Pepe Le Pew.

[@54raynor]

I’d say the main reason it wasn’t fatal is that both the outcome from the behavior and maturation out of it were very grounded and realistic. There are plenty of people who need to go thru that in order to grow out of it and change their ways.

[@DwynTwo]

Not sure about that. Howard stalked women. He actually hid cameras in teddy bears and flew drones over to spy on some hot women. Howard would be just as bad as Barney if he had his charm and I think both are irredeemable.

[@sleepypixie8828]

"Go have a weird relationship with your own mother and cousin, (pointing to howard) this is his turf" got me laughing like crazy😂😂

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

Biggest problem was the massive increase in sheldon-centric melodrama combined with huge drop-off in jokes after series 5.

[@TheTransitmtl]

Really? The biggest problem was the constant mysoginy and creeper behavior. Then the second problem was that it was just not funny. A classic TBBT setup is. Penny runs into the guys Hey guys what are you doing We are going to buy some comic books because the new Green Lantern is out. Cur laughter

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

​​@@TheTransitmtl you think they were creepy? Huh. Not been around adolescent boys much then. Or humans in general. Ever seen women on a hen night? Some of the most perverted behaviour you'll ever see in the open.

[@CJ-ln5ov]

@@TheTransitmtlYou forgot about the last part where Penny either acts like they’re speaking another language or makes fun of them sarcastically.

[@samuelbaroi3955]

9​@@TheTransitmtl

[@nikell6846]

Yepe. It pass from a not pc real nerds comedy show... to a empowerment chick flick for pc babies in the late seasons. To put all the focus into "parenting" sheldon was a mistake as well (just like paying galecki and cuoco more than helberg and nayyar).

[@walteroakley9115]

I think the character started out great... and it was a good way to "de-creep" Howard. However, in the later seasons, especially after she got her PhD... she stopped being the sweetheart type and became a worse and worse person as the series went on. She border-lined on becoming insufferable in the last couple seasons, because she was such a bully.

[@dovie2blue]

She was terrible on steroids

[@megatonhammer9478]

She was Kitty Foreman just put in a different role. I mean if you think about it, you can't have a character like Howard as a partner without becoming loud, mean, and brash. Otherwise they will never acknowledge boundaries.

[@margielee2088]

When Howard had the whole group sing the song to her while she was in quarantine I knew how Penny felt when she said "That's the most beautiful thing I ever heard and it came out of you". I know I looked at Howard differently after that. Bernadette made him a better man.

[@julianmcmillan2867]

I guess it takes a domineering bully to turn a pervert into a good man.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

The song lyrics are wrong. B doesn't support all of Howard's dreams & hopes. She often says to him that he's wrong.

[@jerogomezrobledo]

Understandably, Howard's behaviour in the first 3 seasons didn't age well today. But if the show had been cancelled after those 3 seasons, looking at it today it would have been more disappointing for not allowing the character to evolve and end up as a better person than the one we met in the pilot. Plus, I think modern viewers are smart enough to differentiate how a character behaves on screen from how it would behave in real life.

[@Kjos_jax]

He didn't change... he was controlled by a new mommy figure and she took full advantage. She's a horrible excuse for a friend, gf, wife, and person. Hate Bernadette

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Is he better though?

[@rockoorbe2002]

And you think Bernadette being a bossy bItch aged well?

[@tyrael303]

That’s because these days you can’t possibly have character development

[@tylerpemberton3134]

Simp

[@MarioLaubacher]

As much as I've come to reevaluate TBBT negatively because of how much I hate the last couple of seasons, Howard's apology to Bernadette after his bachelor party is one of the sweetest moments of the show.

[@chadportenga7858]

I have to agree - the last 2 or 3 seasons are my least favorite, except for the final couple episodes. Even though I've got them all on DVR (KZbin TV), 90% of the time I watch episodes from the first 7 seasons.

[@dsholt]

3:03 That's the best pronunciation of corollary I've ever heard.

[@Robert08010]

I was wondering what that was. It was butchered so badly, I thought more of crullers than anything else.

[@kayo5291]

I assumed all nerds knew how to pronounce hard words.

[@murrethmedia]

The most unrealistic thing about this entire show is Howard bagging a goddess like Bernadette.

