Top 20 The Big Bang Theory Unanswered Questions

One of the ongoing story elements of “The Big Bang Theory” was how Howard dealt with his father’s departure. In numerous episodes throughout the show’s run, we learned that Howard’s dad left him and his mom when he was a kid. He never saw his father nor heard from him at any point afterwards. During a Season 6 episode, Sheldon uncovers a letter to Howard detailing what happened, but Howard doesn’t want to know. The gang opts to give him six different stories about his dad, with one being true. It provides the audience and Howard their own Schrödinger’s cat. We all both know and don’t know the answer at the same time.

He may not go down in history as having won a Nobel Prize, or visiting the International Space Station. But Stuart Bloom does start to see some success as the show comes to a close. After losing his comic book store to a fire, it comes back better than ever. It even brings love into his life when he hires Denise. So inevitably we wonder, does Stuart find any other successes in his life later on? Does he turn his store into a franchise and take down Capitol Comics? Or does he come back to his artistic side and become a professional comic book illustrator? We hope his turn for the better continues for many years.

In the final episodes of the show, we learned that Leonard and Penny were expecting their first child. This came as a shock to viewers, as Penny didn’t seem enthusiastic about the idea. After hearing her go back and forth on the idea several times, learning that she would definitely become a mom was certainly a huge surprise. That just leaves the mystery of how they’d be as parents. Neither of them had conventional upbringings. Both Leonard’s relationship with his mom, and Penny’s relationship with her dad certainly had their ups and downs. However, given the love between the couple, and what they learned from their own pasts, we’re confident they became fantastic parents.

Unlike the rest of her family, audiences never get to meet Penny’s sister Lisa. First mentioned in Season 1, we don’t come to learn much about her even after twelve seasons. What we do know is that she apparently shot her husband by accident while intoxicated, had her water break during the father-daughter dance at her wedding, and she’s apparently quite adept at finding personal information on the Internet about Penny’s love life. Given what little information we do know, it sounds like she’s got as much spunk to her as Penny. However, much like Leonard’s siblings, the true nature of Lisa’s personality will likely remain an unsolved mystery.

With so much emphasis on Leonard’s adoration for Penny, it’s easy to forget the other women he becomes involved with. One shining example is that of Stephanie Barnett. She and Leonard become romantically attached shortly after Leonard drives her home from a date with Howard. Even after Leonard texts her about not wanting to live together, it seems like things would continue, yet she never reappears. No on-screen breakup ever occurs, and unlike other exes in Leonard’s life, she’s never even mentioned again. Did not living together ultimately become a dealbreaker? Or was it just time for the writers to shift things back to Penny? We’re guessing the latter is true.

Can you imagine someone like Sheldon as a dad? Through the events of “Young Sheldon,” we learn that Sheldon and Amy have a son named Leonard. Given Sheldon’s precarious history with his own father, fans became worried he might repeat some of those parenting patterns. When it comes to Sheldon however, we know that he can change his world views. For the twelve years we saw him on television, he came to grow far beyond his original struggles. We’d like to think that, as a father, he’d give his son everything he didn’t get as a young child.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected yet hilarious moments from the pre-wedding dinner is what unfolds between two parents. As Leonard’s father Alfred leaves the dinner, Sheldon’s mother Mary accompanies him. With the two intending to share a nightcap together, speculation unfolds amongst the boys as to what’s going to happen. We learn the next day the two have become friends, and hope to visit each other in the near future. Which of course begs the question, what ever happened between these two? The possibilities of where that story could’ve gone is endless. Maybe “Young Sheldon” will give us a hint at whether these two ever ended up together.

Of all the characters on this show, Penny could be described as the one who’s both grown the most, yet struggled the hardest with happiness. For a long time, she thinks fame from an acting career will make her happy, but finds herself floundering in such a field. Her struggle to find happiness extends further into her relationship with Leonard, her new career in pharmaceuticals, and eventually the idea of becoming a mother. So when all is said and done, does she ever really find true happiness? Stuart once says which makes a good case for her future. After struggling so much with finding happiness, is Leonard, her baby, and career success enough to finally make her happy?

In the final season of “The Big Bang Theory,” both Sheldon and Amy are nominated for a Nobel Prize. After an early morning phone call, they learn they have won and the gang celebrates. Since the episode ends with Amy and Sheldon receiving their award, we’re not given any clues as to the direction their careers take. What exactly comes next after you’ve won a Nobel Prize in the world of science? Given Sheldon’s lifelong obsession with the Nobel, it leaves the door open to a lot of possibilities once he’s crossed that item off his list. The best we can hope for is a hint in a future episode of “Young Sheldon.”

We hear countless times over the show’s run about how Howard’s father left the family. So it was a big surprise to learn that Sam Wolowitz had an entire other life with additional children. In Season 8, we meet Howard’s half-brother, Josh, who shows up unexpectedly at his home. After a bit of a rough start, the two hit it off and seemingly intend to continue to learn more about each other. And then… nothing. Viewers never see Josh nor hear his name spoken for the rest of the show’s run. Fans are left to make up their own interpretation of how this new sibling bond evolves.

