What The Big Bang Theory Fans Don't Understand About All The Sheldon Hate

While there's no way to empirically confirm which character on "The Big Bang Theory" was the most popular, it was probably Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). After all, he's the only character to be given the honor of his own spin-off prequel series as of this writing. That must count for something, right? On top of that, Parsons was one of the two highest-paid cast members on "The Big Bang Theory," suggesting that Sheldon must have been a premiere star attraction in the eyes of viewers.

If Sheldon wasn't the most popular character on the CBS sitcom, he was certainly the most divisive. The theoretical physicist was seemingly designed to annoy Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), Howard (Simon Helberg), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), and every other person he came into contact with during the show's 12 seasons on the air. That said, Sheldon's obnoxious quirks endeared him to many fans of "The Big Bang Theory," At the same time, they have also been the source of some viewers' complaints about the series. Why, though?

"The Big Bang Theory" was full of socially awkward characters, but Sheldon took the cake as he lacked the capacity to read the room and showcase empathy. This annoyed one fan who took to Reddit and complained about the Season 6 finale, in which Sheldon ruined a heartwarming moment between Penny and Leonard. In short, the lovers were emotional while saying goodbye at the airport — until Sheldon butted in and informed Penny that she was parked in the red zone.

According to u/DawnsLopunny, Sheldon's involvement ruined what should have been an emotional scene. "It's meant to be a heartfelt and kind of sad moment, but Sheldon has to be an ignorant a****** and ruin it, and it's a season finale I dread every time because of that," they wrote.

However, the post received blowback from fans who were puzzled by the hate Sheldon frequently receives online for continually being so awkward during the show's 12-season run. "It amazes me how often people -0 who presumably are fans of the show — complain when Sheldon acts in a manner that's perfectly consistent with his character," u/zddoodah noted.

This sentiment was echoed by u/pegvader, who stated that Sheldon's response was perfectly in-line with his personality. "The issue is Sheldon fixates on rules and regulations. Order is everything in his world. they are parked in the wrong spot — this HAS to be corrected."

Every character on "The Big Bang Theory" was heightened for comedic effect, but it turns out that some of them were inspired by real people. So, next time someone complains about one of these fictional people, be sure to remind them that there are people just like them out there.

Prior to co-creating the hit CBS sitcom, Bill Prady was a computer programmer who worked alongside a guy who was just like Sheldon Cooper, and some of his stories resemble scenes from the show. While speaking to fans at the 2009 Paley Festival (via TV Addict), Prady explained that his old colleague was a "human calculator" who could figure out complex mathematic formulas in his head almost instantly, similar to Sheldon's ability to decipher any puzzle. 

However, the genius computer programmer was totally hopeless when it came to social interactions, which resulted in some interesting dining experiences. "He couldn't calculate a tip at a restaurant because the formula for a tip is 15-20% depending upon the quality of the service and he couldn't put a numeric value on the service. It was human," Prady recalled.