Big Bang Theory's Biggest Regret? Not Obliterating Beverly's Reputation

When The Big Bang Theory premiered on CBS in 2007, no one expected it to become the network's flagship sitcom and garner the massive following that the show boasts to this day. However, the story of four nerd scientists and their friends soon found its loyal fan base and spanned 12 successful seasons, also spawning an equally popular spin-off, Young Sheldon, which finished its sixth season in spring.

But among all the jokes and hilarity the characters gave us throughout TBBT's 12-year run, the show also touched on some pretty serious topics, most notably regarding dysfunctional family dynamics and bad parenting. Perhaps the most prominent example of what a parent shouldn't be like was Leonard's mother Beverly Hofstadter, played by Christine Baranski. For many fans, this character was one of the few reasons to complain about the show.

Needless to say, Baranski's impeccable performance, which got her four Emmy nominations, is not to blame for her character's shortcomings. Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, showed a disturbing lack of empathy for her children, and this is what took many TBBT viewers aback. But what's worse, she never got any kind of comeuppance for how she treated Leonard (and, presumably, his siblings).

Wherever Beverly appeared on the show, she acted more like a warden to her son, rather than a mother figure, and she never spoke to him about anything personal like her divorce from Leonard's father or her surgery. Viewers were taken by surprise when, in Episode 11 of Season 3, Beverly attempted to hug Leonard, and that was a painfully awkward moment for him and the audience.

The character last appeared in Episode 22 of Season 12, and despite her being a terrible mother all along, her arc wrapped up smoothly — much to the viewers' dissatisfaction.

'In a perfect world, the show would have ended with her reputation as a psychiatrist destroyed and Leonard writing a book about how abusive her "parenting methods" are,' a Redditor commented, and many in the TBBT fandom seem to agree with the sentiment.

Dr. Beverly came across as a deeply troubled character deep inside, and even though she managed to raise her son as an intellectual, she certainly harmed Leonard and his siblings as kids — and her patients most likely suffered too. Sadly, the writers never questioned her reputation as a successful psychiatrist, and Beverly probably never realized what a terrible mother she was.

Source: Reddit.