Summary

• Raj had multiple girlfriends throughout The Big Bang Theory, but none of them resulted in a happily ever after for him.
• Raj's relationships often failed due to his clingy and obsessive behavior, and his inability to connect with women.
• Some of Raj's notable relationships include Missy Cooper, Bernadette, Penny, Emily Sweeney, and Claire, with each having their own unique dynamics and outcomes.

Which Raj girlfriend on The Big Bang Theory was most suited for Kunal Nayyar's astrophysicist is a difficult question, since he had surprisingly many despite being unable to talk to women at the start of the show. At the end of The Big Bang Theory's 12 seasons, all the couples had such promising futures. Amy and Sheldon had just won a Nobel Prize, Penny and Leonard were expecting, Bernadette and Howard were done creating their little family. Raj, however, was a different story, with the closest he got to a happily ever being when he invited Sarah Michelle Gellar as a date to the Nobel Prize ceremony.

Relationships have never been Raj's strong point, which is surprising. Out of all the male characters Raj is by far the most romantic and endearing — on the surface, at least. He's always loved love and yet his relationships all blew up in flames. Maybe Raj wasn't the catch so many viewers saw him to be. After all, he was extremely clingy, obsessive, and was a little bit too comfortable showing his dog physical affection. Despite this, Raj Koothrappali had many girlfriends throughout TBBT. Sadly, Raj never got his happily ever after by the end of The Big Bang Theory — despite having no shortage of chances.

14 Missy (Courtney Henggeler)

Raj's Unrequited Crush On Sheldon's Sister

While she wasn't technically one of the Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory characters, Sheldon's twin sister Missy Cooper was a mild love interest for the astrophysicist. Missy makes her first appearance on the show in season 1, episode 15, "The Porkchop Indeterminacy," and Sheldon seems to have no idea that each of his friends has fallen hard for her.

Raj ends up taking an experimental medication to help him get over his anxiety over talking to women. He finally gets a chance to ask out Missy, who calls him a "cutie-pie," but his medication begins to wear off and he leaves dejected.

It's interesting that The Big Bang Theory didn't pursue this potiential Raj relationship further, as Raj dating Sheldon's sister could have led to some incredibly funny moments. However, it's also for the best that they didn't, given how Missy undergoes much Young Sheldon.

13 Bernadette (Melissa Rauch)

Thankfully, Raj Never Dates Howard's Wife

While Raj's attraction to Missy could have led to some hilarious moments early on in The Big Bang Theory, the same can't be said when it comes to Bernadette. Out of all the potential Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory characters, Raj's crush on Bernadette was by far the weirdest. Raj spends the entirety of The Big Bang Theory season 4 with an unrequited crush on Bernadette. He had Bollywood-style song and dance fantasies, plenty of daydreams, and even wrote poems about his feelings for Bernadette.

She doesn't become one of Raj's girlfriends, and the entire arc culminates with Bernadette giving Raj a rather stern talking-to.

Of course, this is hugely awkward, as Bernadette was with his best friend Howard. Howard does find out about Raj's feelings, as does Bernadette. Thankfully, she doesn't become one of Raj's girlfriends, and the entire arc culminates with Bernadette giving Raj a rather stern talking-to.

Having Bernadette cheat on Howard or leave him for Raj would have likely been a terrible decision for The Big Bang Theory. It would have led to many moments which, at best, were too dark for the show. The other option would be Howard somehow forgiving Raj and Bernadette for the sake of continuity of the show, which simply wouldn't have seemed plausible.

12 Penny (Kaley Cuoco)

Raj And Penny Hooking Up Was A Big Bang Theory Fakeout

Another series regular who technically never becomes Raj's girlfriend in Big Bang Theory but still has a romantic link to him is Penny. Penny ends up having a one-night stand with Raj in the season 4 finale — sort of. It's no secret that all the guys, save for Sheldon, have something of a crush on Penny. Of course, she and Leonard end up being endgame, but there is a slight bump in the road when it appears she and Raj had a fling.

