The Grossest Big Bang Theory Trend That The Upcoming Spin-Off Must Fix
"The Big Bang Theory" is one of the most popular television shows of all time — and it's getting a mysterious spin-off at some point. At the time of writing, there's no word on what the second "Big Bang Theory" spin-off will be about, but the series will be available on Max, which is also the streaming home of the original series. So far, original showrunner Chuck Lorre and his team have shown audiences a glimpse into a time before "The Big Bang Theory" with CBS' hit comedy "Young Sheldon," which casts Iain Armitage as — you guessed it — the younger version of Jim Parsons' central character. But regardless of which part of the show's universe comes next, the spin-off should address how poorly the primary male characters on the parent series treat the women in their lives.
Amy Farrah Fowler, Bernadette Rostenkowski, and Penny — played by Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, and Kaley Cuoco, respectively — are worthwhile, fascinating characters in their own right. However, they're constantly harangued, disrespected, and made to look ridiculous throughout their relationships with their respective husbands Sheldon, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki). Any future take on "The Big Bang Theory" really, really needs to be more self-aware about this unfortunate truth.
The Big Bang Theory's problem with women starts — and sort of ends — with Penny
To fully track the issues "The Big Bang Theory" has with women, we have to first look at Penny, a character who doesn't even get an official last name until she marries Leonard (with an elopement in Season 9 and a wedding with their friends and family in Season 10). Penny is nothing more than eye candy when she's first introduced; after moving in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon, all of the guys — including Kunal Nayyar's Raj Koothrappalli, who can't even talk to women without being extremely drunk — drool over her, treating her as a mere object.
Ultimately, Penny, thanks in no small part to Kaley Cuoco's fully winning performance, proves that she's so much more than a pretty face. Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj might be book-smart, but she knows how to navigate day-to-day life better than most of them. In its better moments, the show does try to give Penny her due and show that knowing complicated formulas isn't the most important thing to every single person.
"The Big Bang Theory" still spends a significant amount of time screwing her over, though. Throughout the series, Penny gives up her long-held, important dream of acting professionally to become a pharmaceutical representative — though to be fair, that can be a lot more lucrative. Leonard cheats on her while he's away on an expedition, and when he's around, he frequently demeans her intelligence. Then, during the series finale, Penny — who has been extremely open about not wanting kids — is pregnant. That effectively closes the door on this character, who deserved not just a better ending, but a more fulfilling arc ... and much better treatment from the men around her.
Bringing two more women onto The Big Bang Theory only made the show's sexism worse
After Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik's characters Bernadette and Amy were added to "The Big Bang Theory" in Season 3 and Season 4, respectively, it might have seemed like the show was trying to balance out its male-centric energy. To be fair, Bernadette and Amy are, as far as characters go, pretty interesting. Bernadette starts out working alongside Penny at The Cheesecake Factory, but after earning a PhD in microbiology, she ends up becoming one of the most financially successful characters on the show. Amy, meanwhile, is an accomplished neuroscientist right from the start. Still, "The Big Bang Theory" devotes quite a lot of its runtime to letting Sheldon and Howard basically treat these two smart, accomplished women like dirt.
The more egregious bad treatment comes from Sheldon, without question. Just like the physicist is with everyone else, he is dismissive of Amy's accomplishments as they compare to his and constantly derides her for only being a neuroscientist. Despite starting a family with Bernadette and settling down, Howard can still be incredibly selfish where his wife is concerned, going so far as to insist she handle every single household chore because that's simply how it's done. It's often hard to watch, and it would be almost impossible to watch in a "Big Bang Theory" spin-off.
Regardless of the spin-off's focus, audiences can just hope that it treats its female characters — characters the writers carefully crafted to be compelling individuals — a lot better.