It’s hard to say with a straight face that Johnny Galecki can carry any show all by himself since he’s almost always been a supporting character or at least has had a good supporting cast at his side and has been seen to be one of the more important characters that couldn’t do it all on his own if he had to since his character has enough flaws and quirks that people might grow tired of him. Thinking that he could carry something is kind of rough since honestly he just doesn’t seem like the type and overall he’s a great support, but not the lead in any way. Yes, Leonard was a great character in The Big Bang Theory, and he did have a lot of character and a lot of pull, but he wasn’t the whole show. In fact, Bait and Tackle doesn’t even seem like it’s painting him as the whole show, which is a good idea really since that seems like it would be a huge mistake. At this point it sounds like another show where a group of friends stick together for a reason that a lot of people just can’t figure out that easily, meaning it might not be as different from TBBT as some might think. Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter has more to say on this matter.
To say that he’s not a capable individual at all would be highly unfair since he’s been one of the favorite characters on TBBT for quite some time and he was even a likable character on the Roseanne show when it was still in its most popular form. But thinking that he could take on a show all on his own and make it work without any help is kind of ambitious, enough so that it would likely end up tanking after a while if not for a miracle. The reason behind saying this is that from an acting standpoint Galecki is a well-known commodity, but he’s just not forceful enough or even big enough, shocking I know, to really headline his own show. When given a great cast to work around however the guy can work magic and has done so in the past in a big way. Since being a child actor and even now he’s shown a great spark that has been able to flourish when he’s around the right people, meaning those that can and have allowed him to really explore his characters and come up big in roles that are basically just perfect for him. But when he’s left on his own he’s still memorable, but not quite the same since he seems lost in limbo in a big way. The best example I can think of at this moment is Max from I Know What You Did Last Summer. The character wasn’t a part of the main group, he was an outsider that had a huge chip on his shoulder, and his death wasn’t really that lamented since as a character that wasn’t really attached to anyone he was kind of weak.
But as Leonard he was part of the core group of TBBT and as result he was a beloved character that a lot of people were invested. When it comes to this new show, Bait and Tackle, the first thing to be done is to insure that people are going to like the show, since Galecki will no doubt feed off the cast that’s around him yet again as is his strong suit. Expecting Galecki to be the one driving force behind any project that makes it go is easy when you’re talking about behind the scenes, but if you’re talking about him being the main lead, the one actor that the show revolves around, it’s still a bit difficult to say that yes, he can do it. A lot of people have been far more comfortable with him being a co-lead, as this allows him to fall back on his costars a bit more often and depend on their shared fame so as to keep things moving. There are bound to be plenty of arguments as to why he could possibly be a leading character, but one that seems intent on denying a good number of them is that if he would have ever had a moment to be a leading character it would have come some time ago. That time has passed at this point and allowing him to settle into a role that needs others around him to pull their own weight isn’t such a bad thing, as it keeps him in a popular position and also allows him a margin of error that some leads simply don’t have. If anything, keeping him as a co-lead in any show seems to be a safe way to keep him relevant and well-respected by audiences.Johnny Galecki
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