Amy Farrah Fowler

Last updated

Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler
The Big Bang Theory / Young Sheldon character
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by Chuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Maria Ferrari
Portrayed by Mayim Bialik
Lily Sanfelippo ( Young Sheldon )
In-universe information
Full nameAmy Farrah Fowler
NicknameAmes
GenderFemale
TitleDoctor
Occupation
  • Neuroscientist
Spouse
(m. 2018)
ChildrenLeonard Cooper (mentioned in Young Sheldon narrations) Unnamed daughter (mentioned in the series finale of Young Sheldon)
NationalityAmerican

Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D., is a fictional character in the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory , portrayed by Mayim Bialik. Amy is a neuroscientist who is the love interest of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and subsequent wife in the series. She has a PhD in neurobiology (Bialik herself has a PhD in neuroscience), with a research focus on addiction in primates and invertebrates, occasionally mentioning such experiments as getting a capuchin monkey addicted to cigarettes or getting a starfish addicted to cocaine. Amy goes on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside her husband.

Contents

Character biography

Amy makes her debut in the third season finale titled "The Lunar Excitation". In the episode, Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) find Amy through an online dating site, after establishing an account with Sheldon's name and information. The site matches her with Sheldon Cooper, since the two share many similar traits. Upon meeting, Amy and Sheldon become acquainted. The two initially communicate via text messages and video calls and eventually begin meeting in person.

Early on, Amy is shown as coldly rational, displaying little emotion, and appears awkward in social situations. She is initially ambivalent and often condescending towards Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch). As they grow closer, she sheds her strident, aloof personality for a more feminine and social one, although retaining some social awkwardness. Amy begins to consider Penny a close friend, sometimes referring to her as her "bestie", and occasionally admitting that her entire social life revolves around Penny. Amy also often demonstrates an infatuation towards Penny, occasionally bordering on physical attraction. Amy tends to display a condescending attitude towards Bernadette, although she still considers her a close friend. Her feelings towards Sheldon grow considerably over time. Amy considers him to be ideal in almost every way, though sometimes she displays frustration with Sheldon's quirks.

In season 5, after Amy goes out on a date with comic-bookstore owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman), Sheldon decides to solidify their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend with a 31-page "Relationship Agreement". Later in the season, Amy begins a campaign to increase Sheldon's feelings for her by becoming more involved in his interests, including video games and Star Trek .

By the beginning of season 6, Sheldon and Amy regularly display signs of affection, such as holding hands, although Amy wants the relationship to evolve further to include sexual intimacy. By mid-season, Sheldon gets some intimate views of Amy when he cares for her while she has the flu. She also provides Sheldon with consoling hugs. On one Thanksgiving, Amy receives a slap on the rear by an intoxicated Sheldon who tells everyone that she is a "great gal."

In the season 7 episode "The Locomotive Manipulation", Amy wants to have a romantic Valentine's night with Sheldon and arranges for them (along with Howard and Bernadette) to have dinner on a train. While on the train, they meet Eric, another train enthusiast who engages Sheldon in conversation during dinner. Amy is upset about it, first sparking Bernadette, then Amy herself to confront Sheldon. Sarcastically, Sheldon says he will give Amy the romance she wants. He openly mocks her, staring into her eyes and then kissing her. At first, the kiss is forced, but then he leans in and appears to enjoy it.

In Season 8, Sheldon and Amy admit to being in love with each other in "The Prom Equivalency". In "The Clean Room Infiltration", Amy throws a Victorian Christmas at her home. Sheldon wanted to ruin her Christmas by getting her a thoughtful gift. He gave her a picture of him sitting on Santa Claus's lap, which she loved. Amy gave Sheldon cookies she made from his Meemaw's recipe, which he loved as well. In the season 8 finale episode, "The Commitment Determination", Amy and Sheldon are celebrating their 5th anniversary. While making out on Sheldon's couch, Amy tries to reminisce with him. Sheldon asks her whether he should start watching and become invested in the Flash TV show. Amy becomes upset that Sheldon cannot appreciate the irony of how slowly they are taking their relationship and his interest in the Flash TV show. She does not respond to any of Sheldon's attempts to contact her, then finally answers a Skype message. Amy tells him that she has decided to take a break from her relationship with Sheldon, telling him she needs some time to think. Unbeknownst to her, Sheldon had intended to propose. In this season we learn that Amy is allergic to avocados.

