5. Amy Farrah Fowler
For me, this was the catalyst for the downfall of The Big Bang Theory. The arrival of Amy Farrah Fowler came at the end of Season Three and the show hasnt been the same since. The previous dynamic of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard and Penny, with the occasional appearance from Bernadette, now had the introduction of Amy, who appeared a lot more than Id have liked. People who like her and find her funny question why others dislike her, tagging her as a female Sheldon, and thats exactly my problem with her. The show doesnt need another Sheldon, one is quite enough. The fact that she has been a largely contributing factor to the change of Sheldon doesnt help me like her any more either. A lot of her lines are just awkward and uncomfortable, especially when trying to bond with Penny and Bernadette. I understand that, like Sheldon, she has little understanding of social interaction, but that doesnt mean that she has to talk about her uterus and make sexual references, such as having her electric toothbrush named "Gerard" for reasons we can all imagine. It's just too cringe-worthy for a show about nerds and I don't understand why the writers have put her in. Well, that's not true, I understand exactly why the writers have put her in. It's so that the women who watch this show who can't relate to Penny now have somebody like Sheldon who they can find funny whilst still enjoying the fact that there's a woman on the show. Her relationship with Penny is also incredibly cringe-worthy also. Her constant referencing to her as "Bestie" is just irritating, especially when it is painfully obvious to those with even the most minimal social skills that Penny does not regard Amy to be her best friend. Her occasional moments of lesbianism are incredibly confusing also. She seems to have interest in Sheldon for the most part, yet she seems to have a strange attraction to Penny which is never really explained, making it all the more ridiculous. I get that it's meant to be indicative as to how Amy looks up to Penny as a role model, though personally I think they could do that without having Amy make borderline homosexual comments. Despite these problems I have with the show, I can still idly watch it, at least the early series. If they're on television and I'm sitting down and eating or doing work, I can have it on in the background. That's what it has become for me, background television. It's not entirely unwatchable for me - at least not yet. What do you think? Do you prefer the new episodes to the old ones? Is there anything you find irritating that I haven't mentioned? Feel free to leave a comment below!