"The Big Bang Theory" To End Run after 12 Seasons
by Nellie Andreeva
August 22, 2018


This is the end. Despite recent remarks by CBS that the network was exploring a 13th season of "The Big Bang Theory", the network, producing studio Warner Bros. TV and executive producer Chuck Lorre just announced that the top-rated comedy series will end its run in May 2019 with its upcoming 12th season.

"The Big Bang Theory" still will rank as the longest-running multi-camera series in television history, spanning 12 seasons and a record-breaking 279 episodes.




“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close,” WBTV, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a joint statement.

The final season will debut Monday, September 24 on CBS before moving to its regular time period on Thursday, September 27.

https://deadline.com/2018/08/the-big-bang-theory-end-run-12-seasons-final-season-cbs-1202450437/

Kaley Cuoco is "drowing in tears" over The Big Bang Theory ending (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmy2eBbFk6z/)
"This ride has been a dream come true and as life changing as it gets," she wrote on Instagram after Season 12 was confirmed (https://ew.com/tv/2018/08/22/big-bang-theory-end-final-season/) as the final season of her CBS sitcom. "No matter when it was going to end , my heart would have always been broken in two. Drowning in tears, we promise to bring you the best season yet. To the fans, our crew, families, Chuck Lorre, Warner Brothers , CBS, and everyone who has supported us for so many years, thank you. We are goin out with a bang."

Should've ended at season five.

It's about time that the show ended.

And there's also a reasoning behind all of this.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-big-bang-theory-ending-because-jim-parsons-was-ready-to-leave/ar-BBMiH5W?ocid=spartanntp

Report: Jim Parsons is responsible for The Big Bang Theory ending after 12 seasons (https://ew.com/tv/2018/08/22/the-big-bang-theory-ending-jim-parsons-ready-to-leave/)
CBS wanted to extend the hit sitcom for two more years, through Season 14, but Parsons "was ready to walk away," according to Entertainment Weekly. "With a reported salary near $1 million per episode, Parsons — along with his four original costars Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg — stood to make more than $50 million including profits if he agreed to stay on TBBT for two more years, which is what CBS was trying to negotiate," reports EW's Lynette Rice. "But Parsons was ready to say goodbye to the ensemble sitcom that made him a household name." As she points out, there is no Big Bang Theory without Dr. Sheldon Cooper. ALSO: Geeks are rejoicing over The Big Bang Theory news (https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/big-bang-theory-ending/).

Jim Parsons pens an emotional tribute to The Big Bang Theory cast, crew and fans (https://www.eonline.com/news/962590/jim-parsons-emotional-the-big-bang-theory-tribute-i-will-miss-all-of-you-more-than-i-can-say)
Parsons posted a lengthy statement (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm1ATQcgQHE/) to Instagram accompanied by a picture of the cast on Day 1 of filming the final season premiere. "It is hard (nearly impossible, actually) to really accept that this is a picture of the first of the final 24 episodes we will shoot for The Big Bang Theory. I feel very fortunate that we have another 23 episodes to shoot this season because I am hopeful that with each and every one, my level of REALLY accepting this fact will sink in," Parsons writes. "Something else I feel grateful for—and this gratitude needs no time to ‘sink in' or become more ‘realized;' this grateful-feeling is always with me but is multiplied in this moment of us announcing our final season—but I feel such intense gratitude for our devoted viewers who are the ACTUAL reason we have been graced with the opportunity to explore these characters for 12 years of our lives."

ALSO:

Read Mayim Bialik's long blog post: “Am I happy? Of course not...This is hard" (https://groknation.com/culture/mayim-bialik-big-bang-theory-ending/)
Co-creator Bill Prady and Kunal Nayyar react to ending after 12 seasons (https://tvline.com/2018/08/23/the-big-bang-theory-ending-final-season-12-kaley-cuoco-cast-reactions/)

"The Big Bang Theory" still will rank as the longest-running multi-camera series in television history, spanning 12 seasons and a record-breaking 279 episodes.



While I love The Big Bang Theory, it's definitely not a record-breaking multi-camera series, with only 279 episodes. Captain Video, which aired on DuMont in the 1940s and '50s, was multi-camera, and was estimated to have had 1,537 episodes produced between '49 and '55. Presumably, most soap operas are/were also multi-camera, too, and many had thousands of episodes.

And My Three Sons and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet have more episodes and, in the case of O&H, ran for more seasons. I can't imagine what record they think was broken.