Even up to the very last episode of the show, Sheldon is often portrayed as being quite self-centered and condescending. Both Amy and his friends tolerate his behavior knowing full well he never intends any ill will toward those closest to him. In the final episode, Sheldon comes to realize just how hurtful he can be, and chooses to share his Nobel spotlight with his extended family. It begs to ask the question as to whether or not this major moment in his life causes him to change. We’re given a peek at him through the eyes of “Young Sheldon,” but it’s still unknown as to whether he ever tames his omnipotent attitude.

When Amy’s apartment needs to undergo some work, she adopts Penny’s old place and begins her five-week mission of living with Sheldon. But once the repairs to Amy’s place are complete, the two of them agree to remain there permanently. We never see or hear anything about Amy’s old apartment afterwards. Sure, they agree to stay, but much of “their” apartment continues to be Penny’s old stuff. What happens to all of Amy’s things, or even the apartment itself? It would’ve been quite funny to watch the two debate over what stuff Amy’s going to keep versus things Sheldon doesn’t want anywhere near the apartment.

Over the course of the entire show, Howard’s mom was a bit of a running gag. Like Vera’s unseen face on “Cheers,” Debbie Wolowitz was a character we never saw, but certainly heard. Portrayed as an overprotective and obnoxious mother, Debbie Wolowitz was in the show up until Season 8. The character was retired after her voice actress, Carol Ann Susi, tragically passed away. With the character now absent from the show, the mystery of what she looked like would always be there. Keen observers have noted that a photo of Susi can be seen on the side of the fridge in the boys’ apartment. It’s a close hint at what she could have looked like, while still not being an outright confirmation.

When a show comes to an end, fans always hope that the writers find a way to give their characters a satisfying ending. By all accounts, Penny seems to be in a good place when things conclude, but how does it all play out? We mentioned before how she struggled to find happiness, so we wonder if that continues as she became a mother. Speaking of which, that was something she wasn’t keen on being for such a long time, so how does that all play out? Does she keep her career in pharmaceuticals? Do she and Leonard stay together? Of all the characters on this show, Penny’s likely the one who’s life may have gone in a different direction.

For six years of the show’s run, Raj suffered through selective mutism whenever he was around women. This certainly caused his fair share of relationship issues. Even when he faced the issue head-on, his inability to maintain a long term, stable relationship followed him until the series ended. It always seemed that Raj’s biggest hurdle was his inner battle of wanting to be happy, versus wanting to make someone else happy. When the show wrapped, Raj was still single but content amongst his friends. Does he ever manage to find a girl who knows what “Notting Hill” was really about?

Leonard’s mom was introduced as a high-achieving academic with little regard for any accomplishment her son ever made. He spent his whole life trying to please his mother, while she ignored him. She thought this would all bring him strength, but instead, this parenting method merely created an emotional wall between the two. As the show comes to an end, Leonard finally decides he’s had enough and forgives her. It’s there we see her give him his first real piece of affection: something he yearned for all along. Could this have been a sign of better things to come?

Early on, we learned that Howard received his masters degree from MIT, but did not get his doctorate. As much as he has accomplished as an engineer, it’s never stopped his friends and colleagues from poking fun at his lack of a PhD. For a moment in Season 8, we thought he might get there with help from Sheldon. But that didn’t pan out. We wonder if Sheldon and Amy’s Nobel win may have given Howard a bit of a push to earn his last degree. If so, he could finally be called “Dr. Wolowitz.” It would certainly be an improvement over “Wolowizard.”

Unlike many of the entries on this list, this one is one many may have overlooked. Throughout the run of the show, Howard was seen sporting many turtlenecks. But have you ever noticed the little alien pin? In virtually every episode, Howard can be seen with one of these pins on his turtleneck. They change shapes, sizes, and colors from episode to episode. But nothing in-show ever gives us a clue as to their meaning. In a behind-the-scenes clip, costume designer Mary T. Quigley did say there was a reason for them, but we never did learn what it was.

While often played for laughs, Howard’s relationship with his estranged dad is also one that gives the show some of its best moments. The entire “letter” episode shows how truly conflicted Howard is about his father. And given that he learns his dad has a whole other family, it would have been pretty easy for him to reach out and reconnect. But even with all of these little details, we never find out if Howard ultimately does try to reconcile with Sam. Given how emotionally heavy that would be, we can understand leaving it out, but that doesn’t stop us from wondering what his dad may think of his son’s accomplishments.

After 279 episodes, you might have thought we’d know the full names of all the major characters. Since we’ve already memorized Koothrappali and Rostenkowski, you’d think the writers would have given us Penny’s original last name. Alas, this appears to be a question that they never really intended to answer. In fact, as time went on, it became a bit of a superstition to not give her a last name at all. Fans have theorized about her name, and come up with several creative possibilities. However, the producers and writers have stood firm that this was a question they never really intended to answer.