F
FredLeonard
Guest
The official excuse is the writers' couldn't write for her character. That's total BS. Her episodes were very funny, among the best the show ever did. It's not only a lame excuse, it's an old one. It's the same one "The Andy Griffith Show" used for dropping Elinor Donahue after the first season (any guy in his right mind would take Ellie over Helen Crump).
So, what's the real reason? Was CBS afraid to feature her on a hit show after she "came out." The same thing happened to Sheila James (Zelda in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) but in her case she didn't "come out" until years later but the network was apparently worried any way. In fairness, maybe the producers thought Leslie would not be credible as a hot-to-trot brainiac ("come for the breasts; stay for the brains") when the actress playing her was an out of the closet lesbian.
Maybe they wanted to have Leonard finally end up with Penny, which meant Leslie, Raj's sister and Dr. Stephanie had to disappear but even so, Leslie was a much funnier foil for Sheldon than "Bawwy Kwipke."
And then, of course, there's always money. The four original cast members are holding out now. Did Gilbert want too much? Or did the producers want to make some cuts for the coming season and somebody was out?
Leslie is missed. Whatever the reason was, they should bring her back.
So, what's the real reason? Was CBS afraid to feature her on a hit show after she "came out." The same thing happened to Sheila James (Zelda in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) but in her case she didn't "come out" until years later but the network was apparently worried any way. In fairness, maybe the producers thought Leslie would not be credible as a hot-to-trot brainiac ("come for the breasts; stay for the brains") when the actress playing her was an out of the closet lesbian.
Maybe they wanted to have Leonard finally end up with Penny, which meant Leslie, Raj's sister and Dr. Stephanie had to disappear but even so, Leslie was a much funnier foil for Sheldon than "Bawwy Kwipke."
And then, of course, there's always money. The four original cast members are holding out now. Did Gilbert want too much? Or did the producers want to make some cuts for the coming season and somebody was out?
Leslie is missed. Whatever the reason was, they should bring her back.