The Big Bang Theory‘s Leslie Winkle (Sara Gilbert) was a key player in the series’ first few seasons, but what happened to her as the series went on? Though many expected to see more of her as the series progressed, over the years, she just gradually faded into the background until she fully disappeared.
Before the introduction of Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and Amy (Mayim Bialik), Leslie was The Big Bang Theory‘s prominent female character other than Penny (Kaley Cuoco). Like the boys, she also works in CalTech as an experimental physicist. Debuting in the season 1 episode 3 titled “The Fuzzy Boots Corollary,” Leslie primarily worked with Leonard (Johnny Galecki) as they used the same laboratory. This leads to a short-lived fling, which also caused her to begin a rivalry with Sheldon (Jim Parsons) after she showed off her skills by solving an equation he’d been having problems with. Their match-up further heated up when the boys tap her to be their final teammate for the annual Physics Bowl, following their decision to kick Sheldon off their group.
Leslie is the female-counterpart to Leonard; both characters are even dressed the same, and for a time, many expected her to ultimately become part of the group. It also helped that viewers’ response to the character is mostly positive, motivating The Big Bang Theory to promote her to a main player in the second season. Despite this, she appears sporadically throughout the year. Following her breakup with Leonard, she subsequently starts a new, albeit less serious, affair with Howard (Simon Helberg). In season 3, she only features in the finale as Leonard tries to restart a sexual relationship with her, which she ultimately turns down. She wouldn’t return to The Big Bang Theory until season 9 during Sheldon’s surprise birthday party. From there, Leslie Winkle is never seen or mentioned in the show again.
Leslie fading away in The Big Bang Theory is due to the writers being unable to crack how to utilize the character. In 2009, Gilbert was quietly bumped off of the series’ regular roster because the show’s writers reportedly “couldn’t write for her, so they changed her status to recurring.” When a spokesperson for the show was asked for any comment, they declined to give any. However, as fans know, the character was used less and less, until she just disappeared from the sitcom altogether.
In hindsight, it’s strange that The Big Bang Theory had problems using Leslie considering how well they portrayed her in the earlier seasons. She had good interactions with all the characters – even Penny. What makes this odder is that they essentially added some type of variation of the character later on with Amy and Bernadette. Leslie could’ve had either arc of those characters, and it would’ve worked. She already established an affair with Howard, which they could’ve moved forward with, or they could’ve developed a romantic relationship with her and Sheldon. Even if she didn’t become a love interest, just her being on the show makes for a lot of laughs, so it’s mind-boggling why the show didn’t take advantage of that.
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