Mayim Bialik Reveals Which ‘Big Bang Theory’ Costars She’s Closest to Today (Exclusive)

Mayim Bialik says she’s closest to John Ross Bowie, Kevin Sussman and Melissa Rauch as she reprises Amy in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

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Warning: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe spoilers ahead!

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Mayim Bialik reprises her role as Amy Farah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Bialik shares her close connections with former costars Kevin Sussman, John Ross Bowie and Melissa Rauch

The actress highlights the show’s impact on representing female scientists and “geek culture” in mainstream media

Mayim Bialik may have said goodbye to Amy Farah Fowler more than once, but she’s still finding new ways to return to the world of The Big Bang Theory.

The 50-year-old actress, who played the beloved neuroscientist on the hit CBS sitcom for nearly a decade, is reprising the character in the new spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. And while the series takes the Big Bang Theory universe in a decidedly different direction, Bialik says one thing remains very familiar: the people.

“I guess I’m closest with John Ross Bowie,” Bialik tells PEOPLE, referring to her former Big Bang Theory costar, who returns as Barry Kripke in the new series.

She also counts Kevin Sussman, who reprises his role as Stuart Bloom, among her closest connections.

Bialik adds, “I have such respect for Kevin Sussman and the work that we got to do together and just watching how he takes direction and how he so effortlessly has stepped into the role of leading man.”

“I worked with Lauren [Lapkus] and Brian [Posehn]’s been on our podcast, so I have other connections,” she continues. “But in terms of the emotional connection, I like being able to reach out to John and to Kevin and to be able to say, ‘I do not have any memory in my career of being this excited for another actor.’”

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Bialik also remains close with Melissa Rauch, who played Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. The actresses recently reunited while filming their respective appearances in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

“I’m very close with Melissa Rauch,” Bialik says. “So she and I talked the most about scheduling and things like that.”

The two were even able to see each other in person while filming the new Big Bang spinoff.

“We were actually able to physically connect on set, me and Melissa,” Bialik says. “I can’t remember if she was there for a wardrobe fitting and it was my filming day. I don’t remember, but that was really, really special.”

Rauch, 46, recently appeared as a guest star in Episode 3, “Spoiler: Bert Is Magic,” stepping into a very different role from the Bernadette fans know. In the episode, she plays a powerful sorceress and secret demon who tricks Stuart into helping her grow to giant proportions and terrorize Pasadena — all without Simon Helberg’s Howard Wolowitz in sight.

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Their friendship is a fitting continuation of the bond between Amy and Bernadette, whose friendship became an important part of The Big Bang Theory as the series went on. Both characters were scientists, but they had wildly different personalities, styles and approaches to life.

For Bialik, that was part of what made their presence on the show so meaningful.

“Bernadette, the character of Bernadette, was a microbiologist on The Big Bang Theory,” Bialik says. “We were two women in science, both with very different personalities, very different aesthetics.”

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She continues, “And we both represented as equally competent, fun, interesting people. I think that’s actually the truth about a lot of people in science, and in particular, a lot of women in science.”

Bialik also says The Big Bang Theory helped audiences see “nerds and geeks in a different kind of light,” while also giving female scientists a place in the center of a mainstream sitcom.

“I don’t know if I’m necessarily a proponent of ‘geek chic,’ but I definitely think that there’s something to the attention that our show brought, and in particular to female scientists.”

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That excitement extends to the new series itself, which Bialik says gave her an opportunity to reunite with familiar faces while doing something completely different.

“I would’ve been happy to come back as any iteration of anything,” she explains. “Just to get to be part of the Chuck Lorre universe and also to do this with Kevin and John and with Lauren and Brian, so I would’ve been happy literally to do anything.”

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe drops new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.

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