The Big Bang Theory: Why Amy Became Less Like Sheldon As The Show Progressed

When Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) was introduced in The Big Bang Theory, she was dubbed the female counterpart of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), but over the years she became less like him. The popular CBS sitcom had been on the air for years before Amy became a series regular after her debut in the season 3 finale. Regardless, she ultimately became a pivotal member of the Pasadena gang, becoming Sheldon’s wife and Nobel Prize in Physics partner.

In an effort to find Sheldon a girlfriend, Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) entered his information in a scientific-based online dating site which resulted in their discovery of Amy in The Big Bang Theory season 3, episode 23 titled “The Lunar Excitation.” While Sheldon was initially skeptical of meeting her, he ultimately agreed after he was blackmailed by his friends. It turns out, agreeing to the blind date would be one of, if not the, best decisions he ever made, as he and Amy quickly hit things off thanks to their shared quirks, not to mention high intellect. The pair didn’t start dating right away, but it was obvious from the get-go that they’re meant for each other.

The reason why Sheldon was drawn to Amy in the first place was that he saw himself in her: she’s stoic with a dry sense of humor, and had no intention of being in a romantic relationship — just like him. Both were essentially forced to date one another, with simply Amy following her mother’s request to go out once every year. In fact, they initially refused to acknowledge that they’re attracted to each other, despite it being obvious to everyone else. Sheldon and Amy also share the same way of thinking, making their early conversations fascinating, albeit quite robotic. As Amy’s arc in The Big Bang Theory progressed, however, she gradually changed from being like Sheldon to a tamer version of him.

Amy’s personality change can be chalked up to her finally having traditional female friendships with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), who accepted her for who she is. Unlike Sheldon who couldn’t care less about what others think of him, Amy is actually fun and sociable — this was evident when she so-badly wanted to be Penny’s friend during her earlier days in The Big Bang Theory. She admired her ability to mingle around effortlessly and wanted something like that for herself. However, due to her personal insecurities growing up, she was forced to keep things to herself making her a loner. Being raised by a strict mom didn’t help her social development either, as it further isolated her from potential friends. This explains why she was at times overly enthusiastic about wanting to do things she couldn’t do before when she was younger, such as drinking and staying out late.

With her own circle of friends, Amy started vocalizing her thoughts on relationships, dating, and other personal matters the same way friends Penny and Bernadette did, fostering a comfortable environment around them. She also became much more open to new things because her girl gang supported her in expanding her horizons. This was evident every time they’d have a girls’ night out where Penny and Bernie would take her to do various things that she’d never done before. As the three The Big Bang Theory girls grew closer and shared more about respective dating lives, Amy slowly learned how other (more) normal relationships work, resulting in her wanting the same for her own.

Amy’s change in The Big Bang Theory was welcomed one. Over the years, she’s become funnier and more interesting compared to when fans first met her as it resulted in better interactions with Sheldon and the rest of her friends. She did maintain some of her eccentricities from the first time fans met her, but she’s arguably the most changed character in the sitcom.

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