With Leonard dating Raj's sister Priya, neither Raj nor Penny seems to be all too happy with them, and a night of too much wine ends up seeing the pair romantically entangled. The guilt both feel becomes a plot-arc throughout much of The Big Bang Theory, and many were relieved when it emerged that — despite waking up together — they never actually did the deed.

Much like Bernadette, this is one plot arc that it's good The Big Bang Theory didn't pursue further, and mostly for the same reasons. While the period Penny thought she hooked up with Raj led to some hilarious moments, this doesn't mean they'd make a good couple. It also would have felt incredibly similar to the period of Friends where Rachel dated Joey, and a love triangle is a sitcom trope that The Big Bang Theory simply didn't need.

11 Elizabeth (Judy Greer)

Raj Allows Himself To Be Seduced

One of the funniest Big Bang Theory characters who could have made a good Raj girlfriend if they'd stayed on the show longer is Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton. Played by TV and film actress Judy Greer, Dr. Plimpton is Sheldon's personal guest as she's a cosmological physicist being considered for a position at the California Institute of Technology. Sheldon and Leonard are taken by her intellect, as she wrote a book both of them consider to be groundbreaking, but she also reveals herself to be a nymphomaniac.

She successfully seduces Leonard, and then tries to rope Howard and Raj into a four-way with them. Frightened, Raj creates an escape plan for Leonard and Howard, but then gives in to Dr. Plimpton's advances once they leave.

While Plimpton had no interest in a relationship with Raj, her appearance on the show and their few interactions were incredibly memorable. Judy Greer is, of course, a seasoned comic actor, and so Plimpton stole the show in almost every scene. Especially given that Raj had trouble speaking to women at the point she appeared on the show, having Raj and Plimpton date for a few episodes (or even seasons) would probably led to some incredibly entertaining moments.

10 Emily (Katie Leclerc)

The Girlfriend Who Used Raj For His Money

Raj was involved with two different Emilys throughout The Big Bang Theory. He dated this Emily in season 5 after being introduced by Penny. Emily and Penny met at the gym and what makes her so special to Raj is that she's deaf. Due to Raj's selective mutism at this time, dating someone who couldn't actually hear him helped him open up and relax. Sadly, Raj went too hard too early, and basically told her he loved her immediately.

It didn't take long to figure out that this Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory character was totally using Raj for his riches.

In the meantime, he also paid off her credit card bills, bought her jewelry, and even leased her a new car. It didn't take long to figure out that this one of Raj's girlfriends in the Big Bang Theory was more interest in Raj's money than she was Raj. To make matters worse, when Raj's dad cut him off financially, Emily seemed totally uninterested in Raj and the two broke it off (after being verbally attacked by Penny and Howard, of course).

This Emily was definitely an interesting character, and her appearance made for a memorable episode, but it's doubtful she would have had much longevity if she stuck around a little while longer. Aside from the obvious fact that using Raj for his money makes her incredibly unlikable, the way The Big Bang Theory handled her hearing difficulties led to some moments that definitely haven't aged well.

9 Lakshmi (Chriselle Almeida)

Raj's Arranged Marriage Was Problematic

Viewers met the Big Bang Theory Raj girlfriend Lakshmi in the fifth season after Raj's parents set them up on a blind date. Raj becomes excited about Lakshmi and the possibility of an arranged marriage because of her beauty and her connection with his family, but that comes to a halt when he finds out she was a lesbian and using him as a way to hide her sexuality from her family.

The only reason Lakshmi thought an arranged marriage with Raj would have worked is that she thought Raj was also gay. While that couldn't be farther from the truth, Raj was considering marrying her just to say he was married — even though there was no physical connection between them. All in all, it turned out to be one of the many TBBT Raj storylines that made no sense.

That's not to say that Lakshmi isn't an interesting character, either. It's just that her whole plot arc and the situation she met Raj in didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of The Big Bang Theory. They're also one of the moments in the show that hasn't aged particularly well, which is probably a sign that Lakshmi being a single-appearance character is for the best.

