CBS
“The Big Bang Theory” concluded its 12-season run with several of its central characters settled into marriages and family life, while Raj (Kunal Nayyar) remained single when the series came to an end.
In an interview for the oral history book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” by Jessica Radloff, Nayyar explained that Raj needed more time to grow as a person before settling down.
“I thought it was very astute that the one person who wanted love so badly realizes maybe he needs to love himself first,” he said. “It doesn’t have to come through someone else, and that’s a very lovely way to end a character’s storyline. He grew so much in those last few seasons as a character, and you saw him become less and less dependent on all the things he thought he needed.”
The Big Bang Theory’s showrunner wanted to keep Raj’s story open
CBS
For much of the run of “The Big Bang Theory,” Raj struggled with romantic relationships, including an inability early on to speak to women without alcohol. In its final season, he entered a serious relationship with Anu (Rati Gupta), but the couple split after she accepted a job in London and he decided not to uproot his life — especially for someone he wasn’t convinced was his soulmate.
Series co-creator Chuck Lorre also addressed the decision not to give every character a neatly resolved ending. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Lorre said the creative team felt it was unnecessary to force closure in the finale.
“Because of the way this finale was presented by [showrunner] Steve Holland, we didn’t feel like it was necessary to have some big story closure for every character,” he said. “That felt forced and somewhat unnecessary because sometimes big things don’t happen to everybody all at once. So Raj’s story just remains open.”