[@JP-ks7ey]

lol

[@Neronova888]

It's kind of makes sense when you think about it. She loves to put people down and having s husband who idolizes you while you constantly, criticize and berate them and stays with you. She definitely wants to keep him around cause of that

[@bbo40]

That's most TV shows (King of Queens comes to mind)

[@Xspurr]

"Goddess".

[@murrethmedia]

@@Xspurr Well, I'm straight.

[@xBaleb]

I always thought that was her real voice 😂

[@doodoorockss]

Her voice in the show was very annoying, she should have just used her natural voice

[@maillardsbearcat]

Damn I forgot how cute Melissa Rauch is

[@AJ-xc4qe]

I've had such a major crush on her that I wound up watching the Night Court sequel series and having never watched the original, it's a surprisingly good show.

[@RSpracticalshooting]

She's a tiny little bombshell

[@arminxvs3372]

And busty

[@jimmorrison4163]

She needs to reveal the puppies.

[@maillardsbearcat]

Okay keep your pants on everybody

[@randellgoering1014]

Bernadette screaming at howards off screen mom was sooooo freaking good on a freudian level!

[@ZachsMind]

Prior to Bernie's presence in the series, we witnessed Howard try and fail multiple times at getting ladies to fall for his sleazy approach. After Bernie showed, but Penny noticed him getting second thoughts, she had this to say: "If you let her go, there is no way you can find anyone else. Speaking on behalf of all women, it is not going to happen, we had a meeting." Bernie accepted Howard for who and what he was: a work in progress. She knew his type, she knew what buttons to push and how to shut down his less appealing tendencies. The only way to make Howard more appealing to the audience was to apply the song by Public Image Ltd: "This is what you want. This is what you get." Bernie was the woman Howard needed, and that worked for we the people watching.

[@ChrisRembert-f5u]

Bernadette was great for the first 3-4 seasons she was on the show; But, she turned pointlessly rude later on.

[@jeffgaboury3157]

I'm a fan of the entire cast and all of the characters. Watching the characters deepen and "grow up", even as we watched the actors perfect their craft was an incredibly satisfying journey. I think that Howard's flaws were always an opportunity. The more deeply flawed the character, the greater the capacity for growth. Howard's song to Bernadette when she's in the hospital is about as heartwarming a scene as can be imagined, particularly since he performs it with all of their friends. It's and endlessly re-watchable show.

[@PC2000]

It's kind of funny. She fixed Howard, but then ended up derailing as a character herself in the later seasons.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Fixed? What effing show did you people watch!?

[@Kay-jg6tf]

@@Richard_Nickerson I have no idea what i just watched, Howard was my favorite from the start, and Helberg was by far the best actor.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@Kay-jg6tf You like one of the worst characters best... great...

[@Kay-jg6tf]

@@Richard_Nickerson In a comedy show you should like the funny characters, Howard and Sheldon. But people are so easily offended nowadays and from their point of view Howard is probably the worst. The rest of the cast could easily be replaced

[@Graavigala85]

Shame they made the character mean and annoying

[@sebastiancooper7792]

THANK YOU!!!

[@VitorHugo-hd8bw]

Yeah, I don't like what they did to her after Season 3.

[@dragonrabbit7410]

The Big Bang theory occupies a special place in my heart. Throughout the show’s run I was in the midst of a bad medical situation, and this show with its whit and love of science helped make those dark days a little bit brighter. Also it was one of the only things that my parents and I all enjoyed to watch. So it was one of the very few things that we could watch together as a family. And I also want to add that although the main relationship that got the show started was the Lenard/Penny one, it was always the Howard/Bernadette one that I found the most touching. Almost every time I got teared up watching this show it was from something related to their storyline. Well played y’all. Well played indeed.

[@cnaizhen]

Basically, they tried out Bernadette and Amy and checked the audience's response. If the audience started to lose interest in the character after a couple of episodes in, something would happen that will cause the relationship to break up. This is exactly why Raj never ended up in a committed relationship. It is not that the script writers never tried, or intentionally want to keep him single. It is us audience that made him single (or the scriptwriter/actresses failed to produce a good enough gf for Raj).

[@petraz.3812]

I liked Kate Miccuci. They could have developed her character beside social anxiety.

