Big Bang Theory Fans Think This Is When Amy Became A More Fleshed-Out Character

"The Big Bang Theory" gives viewers some of the most epically geeked-out characters to grace the small screen. The core group of awkwardly endearing brainiac pals includes off-the-charts genius Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), amiable physicist Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), best bud scientists Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and, eventually, neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik).

While the primary romantic focus during the show's early years is on Leonard and Penny (Kaley Cuoco), all that changes in the Season 3 finale when Amy is brought aboard as Sheldon's long-term love interest. However, while Amy's personality in the early seasons is more or less a mirror image of Sheldon's socially oblivious, smartest-nerd-in-the-room temperament, she reveals a more nuanced nature. All of this being said, when do some fans feel that Amy Farrah Fowler truly comes into her own as a more richly drawn character on "The Big Bang Theory"? 

Fans differ on when Amy became a more fully realized character on "The Big Bang Theory." In a discussion on the show's subreddit, the original poster u/BirdBright3520 suggests, "During her earlier episodes she was basically a female Sheldon, then she started acting normal later on." Redditor u/BatoftheFuture proposes a more specific timeline for the character's progression, saying, "Season 4 Amy was very Sheldon-esque," but that she begins to open up in Season 5 and grows more sociable in the next few seasons before getting comfortable with herself and Sheldon in Seasons 9 through 12. But another user says that while Amy did develop in later episodes as she got to know the gang better, she remains "'the female Sheldon" and is occasionally even more eccentric than the relentlessly quirky Mr. Cooper.

As for how actress Mayim Bialik views her portrayal in the series, she told Today that "Jim [Parsons] and I had lots of nice moments together on set. One of the things that worked so well for us as actor partners ... is that we're not overly sentimental as humans" she said, adding that this unsentimental approach was helpful both in their acting and in how the two of them processed the ultimate ending of the show.