The Big Bang Theory Showrunner Calls This Amy Episode His 'Least Favorite' Of The Series
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I'm guessing that, if you work on a long-running series from beginning to end (say, one that spans 12 seasons across the same number of years and features hundreds of episodes), you'll end up bumping up against a plot development or storyline that you don't like very much. This is, apparently, true for Steve Holland, who spent years working as a writer and producer on Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady's hit CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" before taking over as showrunner in Season 11.
As Holland told Jessica Radloff on the official "Big Bang Theory" podcast, he can't stand a Season 4 episode of "The Big Bang Theory" titled "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis" thanks to a storyline involving protagonist Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and the woman who eventually becomes his wife, Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik). "I hate that episode," Holland told Radloff. "It's my least favorite episode of the whole run of the whole series."
So, why does Holland hate it? It has to do with the fact that, in the episode, Amy and Sheldon are in the early stages of their relationship when, while out with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), Amy catches sight of Brian Thomas Smith as Penny's handsome ex-boyfriend Zack (a "Big Bang Theory" character who deserved far more screen time). Penny immediately realizes Amy is hot for Zack, and when Sheldon learns this, he wonders if she's diseased with some sort of parasite or just too willing to embrace her "baser urges."
After talking with Penny, Sheldon decides that because he can't satisfy the urges that Amy's feeling (despite trying to solve the problem by teaching her some bizarre Vulcan techniques), he feels Zack should, uh, deal with Amy. Are you starting to see why Holland doesn't like this episode?
Steve Holland hated how this Big Bang Theory episode portrayed Amy Farrah Fowler
Steve Holland's specific problem, as he relayed to Jessica Radloff on that podcast, is that he felt as if this episode cheapened whatever progress Sheldon and Amy had made in their fledgling relationship, and, ultimately, Sheldon's attitude about Zack "satisfying" Amy's "urges" was sort of gross. (I happen to agree with Holland here!) Holland also said that, while writing the episode, the show's writers and producers found themselves at odds. "There was a lot of debate in the room then about what Amy meant to Sheldon [at the time]. It was slow, but Sheldon liked her in a different way," Holland explained. "So, I didn't like Sheldon sort of pimping her out to Zack. I just didn't like it. It didn't sit great with me. I'm sure it's a good episode, very funny, but ..."
Plus, as Holland pointed out, this episode took a bizarre approach and suggested that not only was Amy super aroused by Zack, but she was actively put off by Sheldon's touch — something that sort of interferes with their future relationship (which does become physical over time). "There's a moment at the end where she even reaches out to hold [Sheldon's] hand ... and she lets it drop, and I just I didn't like it," Holland continued. "I felt like that was the wrong ... the wrong tact on that relationship."
This all happened before Holland's tenure as showrunner, as he went on to clarify. "I was just a middle-level writer then, so that was not an argument that that I won ... and it probably allowed that relationship to grow nice and slowly, which I think was really important for it," he admitted. "But I never liked that episode."
Amy and Sheldon's relationship progressed, ultimately, in a way that felt natural to both of them
Speaking of Jessica Radloff, she wrote a book in 2022 — "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series" — and spoke to Steve Holland's cohort and fellow showrunner Steve Molaro about the evolution of Amy and Sheldon's relationship. While Molaro didn't address "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis," it seems like he understands this relationship in the same way that Holland does. "It was more about showing that the road to love or finding a partner or best friend can manifest in different ways," Molaro said of their relationship. "A lot of things can be scary for someone like Sheldon, and Amy recognized that. And even though they didn't say the words for a long time, I think they loved each other for years before they said it out loud. They just had to take baby steps to get there."
As Molaro put it, not every relationship or person achieves "milestones" at the same speed, and "The Big Bang Theory" wanted to show that that's okay. "'Big Bang' celebrated nerds [and] geek culture, and a big part of that is being able to unabashedly have an interest in something or love something — anything — and dig in on a truly deep level without caring how other people judge you," Molaro explained. "Sheldon and Amy had a sweet innocence to them [...] They were willing to show that vulnerable side to each other, whether it was awkwardly cuddling for the first time all the way up to them finally having coitus [in the 'Big Bang Theory' episode 'The Opening Night Excitation']."
Molaro and Holland were right, and you can judge that episode for yourself by streaming "The Big Bang Theory" on HBO Max.