‘Big Bang Theory’ Fans, Kunal Nayyar Just Spoke Out About the Series’ Potential Spinoff
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When The Big Bang Theory co-creator Chuck Lorre revealed he was working on a spinoff of the hit sitcom with Max, fans were ecstatic to learn there’s a new phase coming for the beloved TV franchise. Understandably, many of the original show’s viewers hoped this could mean a return for characters such as Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter — but others made the argument for a spinoff focused on Rajesh “Raj” Koothrappali.
Details have mostly been kept under wraps as Chuck continues working on the plot. As he updated TVLine back in November 2023, the show is still in its early development after last summer’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“It’s prenatal,” he said at the time. “You don’t talk about the birth until the second trimester, I believe, is the rule. That’s a long way of saying no, I’ve got nothing to say about it other than it’s something that we are discussing.”
According to ScreenRant, the in-development Big Bang Theory spinoff in question is “separate from the recently announced Young Sheldon offshoot involving Georgie and Mandy.” (Meaning there’s a still a chance for those of us who are rooting for Raj!)
While this is all wishful thinking for now, Kunal Nayyar, the actor who played Raj, weighed in on the possibility of returning to The Big Bang Theory universe. In speaking to TVLine about his reunion with former Big Bang Theory co-star Melissa Rauch on Night Court, Kunal candidly admitted that he doesn’t have any more information than the rest of us.
“To be honest, I have not heard anything about this other than what the media has spun out,” he shared in an article published on February 5. “I’m not entirely sure what it’s about.”
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But if there was a way for Kunal to return to The Big Bang Theory universe on the spinoff, would he do so? He revealed that he wouldn’t mind coming back — but not right now.
“To be honest, it feels a little too soon,” he explained. “Can you do a [revival] only four years after your show ends? That’s not a reunion show; that’s just another season. If [the spinoff] were to happen, we’ll see what the universe says.”
As Kunal pointed out, the last time a new episode of The Big Bang Theory aired on TV was the series finale in May 2019. Fans saw Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and his longtime love Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) win a Nobel Prize in physics, with the whole crew going on a trip to commemorate the life-changing moment. While it felt like all of the major storylines were wrapped up, as ScreenRant points out, Raj is the one main character who didn’t get his “happily ever after.”