Chuck Lorre decided The Big Bang Theory couldn't go on without Jim Parsons' Sheldon (https://deadline.com/2018/08/big-bang-theory-decision-jim-parsons-chuck-lorre-12-seasons-cbs-1202451333/)

It was Big Bang co-creator Lorre who ultimately made the decision to end the hit sitcom after 12 seasons. According to Deadline, Parsons told Lorre last Friday that Season 12 would be his final season, which led to an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to change his mind over the weekend. After Wednesday's table read for the Season 12 premiere, Lorre summoned the cast to his office and gave the floor to Parsons, who tearfully announced his decision, reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "With the entire room still reeling from the shock, I hear Lorre revealed that the series too would not go beyond Season 12," reports Andreeva. Entertainment Weekly previously reported that Parsons turned down (https://ew.com/tv/2018/08/22/the-big-bang-theory-ending-jim-parsons-ready-to-leave/) a two-year contract worth more than $50 million to stay because he was ready to move on. Andreeva adds that "Lorre made the decision not to continue with the show unless all key auspices were coming back. Parsons is one of the series’ 'big three,' along with Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco. Lorre had publicly said he would not do the series without any of the original three leads. Additionally, Parsons’ character on Big Bang, Sheldon Cooper, is at the center of the Big Bang prequel series Young Sheldon. I hear Parsons informed Lorre about his decision to leave after the end of the season on Friday, when I hear renewal talks with CBS were still ongoing. I hear there was an effort over the weekend to persuade him to change his mind, which was unsuccessful." This morning, Parsons paid tribute to the show's cast, crew and fans in a lengthy Instagram post.

ALSO:

10 things we need to see before the series finale (https://tvline.com/2018/08/23/big-bang-theory-ending-final-season-12-series-finale-spoilers/)
What's up with all the Big Bang hatred? The loudest critics seem to be the most protective of nerd culture (https://decider.com/2018/08/23/the-big-bang-theory-doesnt-deserve-hate/)
Thanks to Jim Parsons for "freeing America" from Big Bang's "waking nightmare" (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a22809256/why-big-bang-theory-ended-jim-parsons/)

Great, now there won't be ANY multi-camera sitcom in the U.S. that surpasses the 300-episode milestone. Once The Big Bang Theory finishes, I am done with the CBS network AND Warner Bros. TV. :mad: :(

It's about time this atrocity ended. I never saw what people saw in it anyway. It isn't funny, and it never was.

While I love The Big Bang Theory, it's definitely not a record-breaking multi-camera series, with only 279 episodes. Captain Video, which aired on DuMont in the 1940s and '50s, was multi-camera, and was estimated to have had 1,537 episodes produced between '49 and '55. Presumably, most soap operas are/were also multi-camera, too, and many had thousands of episodes.

And My Three Sons and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet have more episodes and, in the case of O&H, ran for more seasons. I can't imagine what record they think was broken.

My Three Sons is much better than Big Bang anyway. They were just holding on to Big Bang for the money, not anything else. I never watched it, and I'm proud of the fact I never did, because it's downright horrible. At least CBS will have the Murphy Brown reboot this fall.

It's about time this atrocity ended. I never saw what people saw in it anyway. It isn't funny, and it never was.

Even my mom thought the show wasn't funny according to what she saw.

Well, it had quite a run. I really can't think of a single other live-action sitcom right now that lasted for 12 seasons. I can think of some that has lasted 11 seasons, but not 12.

I don't mind the show too much from what I've seen of it (besides the annoying audience laughter). I've been meaning to watch more episodes.

And of course they couldn't continue the show without Sheldon. He's the show's most popular character!

I used to think the show wasn't funny until I saw how absurd Sheldon was in the early years. Sheldon was a great character before he discovered Amy and grew as a person.

Well, it had quite a run. I really can't think of a single other live-action sitcom right now that lasted for 12 seasons. I can think of some that has lasted 11 seasons, but not 12.

I don't mind the show too much from what I've seen of it (besides the annoying audience laughter). I've been meaning to watch more episodes.

And of course they couldn't continue the show without Sheldon. He's the show's most popular character!

My Three Sons ran 12 seasons. And The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ran 14 seasons! So those are two better shows than Big Bang Theory that ran just as long and longer.

Well, it had quite a run. I really can't think of a single other live-action sitcom right now that lasted for 12 seasons. I can think of some that has lasted 11 seasons, but not 12.

I don't mind the show too much from what I've seen of it (besides the annoying audience laughter). I've been meaning to watch more episodes.

And of course they couldn't continue the show without Sheldon. He's the show's most popular character!Ozzie and Harriet lasted 14 seasons. My Three Sons and Two and a Half Men also lasted 12 seasons.

Big Bang Theory Co-Creator Has No Idea How Series Finale Will End (https://screenrant.com/big-bang-theory-series-finale-ending-unknown/)

The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady gets candid about the upcoming end of the sitcom, admitting he doesn't know how they'll wrap it up.