Fans fell in love with the friend group in The Big Bang Theory but there were small things about the characters that bothered Reddit fans.
As much as fans adore the likes of Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, and their friend group, there are things they did throughout the series that were seen as bothersome. With The Big Bang Theory being a sitcom, some of their actions were based on generic tropes that are often seen on TV. Trope or no trope, some fans had a hard time letting go of the things the characters did.
On Reddit, fans discussed the worst things about the characters. Whether it was their sense of style or the way they treated others, Redditors didn’t hold back when talking about the things this famous group did that bothered them.
Some fans loved Amy’s addition on TBBT while others thought the show got worse once she joined. For Reddit u/Foldy619, what bothered them the most about Amy was how much she changed. Her transformation in the CBS series was hit or miss with fans.
They wrote, “I think Amy’s character got a bit confusing. She started as a female equivalent of Sheldon, but really she was just willing to put up with all of Sheldon’s quirky ways.” While Amy did start as the “equivalent of Sheldon,” Amy enjoyed having friends like Penny and Bernadette and morphed into more of a social, accepting woman than the robotic-like woman she was.
Some fans stated that Bernadette started the series as a gentle, sweet-natured woman, but ended the series as a bully. Reddit u/AgeLow8868 wrote, “Bernadette is really mean and nasty in the later seasons,” while Reddit u/TheQuirkyQuark agreed, saying, “Bernadette was quiet, shy, and gullible. Her character got retconned to explain that all that was an act to cover up the fact that she was really mean, manipulative, and vindictive."
Bernadette was a dedicated wife, mother, and friend, but she was also a bully. She did some of the worst things in the CBS series to get what she wanted. Bernadette intimidated her husband, she bulldozed her way through work, and she even picked on her friends. Bernadette claimed she could get away with saying mean things because she’s small and adorable, but Reddit disagrees.
Regardless of his growth, Reddit u/SlowKey7466 found him childish. As they said, “Howard is a child, who can't do the simplest domestic thing. I.e: cook or clean.” At home, Howard isn’t the most hands-on of husbands or dads because that’s not how he was raised. As a kid (and even an adult), his mother did everything for him. He expected a similar situation with his wife, even though Bernadette was stern with him about the topic.
One of the saddest parts about Raj is that his friends made fun of him for his feminine side. He appreciated women's magazines, fashion, and chit-chat and was ridiculed for it.
It’s his love of fashion and style that bothered Reddit u/Heron01 the most. “Raj is always watching feminine and fashion magazines or news, he seems to understand fashion and always critiques the girls' outfits yet he dresses like a nerd,” they wrote. They found his love of fashion and his sense of style inconsistent. If he was as into style as he was, his sense was lacking.
Although Leonard is one of the main characters, fans didn’t like his demeanor towards women. Leonard claimed his lack of confidence came from how he was raised, but he had no excuses for how he treated women.
Reddit u/AgeLow8868 wrote, “Leonard is actually a bad boyfriend/husband, his character doesn't develop in just reverts back.” U/PresJohnTaylor agreed and wrote that Leonard was “Untrustworthy.” They continued saying, “He had 3 actual girlfriends (not counting Leslie) and cheated on 2 of them. That’s not a good track record.” Although Leonard claimed he was a good guy and questioned why his relationships didn’t work out, all he had to do was look in a mirror because it was his actions failing the relationships
As is the case with most sitcoms, Sheldon’s character changes from when fans first met him as well. Reddit u/TheQuirkyQuark mentioned how bothersome Sheldon’s character regression was. “Sheldon started out as a snarky introvert who occasionally swore and only had minor misunderstandings of human interaction, to a full-blown anti-social man child.”
Sheldon did rely on the help of those around him for social interactions and exchanges, but he learns quite a deal from them by season 12, despite his character change from season 1.
Although Leonard wasn’t the best boyfriend or husband all the time, Penny wasn’t the best partner either. Reddit u/Joelski11 thought Penny’s relationship with Leonard was one-sided. “The amount of times Leonard has taken a leap of faith or shown how much he likes her and she doesn't show anything on the same level” is what bothers them the most.
Penny and Leonard share their feelings for each other in different ways, but there’s an episode where Penny realizes that she doesn’t show her love for Leonard in the same way he shows his love for her. Leonard and Penny did nice things for each other but not always in the way the other expected.
Aside from Amy’s personality changing throughout the series, Reddit u/Parthhk1998 didn’t like that Amy used her past traumas as justification for why she did the things she did. They wrote, “Amy ruined the whole show with her neediness and using her childhood not being fun and getting teased at in school as an excuse just to make new friends is pathetic.”
Amy did have an upsetting upbringing in terms of romances and friendships, but she took advantage of her new friends because of her past. The same can be said for her relationship with Sheldon. Even though he didn’t always treat her kindly, she stayed in the relationship because she was afraid of what life would be like without him.
For some fans, it’s not what the character does that bothers them but how the character was written. Reddit u/Rubbermaid85 mentioned, “Just finished rewatching the series finale and Raj deserved better. No real closure with Anu, didn't find love, and randomly just sat next to Sarah Michelle Gellar.”
Unlike his friends, Raj’s ending storyline was lackluster. Nothing exciting happened to his career and he didn’t end up with the woman of his dreams — something he wanted more than his friends.
Howard was nervous to become a father for the first time because it wasn’t planned. To make matters more upsetting, his mother wasn’t around anymore to soothe his worries. Due to his fears and lack of guidance, Howard wasn’t a confident father, which upset fans.
One Redditor wrote, “[Howard] can't take care of his own baby so he has Raj and Stewart do it? Is anyone ever going to address this?” Whenever Raj or Stewart needed a place to say or needed extra cash, they’d take care of Howard’s kids. And sadly, Howard took advantage of that and didn’t know how to parent alone. His mistakes were all things viewers could learn from.
