It ended not with a bang but with a whimper.
Sara Gilbert, who played Dr. Leslie Winkle on “The Big Bang Theory,” still has questions about her character’s ending.
During an appearance on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast, host Jessica Radloff asked if Gilbert would have done more episodes, or if she’d be open to starring in the show’s new spinoff.
“Yeah I would do more. I would have done more at the time,” Gilbert replied.
“I think the writers kind of hit a wall with the character, probably also because she leaves these dynamics quickly, you know, then kind of like, well, what do you do now? She’s wired like that, and she left, and then there’s no more story there, really.”
She added, “But yeah it was a blast, and I like to work, so I’m always happy to show up.”
Leslie was an experimental physicist who worked in the same lab as Leonard (Johnny Galecki). The two had a “friends with benefits” relationship.
She appeared in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 9.
The show ran for twelve seasons, from 2007 to 2019. It spawned two spinoffs: “Young Sheldon,” which aired for seven seasons from 2017 to 2024, and “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” which premiered in October and has been renewed for a second season.
Gilbert’s last appearance on the show was in the landmark 200th episode, called “The Celebration Experimentation,” where she came to Sheldon (Jim Parson’s) birthday party and called him a “dumbass.”
In Radloff’s book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” executive producer Steve Molaro said about Leslie, “We wanted love interests for Leonard and were just looking for stories. It was also a great way to add female scientists, because Leslie was at the university as well.”
Series creator Chuck Lorre already had a history with Gilbert from “Roseanne.” Galecki also played Gilbert’s love interest on that show, and the actors briefly dated in real life.
“But we were never looking for a permanent, everlasting relationship for Leonard because we always thought he would date Penny [Kaley Cuoco] on and off,” he explained. “We weren’t looking to find a permanent girlfriend for him. We were adding characters and seeing what worked and what was leading to fun stories.”
There’s reportedly a fourth “Big Bang Theory” spinoff show in the works for Max.
According to Deadline, it will be called “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” and will center around the character Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman).