[@chadportenga7858]

Raj's lack of confidence and self-esteem around women WAS his character, especially when his parents divorced and eventually were basically written out. When he became engaged, it was as close to "jumping the shark" as TBBT got, with Amy & Sheldon's marriage a close second (they did do a good job with the Amy & SHeldon marriage in the finale of Young Sheldon).

[@cnaizhen]

@@chadportenga7858 If even Sheldon can find Amy, Raj's lack of confidence and self esteem around women wouldn't stop him from finding true love, from the script writing perspective. Agree about the part on jumping the shark. It all goes back to viewers' reaction.

[@Robert08010]

Well, you have just explained Raj's season long romance with that little dog. Must have tested well with audiences.

[@kurtwpg]

Amy would have faceplanted if they didn't evolve it slowly.

[@nahuel]

It's baffling to me how people nowadays have no ability to analyze something beyond the surface. When they complain about a guy being creepy or acting like Howard in the beginning, they just have the virtue signaling mask on. They don't see, for example, how sad and pathetic the character is. All the things that happened to him to have reached that mindset and that even though it's played as a comedy, u can see that it's never a glorified behavior. It's always meant to be rejected and we all know that his actions aren't good. I'm not saying this towards this video but to the people complaining about these kinds of characters when they don't even see beyond the first coat of paint.

[@InfernosReaper]

If you ignore the comedy aspects of Big Bang Theory, there is *a lot* of tragedy going on there, like how Howard is clearly overcompensating for some kind of serious damage that was caused by his mother. It's honestly weird that Leonard isn't the same way, come to think of it.

[@chrisspencer6502]

Yeah sorry but Howard isn’t the most cring character Rage And Lenard are extremely cring

[@aksez2u]

Actually, I don't remember there being backlash against Howard's character at the time. I think people saw him as overcompensating and harmless as you mention. Not to say that he wasn't very much improved by his relationship with Bernadette.

[@nahuel]

@@InfernosReaper Yes! For me the 2nd layer of the characters was always very sad. I actually felt bad with some jokes because they highlighted sad parts of them. And I like that kind of thing, it makes it deeper.

[@InfernosReaper]

@@nahuel Yeah, it especially hits hard if someone removes the laugh track

[@EvanYoungMusic]

She grew up in the town I teach in now. Most famous person who came out of Marlboro, NJ!

[@thewhitewolf58]

Love how the solution to a character with a strong mother that was a thirsty sex pest was to give him a mothering girlfriend. Like replacing the prison warden that controlled him with 1 that loved him. I mean she is a nice but also hot character i just find it funny.

[@l00k4tstuff]

Really plays into the "Jewish mommy's boy" trope.

[@deadmansfire]

I doubt his mother didn't love him. Also I think one of the better scenes is when the apartment upstairs was free and he was going to rent it. That exchange between him and his mother showed much more that he's not willing to be separated, and not that she didn't let him. Anyway, some people feel the need for a guiding hand their whole life.

[@polarboy5862]

For what ever reason the writers on BBT had a real issue writing female characters initially. The fact that it was the female lead that they had to scrap from the pilot is indicative of this. When the series started Penny was quickly sidelined to the unrequited love interest, think Malory from Family Ties or Laura from Family Matters where the "quirky" man become the more interesting character. Of course over time they did work out the rhythm for Penny, but Leslie wasn't so fortunate because she had the potential to be a really interesting character, but they just couldn't work out what to do with her so she just disappeared without mention. Bernadette and Amy were both completely different characters in their first few appearances until they worked them out. I would say the most successful BBT female characters were probably Leonard and Sheldon's mothers and this was probably because a lot of their character building was done with mentions and back story then small cameos before they became the focus of a few episodes.

[@l00k4tstuff]

The actress who played Leslie has stated all she wanted was a guest slot and didn't want to be part of the cast.

[@polarboy5862]

@@l00k4tstuff Well that was a shame

[@Robert08010]

But so many series have a "will they/wont they" story, maybe they decided they just didn't want to pull that string too early knowing how the gang would obviously have to evolve. Its like the decision of when you pull the rip chord on the parachute. But once they do... once they start evolving, its just so many seasons till the show is over. So I think they put penny/leonard on hold temporarily to milk the gags they could only write before that relationship started. Note that most of the creepiest jokes when to Stuart after the 3rd season.

