So what do other people involved with “The Big Bang Theory” think about Sheldon’s non-diagnosis? Former Warner Bros. executive Peter Roth, who was heavily involved with the series, weighed in and told Jessica Radloff that he definitely believes Sheldon is on the spectrum. “Sheldon was definitely on the spectrum, there’s no question about it,” Roth said. “And Steve Molaro wrote Sheldon with a wisdom and an insight and a compassion that really defined the character.”
Roth also shared something personal that explains his connection to Sheldon Cooper. “My wife and I have an autistic daughter, and while Sheldon is very different from her, I’ve certainly found myself drawn to him, rooting for him, and loving him,” Roth revealed. “The special needs of the character is something that enabled me to relate and, or more importantly, to root for.” Not only that, but Roth pointed to one of the best relationships on the entire show to prove Sheldon’s neurodivergence: “It’s one of the reasons I was always so touched by Sheldon and Penny’s relationship. As annoying as Sheldon was, Penny accepted him and loved him.”
“I remember thinking that it was cool that we had a character who was clearly on the spectrum,” former executive vice president of comedy development Wendi Trilling told Radloff. “We weren’t saying it, but we were kind of celebrating it and him, and making it okay to be different.”
“I can’t tell you how many times a parent would bring their son or daughter to set and say, ‘I’d love for you to meet him,’ followed by, almost as a warning, ‘He’s a lot like Sheldon.’ I would always say, ‘Yeah, we get it! It’s fine, really. We understand,'” Bill Prady said in the book.
Still, he, like Lorre, wants it to remain undefined. “There was never a conscious decision, as far as I’m aware, to not say what Sheldon’s diagnosis is,” he continued. “It’s clear that he’s not neurotypical. I think there’s a certain responsibility when you say, ‘This is this kind of diagnosis.'”
“We preferred that Sheldon was simply Sheldon,” Prady said, which does, at the end of the day, make sense; Sheldon is entirely himself and, while he’s clearly not neurotypical, he makes people feel seen. “There were some things about him that would seem spectrum-y, but you would discover, in fact, a real and logical reason and warrant, and then some things that were not.”
“The Big Bang Theory” is streaming on HBO Max now.