While The Big Bang Theory’s simple premise was instrumental to its early success, the show gained most of its acclaim only after dropping this conceit. The Big Bang Theory was originally about Kaley Cuoco’s easygoing, attractive Penny upending the quiet lives of the show’s two socially awkward heroes, Leonard and Sheldon. While Leonard was instantly attracted to Penny and desperate to impress her, the fastidious, fussy Sheldon found her antics infuriating. This dynamic naturally led to a lot of laughs, but it also meant that The Big Bang Theory’s premise was inherently limited by the show’s inevitable ending.

Years before The Big Bang Theory’s finale aired, viewers could already accurately deduce that Leonard, the well-meaning nice guy, would end up romantically paired with Penny. Not only did this happen, but it happened sooner than some viewers might have guessed. The two began dating as early as the show’s third season. This derailed The Big Bang Theory’s premise, since the tension between Leonard’s attempts to impress Penny and Sheldon’s attempts to steer clear of her originally drove the series. Fortunately, the sitcom managed to abandon its original premise and improve as a result, broadening its horizons and adding to its cast.

The Big Bang Theory’s Bigger Cast Improved The Series

TBBT Adding New Cast Members Expanded Its Scope

Looking back on season 1, it is striking to see how much The Big Bang Theory originally centered on Leonard and Sheldon dealing with Penny. Before Bernadette fixed Howard and Raj became more than a shy stock character, the central trio’s interactions dominated the show’s action. This resulted in a lot of solid plots where Penny was forced to deal with a sickly Sheldon or Leonard would go to absurd lengths to win over his neighbor. However, the conceit also had a built-in shelf life. It was expanding the show’s focus to encompass a bigger group of friends that improved things.

Adding Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette to The Big Bang Theory’s ensemble, as well as giving Raj and Howard bigger roles, made the show feel less like a rom-com and more like a hangout show like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, or Seinfeld. This was a pivotal change, as Bernadette and Howard’s relationship could take center stage whenever Penny and Leonard’s struggles felt too familiar, and Raj’s troubled love life could be The Big Bang Theory’s focus when Amy and Sheldon got tiresome. The series had a bigger pool of characters to pull from, even if this meant effectively dropping its original premise.

TBBT’s Breakout Character Made This Change Inevitable

Sheldon’s Popularity Reshaped The Big Bang Theory’s Focus

Sheldon proved so popular that he was always going to end up getting a love interest of his own, which made Amy Farrah Fowler’s existence inevitable. However, since Amy was introduced as a female version of Sheldon, developing her own unique quirks over time, the show needed more than three awkward characters and one glamorous outsider. Focusing on Howard and Bernadette’s relationship ensured that The Big Bang Theory had a central couple who were neither too similar nor too different, unlike Leonard and Penny’s tumultuous pairing or Amy and Sheldon’s well-matched dynamic. This also made Howard a much more likable character.

Part of what made Jim Parsons’ Sheldon so lovable was just how obstinate and blunt the character could be, but this made Sheldon a tough figure to love. As a result, Howard needed to be less sleazy and more likable. When Howard’s relationship with Bernadette proved he had a sweet side, this allowed The Big Bang Theory to feel warmer, even as the show allowed Sheldon to be as stubborn and willful as ever. Sheldon’s slow character growth is arguably also part of the reason that Raj eventually spread his wings and started dating, as he was horrified to see even Sheldon finding a happy relationship.

This Improvement Impacted The Big Bang Theory’s Finale

Raj’s Character Development Made His Ending Worse

Although The Big Bang Theory changing its premise did help the series in the short term, it also got in the way of the show’s ending. Sheldon inadvertently helping out Raj’s character development came back to bite the series when The Big Bang Theory failed to find a fitting ending for the supporting character. Viewers likely wouldn’t have cared that Raj ended up single if his love life hadn’t been a pretty central focus in later seasons. However, since it was, this became a point of contention.

Raj’s lack of a tidy, romantic ending could have acted as a positive depiction of happily single people, but this didn’t gel with his arc throughout the show. Of all The Big Bang Theory’s main characters, Raj was the most obsessed with love and finding a life partner. As such, the finale’s failure to make this dream come true while everyone else got the ending they wanted was unfortunate. It might have flown in earlier seasons of The Big Bang Theory, but the show opting to drop its original premise resulted in viewers caring more about Raj’s fate than they did early on.