'Big Bang Theory' star reveals why her character disappeared from show

Sara Gilbert isn’t done with her The Big Bang Theory character Dr. Leslie Winkle.

Gilbert’s character was an experimental physicist at Caltech alongside the shows four main characters Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard. Leslie became friend-with-benefits with Johnny Galecki’s Leonard and appeared in the first three seasons of the show and season 9.

During an appearance on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast, host Jessica Radloff asked Gilbert if she would’ve done more episodes in the show or if she'd be open to star in the upcoming spinoff of the show.

"Yeah I would do more. I would have done more at the time," she replied.

She reflected on why her character disappeared from the show, saying, "I think the writers kind of hit a wall with the character, probably also because she leaves these dynamics quickly, you know, then kind of like, well, what do you do now? She’s wired like that, and she left, and then there’s no more story there, really. But yeah it was a blast, and I like to work, so I’m always happy to show up."

Executive producer Steve Molaro previously explained why Leslie’s character didn’t stay, saying, "We wanted love interests for Leonard and were just looking for stories. It was also a great way to add female scientists, because Leslie was at the university as well… But we were never looking for a permanent, everlasting relationship for Leonard because we always thought he would date Penny [Kaley Cuoco] on and off."

The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. It got a prequel in Young Sheldon and is set to have a spin-off about comic store owner Stuart (Kevin Sussman) and his girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus), who’ve both already signed contracts to reprise their roles.