Sheldon and Amy will finally tie the knot in the Season 11 finale, and with their matrimony will come some changes to The Big Bang Theory. As many would expect, Amy and Sheldon's marriage will continue to be a storyline going forward in the show which means more figures from Amy's life will be worked into the series. Showrunner Steve Holland revealed this means Amy's parents (played by Kathy Bates and Raymond Teller) are going to be around more often:
Now that he's married, Sheldon's in-laws are definitely going to be a part of his story moving forward.
Sheldon Cooper may have taken some bold steps forward in life during The Big Bang Theory's past few seasons, but he's still a creature of habit. Amy's parents, however normal or odd they may be, are definitely going to be of some annoyance to Sheldon. Of course, that's only fair, considering Sheldon Cooper is annoying to most other characters on the show. Regardless of how Sheldon gets along with his in-laws, fans of The Big Bang Theory will undoubtedly enjoy seeing two high-profile guest stars on the series to add to the laughs in the series come Season 12.
Some fans might be scratching their heads reading this news, however, and wondering when Kathy Bates snuck into the role of Amy's mom. The Big Bang Theory had shown Amy's mother in a short scene way back in Season 4, and in that episode, she was played by actress Annie O'Donnell. Steve Holland told TVLine that while they enjoyed O'Donnell's performance, when discussions of introducing another recurring actress to the series were on the table, series creator Chuck Lorre knew just who to call:
When we met Amy's mother in Season 4 [as played by actress Annie O'Donnell], it was before Amy had become such a big part of the show. It was a one-off [scene] on Skype. [Annie] did a wonderful job. But when we had the chance to bring [the character] back in a role that could possibly recur [we decided to make a change]. And [series co-creator Chuck Lorre] had a relationship with Kathy Bates after they worked together [on Netflix's Disjointed] and, well, how do you say no to bringing Kathy Bates on?
Indeed, it is hard to turn down Kathy Bates. The Big Bang Theory casting means Bates will now join the third Chuck Lorre series of her career, and likely bring that same humor she's displayed in past performances. Unfortunately, Steve Holland gave no clues as to how often Bates or Raymond Teller will appear in future episodes of The Big Bang Theory, so fans will just have to watch the two in the season finale and wait for the new season.
The Big Bang Theory will say goodbye to Season 11 on Thursday, May 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. For a look at what shows will be airing while fans wait for Season 12, visit our summer premiere guide.
