The Big Bang Theory Star Responds To People’s Hatred Of The Show

Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) talks about people's hatred of The Big Bang Theory with his former co-star, Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler).

Simon Helberg addresses people’s hatred of The Big Bang Theory. Premiering in 2007, CBS’ nerd-centric sitcom ran for 12 seasons until it unexpectedly ended up in 2019 despite its popularity. While it was a ratings juggernaut for the network, it is no secret that not everybody was a fan of The Big Bang Theory. In fact, the show was widely criticized for various reasons, including its brand of humor.

Created by Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, The Big Bang Theory followed the adventures of the Pasadena gang of five original characters, Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Howard (Simon Helberg), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). By season 4, CBS expanded its cast with the addition of Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette and Mayim Bialik’s Amy — both stayed until the show’s end, playing Howard and Sheldon’s love interests, respectively. Incorporating pop and nerd culture references, The Big Bang Theory attracted millions of viewers every week.

While The Big Bang Theory performed well for CBS, the show makers know that the sitcom wasn’t universally beloved. Helberg talks to Bialik about this in a recent episode of the latter’s podcast, Bialik Breakdown, where he recalls how some people tended to pretend to hate the show even though it seemed like they really like it. Watch the pair’s hilarious interaction below:

It was so meaningful to work with @simonhelberg on my new film, #AsTheyMadeUs, especially after working together on @bigbangtheory. We were so thrilled to welcome him to the podcast! Listen ▶️ https://t.co/x92W5ebShn ?? #bialikbreakdown #mentalhealth #MentalHealthMatters pic.twitter.com/ndXAXxCh8W
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) May 3, 2022

Click Here To See The Original Tweet

It has been a few years since Helberg and Bialik ended their stint as Howard and Amy when The Big Bang Theory wrapped up in 2019. Now they are reuniting with the film As They Made Us, which is Bialik’s directorial debut. In the movie, Abigail (Dianna Agron) deals with the slow death of her father, played by Dustin Hoffman. Helberg plays her brother, Nathan. Apparently, when Bialik was writing the film, she created the character with her The Big Bang Theory co-star in mind. Luckily, things lined up for them and they were able to collaborate on the flick. But aside from that, it’s also a treat for the fans seeing them reminisce on their days of doing the CBS show together.

Despite its high ratings, The Big Bang Theory also had a reputation for its below-the-belt and inappropriate comedy. Cuoco has opened up about Penny being overly sexualized in the show — something that the series was always criticized for. It didn’t help that the sitcom’s humor was misogynistic, racist, and overall offensive at times. Amidst all of this, The Big Bang Theory‘s popularity may have something to do with the timing of its release. When it premiered, comic book films were becoming more popular. Its references to superheroes and other fictional characters from other franchises helped it gain mainstream prominence, which then converted to weekly viewers. Proof of how big it became was CBS willingly paying $1 million per episode to its core cast just so they could keep it on the air.