In the Season 9 premiere, "The Matrimonial Momentum", Amy ultimately breaks up with Sheldon after his relentless berating and annoying behavior. Amy casually dated three men while they were apart. During Thanksgiving, they decided to go to the aquarium together. Afterwards, Amy decided she wanted to get back together with Sheldon. She called to ask him if he wanted to get back together. Sheldon said that getting over her was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and he did not think he could do it again. Disappointed, Amy decided to go out with Dave, a man she had previously gone out with, to try and move on. Sheldon ended up getting an earworm, "Darlin" by the Beach Boys, and realized it was about Amy and how much he loved her. He went to Amy's apartment, who was currently on a date with Dave, to declare his love. They ended up making out and subsequently getting back together.

In Season 9, episode 11, "The Opening Night Excitation", Sheldon decides to skip the premiere of the new Star Wars movie and celebrates Amy's birthday with her. As a present, he felt it was time for the two of them to get intimate. This starts a tradition of the "annual birthday booty spectacular".

When Sheldon's grandmother visits in season 9, she confronts Amy for hurting Sheldon and unintentionally reveals the secret engagement ring in his possession. Although initially shocked, Amy is happy to know that Sheldon loves her enough to have considered taking that step forward in their relationship. Amy later prepares a surprise birthday party for Sheldon, which he has not previously celebrated with the group.

After a plumbing accident makes her apartment uninhabitable in season 10, Sheldon and Amy embark on a 5-week experiment living together to test their compatibility. Amy later admits she lied about how long the repairs were taking so that she could continue living with Sheldon. They eventually move into Penny's old apartment together, while Penny moves in with Leonard, and later makes the arrangement permanent. Amy is later offered a 3-month science research project at Princeton University in New Jersey and leaves with Sheldon's encouragement. She becomes angry when she learns of Sheldon spending time with Ramona Nowitzki, who she rightfully suspects of having romantic feelings for Sheldon. In the season 10 finale, after Ramona surprises Sheldon with a passionate kiss, he visits Amy and proposes to her. The episode ends on a cliffhanger awaiting her answer. In the season 11 premiere episode "The Proposal Proposal", which picks up immediately after Sheldon's proposal, Amy's answer is further delayed by a phone call from Leonard and Penny, after which she finally says yes. She and Sheldon marry in the season 11 finale. Amy objects to Sheldon wanting to provide sperm for Zack Johnson's baby but does try to get him excited about having their own child.

Amy is musically inclined and is shown to play the harp, autoharp and keyboard throughout the series. Her mother is played by Kathy Bates (although Annie O'Donnell briefly played her in season 4) and her father, Larry, by magician Teller.

In the final season, Sheldon and Amy publish their work on super-asymmetric string theory and win the Nobel Prize in Physics together. [1]

In Young Sheldon, she appears sometimes narrating certain events, such as the fact that she has a son with Sheldon, and named him Leonard. Amy also appears in the series finale, alongside adult Sheldon, where we can see that they also now live in a house in suburban Los Angeles. She makes him go to their son's hockey game and reminds him that his parents (Mary and George) supported him no matter their differences. She also tells Sheldon that he has to go to acting classes with his daughter Lily, because Penny had influenced her when she babysat.

Reception

The fourth season received particular praise for character development. Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx, praised the additions of Amy and Bernadette to the cast, writing that "With Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette Rostenkowski promoted to semi-permanent status, because of this the show is now able to spend large chunks of each episode focusing only on the women, and in the process has made Penny a much more well-rounded character rather than just a foil for the nerds." [2]

Awards and nominations

For her performance as Amy Farrah Fowler, Bialik received 4 consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 64th, 65th, 66th and 67th Primetime Emmy Awards from 2011–2015. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayim Bialik</span> American actress, television personality, and author (born 1975)

Mayim Chaya Bialik is an American actress, author and former game show host. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom Blossom. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2017. Bialik shared hosting duties of Jeopardy! with Ken Jennings on a rotating basis between August 2021 and December 2023.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> American television sitcom (2007–2019)

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Hofstadter</span> Fictional character in The Big Bang Theory

Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Galecki and one of the main protagonists in the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. Leonard is an experimental physicist who shares an apartment with his colleague and best friend, Dr. Sheldon Cooper. For his portrayal, Galecki was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Cooper</span> Fictional character in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon

