Big Bang Theory Gets a Makeover: Fans Want Less Raj As a Punching Bag
From geeky jokes to unique characters, The Big Bang Theory is certainly great in many ways, and its successful 12-year run can back it up.
However, there are some things that fans would change about the characters and their stories if they had the opportunity. And if there's one they had to start with, it would be Raj's storyline – saying show bosses made him a "punching bag."
Raj Koothrappali is an astrophysicist from India who studied at the University of Cambridge and works at Caltech. Thanks to being born into a wealthy family and his professional and academic achievements, you may think he would be depicted as a confident and successful young man. However, the showrunners had a different direction in mind for him.
Instead, they decided to make him an awkward and quirky character who tends to behave or speak inappropriately, which frequently lands him in trouble. He also had selective mutism until the end of season 6, which made him unable to speak to women he wasn't related to without drinking alcohol. This, of course, was kind of endearing at first and became the base for many hilarious scenes with Raj throughout the episodes.
However, it was after the first few seasons when things started to change.
There came a point when fans started to feel like Raj went from being interesting and funny to a loser. It seemed as if he grew more and more lonely and desperate throughout the seasons. And the problem is it didn't make the audience feel bad for him or even laugh at him. In fact, viewers found it borderline boring and annoying, leaving them confused about what went wrong.
Fans would've loved to see Raj experience some growth like other characters did. For instance, they suggest he could've whined and self-destructed less and maybe even gotten married.
But apart from his storyline, fans weren't happy with the way the series wrapped up for Raj either. When the big finale aired, fans expressed their frustrations, saying he deserved a better ending, as it wasn't as good as the rest of the characters. They also thought it didn't do him justice. For one, they would've loved to see him get the fairy tale relationship he always dreamed of or, at the very least, meet someone new who he would have a genuine connection with.