[@cloggedaorta]

Corolla-ry cracked me up 😂

[@lucone2937]

I think Leslie Winkle (Sara Gilbert) should have been a bigger role because she was a good antagonist to Sheldon.

[@wbond6692]

Melissa Rauch is the best edition to BBT since Penny. Not to mention my fallback position whenever someone tries to argue that there is "no such thing as a funny woman." I'm glad that the world knows her.

[@M.W.2]

There is a pattern in sitcoms where the married bossy woman is always the funnier one instead of the main character love interest

[@arrjay2410]

My girlfriend and I are just in the process of re-watching the series. There are some comically creepy moments with Howard that wash over the other characters too. Plugging him into a relationship did change the tone, not only of the character, but the whole show. It brought the testosterone level down.

[@reichen609]

I applaud nerdstalgic for giving Bernadette her flowers. She definitely deserves them!

[@Matthanna90]

While I liked Bernadette early on in the show, she became my least favorite character by the end. She became the bitter annoying loud one that was one dimensional.

[@Exotic3000]

You did a really good job on this video. I learned a lot …. and your presentation format was amazing! ❤

[@aksez2u]

Howard never bothered me. First of all, if you can stomach "2 and a Half Men", you can put up with Howard all day. Also, he came across as way overcompensating and harmless. I think most people felt the same way.

[@AkibanaZero]

I rematch TBBT almost every year. Although early Howard is cringey, I still find him hilarious. He's an exaggerated version of those misguided guys who were bullied for being nerds and developed the wrong ideas about relationships with women.

[@stephanien6237]

Who says we can stomach 2 and a half men..?

[@aksez2u]

@@stephanien6237 Hence the word "IF" in my comment 😁

[@JPIbanez84]

Good point. 2 and a Half Men was gross most times. Funny yes, but gross.

[@kuromoriofi]

@@AkibanaZero Howard is the only reason i could finish tbbt, his parts are cosistently the better ones

[@chadportenga7858]

"Not on a bicycle." Best one line reply of her character! 🤣

[@omidfarshi]

People are really stupid to not like Howard. He was supposed to be horrible so people can learn to NOT BE HIM. We need to accept that there are people with creepy behaviour but they can change them too with more love (as the series did) and not hate (like real people do)

[@EyeMixMusic]

Introducing Bernadette was a definite improvement. Turning Bernadette into a cold, entitled bully destroyed that progress.

[@austinpowers9340]

Eh I think the show got worse with the additions of Amy and Bernadette

[@scrapperlock9437]

100% agreed.

[@dnm3732]

100% disagree

[@waltertaylor44]

I agree. Amy i dont mind as much, Bernadette was good for her first season, then the character went downhill. Just made later episodes unwatchable.

[@stephenlandry2674]

Writing and producing a video essay on the merits of a Chuck Lorre show is like the ultimate irony. Its like trying to find the artistic reasoning behind chimps throwing poop at you.

[@meganb4432]

Am I the only one appalled that of all the characters in this franchise, it's not Missy getting her own spin-off show? Dang.

[@KufLMAO]

3:03 that’s… that’s not how you say that

[@Robert08010]

"Croller Larry?" LOL.

[@The-Mstr-Pook]

They turned the sleeze from Howard to Raj and made Raj a pathetic character that reminds me of the Indian guy from That 70s Show.

[@92brunod]

What Indian guy from That 70s Show? It is never revealed where Fez is from, he's hinted to be from South America more than once. Maybe you're the problem, hun.

[@rockoorbe2002]

​@@92brunod his name is Fez and he has an Indian accent. I'm Latino and I don't know anyone from that region with that accent. Maybe YOU are the problem. Hun.

[@rockoorbe2002]

​@@92brunodand only condescending white people call others "hun".

[@M.W.2]

True he went from the esotic friend learning to approach women to the fall guy for the nerdy unsociable weird guy, often borderline feminine because ofc he didn't have enough stereotypes as he was

[@tuffn00gies]

@@rockoorbe2002 Fez wasn't his name. His name was un-pronouncable, so they called him Fez (Foreign Exchange Student). His accent was fake so it was untraceable.

[@aytviewer2421]

To me, it was when Shamy saga kicked off. That was an awesomely pleasant surprise when they Sheldon and Amy first met at the end of one of the episodes. In the back of my mind, I was like, "Please don't let this be one of those brief story lines that happen in just one episode and then are never mentioned again." The writers must have been given a blinding green light for this and Bernadette's story arc's where fantastic and really helped the series grow!