Sheldon Lee Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D., is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff series Young Sheldon, portrayed by actors Jim Parsons and Iain Armitage respectively. For his portrayal, Parsons won four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a TCA Award, and two Critics' Choice Television Awards. The character's childhood is the focus of Young Sheldon, in which he grows up in East Texas with his family Missy Cooper, George Cooper Sr., George Cooper Jr., Mary Cooper and his grandmother, Connie Tucker, as a child prodigy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Wolowitz</span> Fictional character on the television series The Big Bang Theory

Howard Joel Wolowitz is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg. Among the four main male characters in the show, Howard is distinctive for being an engineer—rather than a physicist—and lacking a PhD. He is named after and based on a computer programmer known by the show's co-creator; Bill Prady. Howard is the only starring character who has been to the International Space Station. Along with Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, and Raj Koothrappali, Howard is part of the central cast of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Koothrappali</span> Fictional character on the television series The Big Bang Theory

Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by British actor Kunal Nayyar. He is one of four main male characters in the show, alongside Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz to appear in every episode of The Big Bang Theory. Raj is based on a computer programmer that the show's co-creator, Bill Prady, knew when he was a programmer.

Penny (<i>The Big Bang Theory</i>) Fictional character on The Big Bang Theory

Penelope "Penny" Hofstadter is a fictional character from the American CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actress Kaley Cuoco. She is the primary female character in the series, befriending her neighbors Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two physicists employed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 21, 2009 to May 24, 2010. It received higher ratings than the previous two seasons with over 15 million viewers. The third season saw the first appearances of future main cast members Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik as Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler respectively.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 23, 2010 to May 19, 2011. Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik auditioned and were promoted to the main cast during this season as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler respectively.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 22, 2011 to May 10, 2012. The season includes the 100th episode of the series.

"The Love Car Displacement" is an episode of the television series The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on January 20, 2011. It is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the series and the seventy-sixth episode overall. The episode features a guest appearance by former professional basketball player Rick Fox.

"The Roommate Transmogrification" is the fourth season finale of the television series The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on May 19, 2011. It is the twenty-fourth episode of the fourth season of the series and the eighty-seventh episode overall. Aarti Mann continues her recurring role of Priya Koothrappali while Brian George and Alice Amter reprise their roles of Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali.

"The Recombination Hypothesis" is the 13th episode of the fifth season, as well as the 100th episode overall, of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It premiered on CBS in the United States on January 19, 2012. In this episode, Leonard impulsively asks Penny out for dinner on a date.

"The Countdown Reflection" is the 24th and final episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory. It first aired on CBS on May 10, 2012. It is the 111th episode overall. In the episode, featuring astronaut Mike Massimino, Howard and Bernadette get married before Howard goes to space. "The Countdown Reflection" received 13.72 million views in the U.S. and garnered mostly positive reviews.

"The Fish Guts Displacement" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Big Bang Theory. The episode was originally aired on the CBS television network on December 6, 2012. The story was created by Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Tara Hernandez, and turned into a teleplay by Steven Molaro, Jim Reynolds, and Eric Kaplan. Mark Cendrowski directed the episode.

"The Skank Reflex Analysis" is the first episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on September 22, 2011. It is the 88th episode overall.

"The Shiny Trinket Maneuver" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 99th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on January 12, 2012.

"The Werewolf Transformation" is the 18th episode of the fifth season of the U.S. sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the 105th episode of the show overall. It first aired on CBS on February 23, 2012.

"The Platonic Permutation" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of The Big Bang Theory. The 192nd episode overall, it first aired on CBS on November 19, 2015. The story follows the characters throughout Thanksgiving. The first storyline explores Sheldon and Amy's relationship as they meet-up, after being broken up. The next subplot follows Bernadette, Raj, Emily and Howard where they volunteer at a soup kitchen and the last follows Leonard and Penny after they have a minor conflict as Penny forgets Leonard's birthday.

References

  1. Ausiello, Michael (May 16, 2019). "The Big Bang Theory Finale: EPs Talk Elevator Twist, Sheldon's Speech, Howard and Bernadette's [Spoilers]". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  2. Sepinwall, Alan (May 20, 2011). ""The Roommate Transmogrification": Trading places". Uproxx . Woven Digital. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  3. Potts, Kimberly (August 21, 2015). "'Big Bang' Emmy Nominee Mayim Bialik Says Sheldon and Amy Can Teach Us a Lot About Love". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved September 13, 2023. As for the actress behind Amy, Mayim Bialik, the episode offered up a prize of another kind: her fourth consecutive Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy nomination.