‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 6 debate: Solving Raj

When you look at the ratings, you would think that there was nothing that you would even want to change about “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s one of the funniest sitcoms on TV, has a great hook that gets even new viewers invested in a matter of seconds, and it also has one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history in Dr. Sheldon Cooper.

Over the years, the show has done a great job of trying to avoid familiar traps by making sure that some of these characters progress, whether it be by Leonard and Penny growing up in their second go as a couple, Sheldon finally having a relationship, and Howard and Bernadette getting married. However, there is one character who has remained relatively neglected and unchanged, and it is starting to become a noticeable issue: Raj. The last time the underrated Kunal Nayyar really had a notable story in the larger context of the show was in the season 5 premiere, when it was revealed that his much-maligned hookup with Penny was actually not as bad as it first seemed. There was a little bit of drama regarding his budding friendship with Stuart earlier this year, but that was really more about Howard than it was him.

Instead, some of the stories for Raj have included him falling in love with the voice on his iPhone, joining the girls for ladies’ night, simply being around to share funny one-liners about either himself, being lonely, or his love for romantic comedies.

Before we delve too deep here, let’s just start things off by saying that we understand to an extent why the writers haven’t paired Raj off with someone yet: the other three main male characters all have love interests, and it would be unusual to have for geeky guys all manage to find love at around the same time. However, that still doesn’t excuse the fact that the guy has not had much of a story at all while Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard all have. Why not have the guy have something happen with his career, his family back in India, or at least work on his issue of talking to women? There are stories that could happen for him that do not necessarily involve a love interest, and they could be worth exploring.

The “Big Bang Theory” producers have said in the past that this could be the season where Raj finds love, and while it may happen, we haven’t heard anything in regards to casting or story about it yet. Then again, this could be a deliberate move, as it may be something they are saving for the February or May sweeps. Let’s just hope to hear something soon, since it is time the most-popular comedy on TV’s most-ignored character gets a little bit of time in the spotlight.

Even if Raj does not get a love interest right away, what sort of story do you want to see for him? If you want to read some more news about what is coming up on the show, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: CBS