[@54raynor]

No question that his relationship with Bernadette was the single biggest reason that Howard was able to rehabilitate as a character. However, the actual start of that rehab happened a few episodes earlier after Penny punched him in the face when he tried to make a creepy move while she was comforting him. Howard started to tone down the sleaze after that, to the point where Penny was ok with introducing him to Bernadette. It’s a nice reminder that a swift punch to the face is not always a bad thing for someone who deserves it.

[@janespielsen7077]

True!

[@mihaitha]

Come on, you left out the best part from that fight between her and Raj: *I'M NICE TO EVERYONE!!!*

[@Ralibar]

Em i the only one that thinks people are too sensitive to think Howard as a character was a “problem” ? We need characters that make us uncomfortable that make us judge them so we can see the flaws in real life if they don’t challenge us make us agree or DISAGREE then the show is just bland😢

[@Craxin01]

It's like the Pepe Le Pew argument. They want to call the character problematic because of his typically unwanted advances to Penelope Cat, but the point of the character isn't to emulate him or identify with him, it's to laugh at his foolishness. That's what Howard started as, the creepy fool we laughed at because of how creepy he was. Like, "oh, look. He's at it again. Let's see how badly he gets shut down!"

[@denverarnold6210]

​@@Craxin01like a micro version of a villain getting their comeuppance.

[@DwynTwo]

That would only work if the show actually portrayed Howard's behaviour as a bad thing. Instead, it was just like "Look at silly little Howard doing silly little creepy things". He never learns anything from it and the only people he makes uncomfortable are women watching the show, who then get called "too sensitive" by men watching the show who laugh their asses off at the things Howard does. When you say "Characters need to be able to make you uncomfortable", you really just mean "Characters need to make CERTAIN people uncomfortable and they need to deal with it themselves because no one gives a damn"

[@shannendawes8725]

This comment could have 3x the likes and still be underrated. 👍

[@markborishnikoff5485]

@@DwynTwoabsolutely everything in your comment was wrong. The show does portray it as bad. I’m not sure where you got that it was somehow positive, but we’re supposed to laugh at him for being a weirdo.

[@XaoFakeNick]

Bernie fixed Howard, but AMY fixed PENNY. The best episodes are those in which Amy indirectly reminds Penny of what an awesome guy Leonard is, and how he is surrounded y other amazing women that he could chose. She used to humble Penny while reminding her at the same time that she was a great and beautiful person (BFF material). She made Penny see that she was not in touch with her true feelings. Penny was lowering her worth by dating average not so good men (except for Zack, he is awesome) because she has some prejudice issues and self esteem problems she was avoiding. Through Amy, Penny found a real friendship that made her open to people that really cared for her and truly wanted to see her happy. Now, concerning Amy fixing Shledon, that is a whole different story, because Sheldon got fixed not only by Amy, his mom, Leonard, Penny and himself... I could even say that characters like Will Wheaton, his brother and Proffessor Proton had a lot to do with his character arc. Sorry for my bad engRish.

[@ceceliam9014]

Interesting how there can be different takes on the problems Bernadette fixed. The biggest issue I would have said Bernadette fixed was the very sexist concept that became more problematic as the series went on - Smart STEM field men interacting with a "dumb" hot chick. Yeah, Penny evolved too, but the initial punchline of the show was problematic when they only had male scientists depicted in contrast with Penny.

[@thrilleex]

Howard isn't a problematic character, is a flawed character. Next people will get offended by villain characters. You can have a characters that wants to erase half of the universe population but no one will complain about Marvel movies.

[@MarkoFTW]

I had problem with his behaviour being represented as humorous, via laugh tracks. And it was rarely called out by his friends or family

[@nathanaele.7738]

a character in a marvel movie is not comparable to a character in a sitcom. in marvel movies you know it is a fantasy world. you know the big evil guy is most likely not someone you meet every day. his evil actions are not able to translated to your everyday life. characters from a sitcom however are caricatures of people like you and me. they are supposed to be able to be compared to the people you know in your life, they are supposed to be relatable. and people like howard exist and if you have been a victim of these sexual harassments you cannot distance yourself from characters like howard. it is more likely to be a victim of howards action than to be a victim of a marvel antagonist. plus, howard is supposed to be on the good side, you are supposed to consider his actions harmless. a marvel antagonist is supposed to be evil.

