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Bill Inoshita/CBS
In its third season, “The Big Bang Theory” seemingly shattered its own continuity by bringing Mayim Bialik onboard. Interestingly, the show had made a veiled reference to the actress (without naming her) in its first season, making her subsequent casting somewhat meta and paradoxical.
Bialik is first mentioned in the thirteenth episode of the show, “The Bat Jar Conjecture,” when Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons) is ousted from the physics bowl team. As the group scrambles to find a fourth member, Raj suggests an unconventional choice. “You know who’s surprisingly intelligent? The girl who played Blossom on TV,” says Raj, played by Kunal Nayyar. “She’s got a PhD in neuroscience or something!”
Raj’s suggestion, while impractical, is earnest, hoping that Bialik, known as much for her academic pursuits as her acting, might join their team. “Raj, we’re not inviting Blossom from TV to our physics bowl team!” retorts Leonard, played by Johnny Galecki, in a retort seemingly destined to go viral.
Despite Raj’s uncanny foresight, the team behind “The Big Bang Theory” had no inkling that Bialik would eventually join the cast. In her book, “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” Jessica Radloff reveals that executive producer Steve Molaro conceived the idea of introducing a female version of Sheldon towards the end of season 3, but was unsure if the character ‘Amy’ would make a comeback. Bialik, on the other hand, claims she hadn’t watched “The Big Bang Theory” before her audition, not even the episode that referenced “Blossom.”
Mayim Bialik was not a fan of The Big Bang Theory
CBS
“I was told that I was referenced in an earlier season of ‘Big Bang,’ so I assumed it was a game show, like I was an answer on ‘Jeopardy!’ or something,” Bialik confessed in interviews for the 2022 book. She added, “I had to Google Jim Parsons on the day of the audition because they wanted a ‘female Jim Parsons.’ I prepared for the audition by watching Jim Parsons on YouTube for about thirty seconds.” Radloff notes that Bialik returned to acting out of necessity: her UCLA health insurance was about to run out. The actress also admitted that she never watched “The Big Bang Theory” even after she was cast.
The final decision for the role of Amy Farrah Fowler was between Bialik and Kate Micucci, who later played Lucy, Raj’s girlfriend, on the show. Molaro reveals that series co-creator Chuck Lorre was particularly impressed with Bialik’s PhD in neuroscience, believing it added authenticity to the character’s intelligence and scientific credibility. Ironically, Bialik has since been associated with pseudoscientific claims. Regardless, when the opportunity to include TV’s Blossom in their team arose, they seized it.
The Big Bang Theory” revisited the “Blossom” references at least once more, in the season 6 episode “The Holographic Excitation,” where a list of potential Halloween costumes is brainstormed. A Venn diagram in one scene lists “Blossom & Joey” as one of Amy’s preferred ideas, harking back to her “Blossom” character and Blossom’s older brother, played by Joey Lawrence. Ultimately, they dressed up as C-3PO and Raggedy Ann, restoring balance to the “Big Bang Theory” universe.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
