Mayim Bialik Is More Similar To Amy Farrah Fowler Than It Seems

Mayim Bialik joined "The Big Bang Theory" for a hilariously practical reason, though whether she knew it or not, that act was very much in-character for Amy Farrah Fowler. Knowing what she's been up to in real life, we can't help but wonder if that similarity is just a coincidence. Cast as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in 2010, she was not only Sheldon's intellectual match, but also someone who could fact-check the show's science jokes. Bialik was the only member of "The Big Bang Theory" cast to actually have the academic background to substantiate Amy's supposed genius.

Bialik had her big break as a teenager on the NBC sitcom "Blossom" from 1991 to 1995. She then decided to step away from acting for 12 years to earn a degree after her Persian-Jewish tutor on the set of "Blossom" inspired her to view the pursuit of science differently. "This was the first time that I had heard a person, and a woman yet, talk about science as if it were poetry," she told Steve Levitt on the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast in 2020. "I was nerdy and started crying when I realized how beautiful the universe is."

That passion led her to UCLA, where she earned a B.S. in neuroscience. She continued into the university's doctoral program and completed her PhD in said field by 2007. Boston University later recognized that record as well, awarding her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at its commencement on May 18, 2014. That means that among "The Big Bang Theory" cast Bialik got the farthest in school.

Mayim Bialik's dissertation tackled "hypothalamic regulation and maladaptive obsessive-compulsive affiliative, and satiety behaviors" in Prader-Willi syndrome. "The Big Bang Theory" actually built the character around that expertise. In a 2012 appearance on the "Conan O'Brien" talk show, she claimed that she'd listed her PhD on her audition credentials. The writers then made Amy a neurobiologist precisely so she could correct any science they fumbled. On top of that, Amy playing the harp wasn't camera trickery either. Bialik is a pianist, bassist, and trumpeter in real life, so learning the harp came naturally enough.

Now it's not clear if the writers did this on purpose, but Bialik's real research focused on the very same phenomenon that Amy was working on in the show. The character specialized in addiction across primates, and Bialik's own work on why brains get trapped in compulsive behavior explored similar ideas. But whereas Amy had no compunctions about experimenting on animals and getting a monkey hooked on cigarettes, Bialik is vegan in real life, which is why she chose to study PWS. "There are not many neuroscience departments that do not involve working with animals," she told Levitt on the 2020 podcast.

"The Big Bang Theory" always treated Amy Farrah Fowler like she was too smart for the room — even a room occupied by Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter — and that was yet another running gag the writers happily milked for nine seasons. It turns out the woman playing her actually was.