[@pamelastoesz733]

The show signed off on his problematic behaviour by adding laugh tracks and never having consequences for his behaviour (which in some cases was very much illegal). When someone is played as a villain, others all perceive their actions as wrong and there is no laugh track.

[@chadportenga7858]

@@MarkoFTW You do realize this was filmed before a live audience, not laugh tracks.

[@chadportenga7858]

@@nathanaele.7738 A "sitcom" means "situation comedy". It's not a documentary, biography, or news program. It's purely fiction. His character was intended to exaggerate some of the worst traits in people we may know, or people we don't want to know. Either way, it is not supposed to represent some particular person. Just like Penny's first boyfriend that bullied the guys. They made him huge & stupid. Not all bullies are like that. But the creators did that for comedic effect. (Even Penny bullied the guys a time or two, and the guys bullied Zack once.) In the end, it allowed Howard to grow as a person, recognizing his actions and behavior was not appropriate and he changed for the better.

[@poslednisoud]

Bernadette always felt a little too much. All of them were stereotypes but I have a feeling they pushed her towards cartoonish with the voice, wardrobe and attitude slightly more to preserve Penny as "The Hot Chick" of the group.

[@kuroodia1201]

One of my favorite episodes is when Sheldon reads a birthday card that Howard's dad sent him. Bernadette convinces Sheldon to tell her what the card said as Howard refused to hear it. When Howards finds out all his friends knew what it said and it upsets him, his friends come up with a great way to tell him about it without telling him exactly what it said. I always cry. It's a very touching scene. It's so sweet.

[@ProfessorTakatoPalm]

I know that this video is about Bernadette, but I really do admire how far Howard came throughout the series. If you think back to the beginning to where he ended up it’s amazing. He went from being a sleazy guy only interested in sleeping around with so many women to a wonderful father Of two kids and husband to a wife who’s both beautiful and brilliant. I’d say in two ways people through a lot being together

[@Richard_Nickerson]

JFC yeah let's just forget all the shitty things he did to get him there.

[@XMehrooz]

She saved the big bang theory? Damn, she must've been a great scientist. One small step for man, one giant leap for science.

[@bobross1829]

The first four seasons was when the BBT was actually funny. Yes, to continue it, the main four guys had to grow and this involved them losing their "schtick", but the show lost its genuine funny. For the next six years, really the show existed as comfort food meh coasting on the first four.

[@markborishnikoff5485]

Season 3 or 4 was the best

[@blurry67]

I always thought that Bernadette and Amy steered the sitcom away from pretty conventional tropes - the nerd akward guys and the ditzy blonde nextdoor - by giving everyone a more rounded personality and better storylines. Let's not forget it is Bernadette that eventually takes Penny out of her job as a waitress and gives her the chance to prove herself and her abilities in a better job. Bernadette is probably my favourite character because she is not stereotypical in any way. She's pretty and clever, she's sweet and competitive, she's loving and assertive, she can be unopologetically materialistic in her success, but has a good moral compass, is honest and loyal, she is a modern, independent woman with a highfly job, but cares about her family and her children. Her arrival changed not just Howard, but the whole direction of the show.

[@imdaog77]

Bernadette is the least likeable character. It's over acted, the cartoon version of a woman who doesn't make her mind between being 'adorable' or a total Karen

[@petraz.3812]

I absolutely love Howards character even before Bernadette. I always considered him to be the most relatable and funny guy on the show.

[@borisrios2218]

I didn't know that there was a "Howard problem"

[@BassRacerx]

yeah i think most of the complaints of his character were from people who didn't watch the show. But again everyone is unanimous that non single howard was more enjoyable to watch than single howard, and Bernadette was my favorite character on the show.

[@vorrnth8734]

@@BassRacerx Not everyone.

[@VixeyTeh]

Bernadette is a great character. I love that moment when Penny says, "Never let her go". I really felt that. I feel like it was great foreshadowing and a great message to Howard, the cast the crew AND the audience. Never let her go!

