Why was Priya written off in The Big Bang Theory?

The Big Bang Theory, which ran for 12 seasons, made Leonard Hofstadter and Penny endgame, but that doesn't mean they didn't have their own string of love interests. Leonard and Penny broke up and got back together multiple times before getting engaged in season 7. In these periods when they weren't together, both of them had relationships, some more serious than others.

One of these was Leonard Hofstadter and Priya Koothrappali's relationship. Priya, played by Arti Mann, Raj Koothrappali's sister, was introduced in season 4. Priya and Leonard's relationship was fairly serious, but she was written off the show in season 5. Even though Priya appears to be the intellectual equivalent of Leonard and much better suited for him, the showrunners might have given their relationship a disappointing arc to convince the audience that Penny was the better match for Leonard.

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Who is Priya Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory?

Priya Koothrappal is one of Mr and Mrs Koothrappali's 6 children, an intelligent lawyer working for one of the biggest car companies in India. She is introduced into The Big Bang Theory group in Season 4 Episode 6 when she's passing through California. Priya and Leonard end up spending the night with each other, much to Raj's dismay. Although Leonard expresses his desire to follow Priya to India, she refuses his offer, calling their relationship not that serious.

It isn't until the sixteenth episode of the fourth season that Priya returns to California, on a much longer assignment, and resumes her relationship with Leonard. Priya and Leonard date for the entirety of the fourth season of The Big Bang Theory until the fifth season reveals that Priya has returned to India. Even though Priya and Leonard try to make things work long distance, it doesn't take longer than the seventh episode of the fifth season for them to break up.

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Why did Leonard and Priya break up?

The Big Bang Theory Season 5 Episode 7 cites Priya cheating on Leonard with her ex-boyfriend as the reason behind their breakup. Earlier in this episode, Leonard meets a woman named Alice at Stuart's comic book store, and there is a spark between them. Leonard exchanges comic memorabilia with Alice and starts making out with her. Feeling extremely guilty about kissing someone, Leonard calls Priya and confesses. Much to Leonard's suspicion, Priya forgives him almost instantly. On probing her for further information, she confesses to having slept with her ex. Leonard confronts her, saying that her actions are much worse, even though he cheated on her as well.

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In the following episodes of The Big Bang Theory, Leonard declares himself single and gets back together with Penny later.

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Why was Priya written off in The Big Bang Theory?

The sudden exit of Priya from the show led to a deeper exploration of the relationship. Even though Priya appears to be Leonard's equivalent, intellectually, Leonard and Priya do not end up together, and she's written off the script.

Throughout Leonard and Priya's relationship, it appears as if dating him is an act of rebellion, as she seems to like almost nothing about him. Priya is seen changing every aspect of Leonard that she doesn't like. From contact lenses to his clothing, she's dominating every aspect of Leonard's appearance.

Even though Leonard is a kind and loyal man with a fulfilling job, Priya appears to be embarrassed by him. She avoids telling her parents about him, saying that they are traditional and will not accept a white boy as their son-in-law. Even though Priya has no qualms about dominating every aspect of Leonard's life, the relationship is still not serious enough for her. This is observed when Bernadette questions whether Priya planned to get engaged to Leonard. Priya denies it, saying that their relationship is not at that point yet.

It was obvious to many viewers that Leonard and Priya would not end up together so that he could get back with Penny. Even with such an assumption, it makes it curious for a relationship to get a season-long arc just for it to fizzle out over a call. Arti Mann's character, Priya, was portrayed as dominant and an antagonist to the existing structure of the group, even while she was dating Leonard. Mann revealed later that she was specifically told by the showrunner Chuck Lorre to not be funny, to constantly "reel it back in".

It seems Priya's character was designed for the audience not to like. Despite the fact that Priya would be a much better-suited intellectual equivalent for Leonard, she is explicitly written as an unlikable character with a disappointing arc. Nevertheless, Mann did not reprise her role of Priya, and the big ship of the series, Leonard and Penny, ended up getting engaged and married to each other by the 9th season.

Aarti Mann's character and her disappointing arc might have been an attempt by the showrunners to portray how a partner of similar intellect, someone unlike Penny, is not the most suited partner for Leonard. It seems the writers of The Big Bang Theory wrote off Aarti Mann's character, Priya Koothrappali, so they could give the audience what they ultimately wanted: Leonard and Penny getting back together. The creators of the show might have used Aarti Mann's character to convince the audience that Penny was the perfect partner for Leonard.