Despite the fact that all of the central male characters on “The Big Bang Theory” – a CBS sitcom that ran for an impressive 12 seasons – seemed to be entirely hopeless in matters of romance, by the sitcom’s end, three of the four were married men. One couple even had kids before the show concluded — though their children almost never appeared on screen.
Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) was introduced as a wannabe womanizer when “The Big Bang Theory” started, though his attempts at flirting often fell flat or came off as downright creepy. In Season 3, however, Howard was introduced to Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) when Penny (Kaley Cuoco) set them up on a date. After a rocky start to the evening, the two finally found common ground when they realized they had both spent their lives plagued by overbearing mothers. The pair entered a relationship and eventually got married, the result of which made them the first couple among the series’ main characters to have children.
Howard and Bernadette’s first child, Halley, was born in one of the show’s best episodes, Season 10’s “The Birthday Synchronicity.” Season 11’s “The Neonatal Nomenclature” then saw the arrival of their second child, Neil Michael, a name the show’s creative team settled on after some debate. However, neither baby was ever seen on screen until “The Big Bang Theory” series finale, “The Stockholm Syndrome.”
Why Halley and Neil Michael never appeared as babies on The Big Bang Theory
“The Big Bang Theory” showrunner Steve Molaro told TVLine the creative reasoning behind keeping Halley off-screen upon her arrival. Molaro explained, “She is a loving tribute to her grandmother — this is a nice way for us to keep [Mrs. Wolowitz] alive.”
Halley’s grandmother and Howard’s mother, played by Carol Ann Susi, was never seen and was only ever heard, typically shouting at Howard in her harsh, rasping voice. When Susi passed away in 2014, the writers had Mrs. Wolowitz pass as well. Later, after Halley was born, she was identified by her distinctive grating cry, which sounded strikingly similar to her late grandmother’s voice.
An additional factor to this decision, Molaro pointed out, was that keeping Halley off screen meant “we don’t have to have a baby on the set, so it solved lots of problems.” This was a consideration that was further highlighted by executive producer Steve Holland in an interview with Entertainment Tonight when Howard and Bernadette had their second child. Holland revealed he was “not a fan of actually having babies on set,” explaining that “it makes me feel terrible for them, so I’m not super excited to have someone haul their newborn twins and shove them in front of a camera.”
But it proved impossible to keep the Wolowitz children off camera forever. Halley and Neil Michael finally appeared, played by Sailah Nicol and Nate Ash, for a brief scene in the finale to “The Big Bang Theory.”