8 Lalita (Sarayu Blue)

Sheldon Caught The Eye Of Raj's First Arranged Date

The Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory character Lalita only saw one date with Raj, but it was one of the first dates audiences saw Raj on (and realized why he's been single for so long). The two grew up together and were set up on a blind date by their parents.

But thanks to Raj's mutism, he realized he would only have the courage to go on a date after a few sips of alcohol.

This led to Raj getting a little too tipsy on their date, which was a total turn-off for Lalita. These two could have been a charming couple if Raj's obnoxious behavior didn't get in the way. Both of their families knew each other, they grew up together, and they both found themselves in California. However, Lalita was one of the many TBBT Raj relationships that were cut short.

Like Lakshmi, Lalita is a character whose episode is a little awkward in retrospect. Also like Lakshmi, she was definitely an interesting person, but she just wasn't right for Raj. Since it also would have been incredibly strange for Sheldon to have started dating her given his aversion to romance prior to meeting Amy, it's difficult to envision how Lalita would have fit into The Big Bang Theory as a long-term presence.

7 Ruchi (Swati Kapila)

Raj's Short Fling With Bernadette's Professional Rival

If viewers thought the relationship between Raj and Ruchi felt forced, they'd be right. Ruchi was definitely one of the more awkward to watch of all of Raj's girlfriends, as like the first Emily who as only interested in his money, it was painfully obvious to viewers that Ruchi had alterior motives.Raj met Ruchi in the 11th season as she was the new girl in town.

With Bernadette on bed rest with her second baby, Ruchi took over for Bernadette in her absence. While Bernadette liked Ruchi at first, she soon realized she may be trying to take Bernadette's job from her. Meanwhile, Raj is too obsessed with Ruchi to realize that she's only interested in being his friend.

However, as viewer know, that led to the two of them sleeping together and starting a casual fling. When Raj tries to meddle in Ruchi's work with Bernadette, she becomes offended, promptly ending their short-lived relationship.

6 Lucy (Kate Micucci)

A Fan-Favorite Raj Koothrappali Girlfriend

The Raj and Lucy era was doomed from the start as both were far too insecure with themselves to ever work as a couple. However, out of every girlfriend Raj has in TBBT, Lucy was easily one that audiences enjoyed the most. The two met at the comic book store, but the Big Bang Theory Raj girlfriend escaped through the bathroom window on their first date.

As it turns out, she had a major social anxiety disorder and took it out on Raj. He tried many times to make it work with Lucy but either she kept escaping or he was trying to be someone he wasn't. If these two learned to trust and work with each other, they could have been in a very secure and loving relationship.

Lucy was arguably the most memorable of all of Raj's girlfriends. It's also not two difficult to envision a scenario where the two of them worked things out. Had The Big Bang Theory gone on longer or the final seasons gone a little differently, many viewers would have loved for Lucy to return and she and Raj settle down. While it unfortunately wasn't meant to be, few of the Raj girlfriend characters in The Big Bang Theory felt quite as suited to the genius astrophysicist.

5 Anu (Rati Gupta)

The Raj Relationship That Almost Became A Marriage

By the 12th season of The Big Bang Theory, Raj was tired of failing at love and looked to his father for help. He decided to partake in an arranged marriage with a woman named Anu who was also in California. Anu was a Raj girlfriend in The Big Bang Theory who had a ton of potential, and many thought that their courtship would go a lot further than it did.

The two actually got along very well, although Anu was more organized and assertive. Eventually, the lack of romance in their courtship got the best of Raj, and he wanted to try dating her for a while before rushing into marriage. The two made it work and were quite lovely together, but it wasn't love. Things fell apart when Anu moved to London and Raj stayed back in Pasadena.

Much like Lucy, Anu is a character that could easily have returned if The Big Bang Theory hadn't ended shortly after her departure. Anu seemed to balance out Raj in many ways. Much like Amy and Bernadette before her, it's highly likely that many TBBT fans would have welcomed the idea of Anu becoming a permanent fixture on the show.