[@alphacause]

In short, why the relationship between the character of Howard and Bernadette resonated with audiences is because it reflects a real life dynamic played out in many romantic relationships. In a healthy relationship, women act as a pacifying influence over the prurient interests and impulsivity of the men they love. The way the character of Bernadette does this is never in a way that degrades Howard. It is respectful, loving, and ultimately, transformative. This is in sharp contrast to the girl boss motif that has held sway over entertainment recently, which shows the woman in the relationship not working to bring out the best in her partner, but just usurping and putting the guy down.

[@AA-cf4es]

ok incel you dream about mommy

[@BovinaSancta79]

Bernadette definately made the show better, and I really liked her character. Melissa played her perfectly. Loved her in that role. And yes, Howard turned into a much better person with her in it.

[@tuffn00gies]

Bernadette was my favorite character, but I never had a problem with Howard. Maybe I'm too sleazy? He's just a fictional character and it's not like he was ever painted in a good light like Sam Malone.

[@shannendawes8725]

You're not too sleazy. Howard's antics were genuinely funny, not in spite of them being inappropriate, but because of it. His creepiness enhanced that.

[@nah....6151]

well, women found Ted Danson hot in the day, Simon Helberg not so much

[@amilo5]

It helped Pennys superficial character also alot. Bernadette made Penny "evolve" or realize that she was a Girl Nerd from the beginning just tried to hide it so she could blend in with the hollywood lifestyle.

[@JoybuzzerX]

Amazes me how entertainment today is afraid to have a character that isnt nice as theyre afraid that will get the show cancelled. People are pathetic.

[@noone36101]

Not everyone has the bandwidth to withstand misogyny for 3 seasons straight. There has to be the promise that this is something that will be redeemed in the future. But with how quickly the shows are being cancelled and unfunded, you only get one series season at most to do your best job. You can see how this leads to whatever you're saying. Not every series has the guarantee of running for 8-10 season minimum

[@JoybuzzerX]

@@noone36101 not every character in a story needs to be nice or redeemed from whatever flaw though.

[@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950]

A-freaking-men.

[@rockzhard2009]

@@noone36101 and yet a show that is full of misandry can go on and on and on and recieve high praise for it's hateful and divisive viewpoints. and unfortunately that one season rule doesn't apply to the types of shows i just described. which have taken over the majority of the 'bandwidth'.

[@marksmorphs]

Yup! And if you say you had no problem with the character; you're immediately called out as a bad person yourself. I agree with @rockzhard2009 about how it's now ok to humiliate and bash men all you want, but say one thing wrong about a woman and all of a sudden you're worse than Hitler

[@MarvelStudiosFan]

So much great character development on this show. That is why this show is very re-watchable long after it finished. Many of those writing tv shows today need to learn from TBBT. 😊

[@AtlasBlizzard]

Amy and Bernadette made The Big Bang Theory what it was. It was getting a bit stale before they came on, and they injected some much-needed energy to it. They also were a catalyst for one of my fave things about TBBT; the character development, especially for Howard and Sheldon, directly because of Amy and Bernadette.

[@Robert08010]

Even Amie's development was interesting. When she arrived, she was a female sheldon. But being around the other girls, her hormones got triggered. It was such a funny transformation.

[@mustvid]

I think all three ladies saved this show. It got better with Bernie and Amy. I’m just about to finish the series for the first time. Doubt I would have finished it had they not added the ladies.

[@raichua]

"In one fell swoop, that's some real genius right there" is a satisfying line to hear on a BBT video

[@BjornV1994]

