Why Kunal Nayyar Played A Gritty Killer For Netflix As First Role After The Big Bang Theory's Raj

kunal nayyar criminal UK netflix

For twelve seasons, millions upon millions of The Big Bang Theory fans watched and cheered on Kunal Nayyar in his first (and extremely lucrative) major TV role. Taking into account the show's repeat-friendly syndication success, it's safe to say that the most hardcore viewers have watched roughly 2.3 gazillion minutes (a most scientific number) of Raj Koothrappali's journey from youthful bachelor to...slightly older bachelor. In any case, Nayyar opted to portray the polar opposite of Raj for his first TV follow-up role in Netflix's crime drama Criminal: UK.

With a Season 2 cast that also boasts Game of Thrones vet Kit Harington and Death on the Nile's Sophie Okonedo, Criminal: UK is a unique series in that it is mostly held to a single location, and focuses heavily on dialogue-driven performances through investigative interviews. While the setting does seem ideal for a multi-camera talk show, Kunal Nayyar is not going for laughs in playing a ruthless and emotionally bereft murderer named Sandeep Singh. In fact, he talked to Metro about taking the killer role as a way to distance himself from his instantly recognizable Big Bang Theory character. In his words:

Physically, I’m so recognizable from my voice, I’m so recognizable from my face… it was important to do something that completely breaks the barrier. I still have some mannerisms of Raj. Just as I have some mannerisms of this character, but I wanted to make sure that whatever I did next was like, 'Wait, who is this? Oh My God. Is that the guy from The Big Bang?!,' as opposed to 'Oh there’s Raj, playing a killer.' I hope if there’s anything that can be taken away from this is that that’s what I would have achieved – that the first instance is 'Wow, they’re so different!'

As cool as it would have been if Raj rocked out with a full mustache-and-beard set-up at any point during The Big Bang Theory's run, the character was much more comfortable keeping his face as soft and smooth as his comfiest jackets. It probably also helps that Big Bang didn't inspire any decade-long fan theories about Raj being a serial killer in secret, unless I was just reading the wrong Reddit threads.

Interestingly enough, while the role wasn't written specifically for Kunal Nayyar, it apparently wasn't too difficult a gig to land. Nayyar explained that he was in contact with Criminal: UK's casting director for a different project, and she happened to mention the killer role being available. That inspired the actor to go home and watch the first season, which co-starred Doctor Who fave David Tennant, and Nayyar said he quickly started emailing the casting director after he finished watching it, showing how interested he was.

Check out Kunal Nayyar in action, so to speak, in the Criminal: UK trailer below.

Fans theoretically won't have to wait too long before seeing Kunal Nayyar in another role on the small screen, this time as a series regular for Apple TV+'s crime drama Suspicion, with Uma Thurman as its lead. Production on that show was halted back in March due to the pandemic, but here's hoping it's back up and running soon if it isn't already.

Criminal: UK Season 2 debuts on Netflix on Thursday, September 16, at 3:01 a.m. ET. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the show and Kanal Nayyar's career – as well as everyone else form The Big Bang Theory cast – and head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.