The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular comedy series of all time. This is mainly due to the endearing nerds who have chatted their way into the hearts of fans over 12 seasons. Among them is Howard Wolowitz, played by Simon Helberg. However, even before the series, he was able to try out almost the same role in another sitcom.
Which series is it? Not only The Big Bang Theory was a popular sitcom that was further developed with spin-offs. Friends is, although the series ended in May 2004, one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. But fans didn’t have to say goodbye to one character for long.
In September 2004, Joey premiered. The spin-off focused on the character Joey Tribbiani, played by Matt LeBlanc. In the series, Joey travels to Hollywood to pursue his acting career.
Nowadays, the series is hardly known. It was canceled after the second season due to poor viewership numbers. However, an interesting supporting character in the series is Seth Tobin, played by Simon Helberg. And this character has quite a few parallels with another character of Helberg: Howard Wolowitz.
Different name, almost the same character
Who is Seth Tobin? Seth Tobin is just a minor character in the Joey series. He appears in only 4 out of 46 episodes and seems like a prototype of Howard Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory. Seth is the colleague and rival of Michael, Joey’s nephew. Seth works at Caltech and is a space engineer. He always comes across as quite self-assured, and in his first appearance, he wears a Space Invaders shirt.
However, the parallels with Wolowitz do not end there. He lives with his grandmother and has trouble with women, although this is not as overbearing as Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory. In the first episode, he also talks about a robot woman, and he is a big Star Trek fan (via YouTube). His arrogant acting can also be recognized in The Big Bang Theory, especially in the first seasons.
Where are the differences? The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons and Howard is a main character in the series, allowing for significant development. Especially his relationships with women have changed. Seth also comes across as significantly more arrogant than Howard and has traits that one would more likely attribute to Sheldon.
Also, Howard’s quirky outfits cannot be recognized in Seth. Without character development, Seth is a clichéd image of a tech nerd. He lacks the substance that a main character has.
The discussions about robot women are not as far-fetched as one might think. Once, The Big Bang Theory was also supposed to look different, and an important character was originally supposed to be a robot, but it was decided against it: The Big Bang Theory: Before the series started, an important character was supposed to be a robot