While I don't think that Howard's creepy, sleazy character in itself was an issue or a burden of the series, the introduction of Bernadette did provide the character with more options and PREVENTED an issue in the future, as with inappropiate humor character types, you can only repeat the joke for so long before it becomes stale. I mean, after a while, they would have run into the risk that people would say: 'Yeah, we get it. Howard is a creep around women and it will never work out for him acting that way (that latter part isn't unimportant by the way), can we move on.' But by giving him Bernadette, a person who liked him but did force him to abandon his sleaze for some personal growth and maturity, they showed that even a character like him can change with the proper wake-up call. And that's something people seem to forget all too easily. People aren't stagnant, we constantly change, either for the better OR the worse. Someone who was an asshole in the past, can turn their life around and become a genuine nice person, learning from their mistakes and the feedback they received, while genuine nice persons can turn into assholes, if they don't get (or learn to accept) feedback about their lesser qualities (and everyone has those lesser qualities). While it is easy to say: they were always this person, while the reality is often the opposite, is often, they used to be different but something changed... As for why I have no issue with this type of character. Well, it is first of all television and television isn't real. And that's the thing that people seem to miss more and more. TV isn't real, isn't meant to represent life one on one and most importantly a lot of it shouldn't be emulated in real-life. The reason why inappropiate jokes and characters have worked for so long because most people understood their purpose: they were more often than not their own joke. They were meant to be wrong, what they are doing is wrong and we should have to hope that the audience also recognize this as being wrong. That is what it makes it funny, the "it would be so wrong, if someone actually did this in real life. The audacity of it all". But that's it. It would be wrong, so don't do it in real life. Fat jokes à la Al Bundy or Howard's sleaze work in TV because everyone that is targeted by the joke (namely the actors who play the characters) are in on the joke, there is no inherent harm with it and it also helps that for example in the case of Howard it continuiously backfires. These characters never succeed at much with their behavior. There is no reward for them in it and it is important for people to realize that unless you are doing it in good-spirit with friends who are also in the joke, you better don't do it. But sometimes it feels like people are starting to have a harder and harder time to make the distinction between fiction and reality. An abuser character hasn't actually abused anyone as neither the abuser nor the one abused are real figures, a fictional bully is only a bully in the content of the fiction.

[@alexius23]

I think when Bernadette & Amy arrived the texture of the series deepened. As I recall the “original” cast took a pay cut so that money could be redirected to the 2 new women.

[@banthatracks_gaffisticks]

Howard isn't a Doctor like Anakin Skywalker isn't a Master. Wait. Was that Katie Sachoff?

[@chicobicalho5621]

Fascinating. But for me, Bialik was the one that saved the series from becoming redundant and boring, to being actually smart and very funny. Without her, I would likely have stopped watching the series, instead, that was when it actually became interesting.

[@sir_christmas_leopold_duckson]

Personally, the girlfriends ruined the show for me.

[@scrapperlock9437]

Same.

[@stevenscott2136]

True. But Bernadette was the least of that problem. Penny was the worst, because she made Leonard stop being funny at all, and seemed to encourage Sheldon to be even more annoying.

[@JP-ks7ey]

really? i think they added something to the show that helped the show have more seasons because you can't have howard just being creepy episode after episode

[@jeremiahbaker6396]

I never could imagine our good our lives would get, from the moment, that we met you, Bernadette

[@jefffischer8395]

I definitely preferred Howard in the first couple of seasons he was so funny

[@db_cooks]

Same here, the sleazy Howard was much funnier

[@markborishnikoff5485]

I agree the whole show was a lot funnier until around season 5 or 6

[@nancysavard4322]

I loved Howard and Bernadette. Would be all for a spin-off with them raising their children.

[@TroyMcClure31]

Bernadette and Amy just turned it into "Friends"

[@stevef68]

Yep. It was just a normal "Friends" sitcom by the end.

[@jandersonsilva7614]

I was thinking the same thing

[@l00k4tstuff]

Yes, because life isn't about people growing up, getting into LTR then married, and some having kids. 🙄

[@Sara-su7yk]

​@@l00k4tstuff you can't say that in a world where Seinfeld exists

[@Robert08010]

No, I'm sorry. There was no Phoebie. And without Phoebie... well... (LOL) You do have an interesting point. I would add to that nobody seems to talk about how sleezy Joey was. Is it suddenly ok because he was good looking?!?!??!

[@llydrsn]

Bernadette's line during a spat with Amy about Amy and Sheldon's s*x life being theoretical is absolutely savage 😅

[@iconicspot6787]

lel, BIg Bang's only problem was doing the relationships crap. It was great in the early seasons but they just had to change it for normies.

[@dirtydave1646]

100% agree. The downfall of the series began with Bernadette. Howard was hilarious before her.

[@Malbeefance]

Melissa's Bernadette is the only reason I got in to the show.

[@pikkdogs]

Disagree totally. Howard was funny and lovable even if he had crude jokes. The addition of Bernadette was the beginning of the end for the show. Nobody wanted to see the nerds have stable relationships. We wanted to see them being nerds. I stopped watching when Bernadette became a main character.