The Big Bang Theory series finale was true to itself - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 05-17-2019, 08:38 PM

...: "It didn’t try to do too much or too little"

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/bi...rs-1202142241/

"The series finale of The Big Bang Theory was everything the show did well, and a bit of what it did poorly, wrapped into one hourlong package," says Ben Travers. "It didn’t try to do too much or too little. It didn’t buck expectations, shift formats, or try to set a new standard for series finales. It really wasn’t surprising or all that ambitious, but then again, neither was The Big Bang Theory. If anything, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s goodbye to normcore geek culture went out of its way to avoid changing much of anything, despite spending its first half learning to accept the inevitability of change as a universal constant...What The Big Bang Theory did best was make time for its characters to just be — to sit and talk and eat and speculate about impossible pop culture pairings or concoct ludicrous big-brained ideas. While not as sharp in its dialogue or performances as the mecca of friendship sitcoms, Friends, Big Bang treated its ending like one precious, yet not too precious, final hour to spend with the gang. And as other endgames go horrifically off-the-rails, this one felt refreshingly true to itself."

ALSO:

The Big Bang Theory series finale was satisfying with its many little grace notes
Early ratings show Big Bang finale racked up a huge audience
Showrunner Steve Holland says the episode "gave us all a lot of sleepless nights" because we wanted to "stick the landing"
Executive producer Steven Molaro says writers opted against "putting giant bows on everybody's storylines"
Co-creator Chuck Lorre had envisioned Big Bang's final scene before the show premiered
How that big-name surprise series finale cameo came together
Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki react to the series finale surprises
We never found out Penny's last name
How Young Sheldon was linked with The Big Bang Theory finale
Sheldon's finale speech was the one writers thought about the most and had the most time to work on
NASA, Mark Hamill, Danica McKellar join in congratulating Big Bang
Stephen Colbert asked the cast in post-finale Late Show: "Did anyone have sex in their dressing room?"
Big Bang cast assumed the series finale would be divisive
Big Bang Theory superfans waited 14 hours for one of the roughly 100 seats for the finale taping

Chocolate Moose · 05-19-2019, 05:46 PM

It was really good. I just felt bad that Raj ended up alone.

loaferman · 05-20-2019, 02:18 PM

It was about as good as they were going to do. I hate those forced finales where multiple characters suddenly move away, get married, have a baby, etc. all in one episode. This was really a 3 episode ending to me since they focused on Leonard in the previous week.

Some of them said they were prepared to do season 13 had Parsons not just felt the time was right to move on. Given how boring and dragged out Season 12 was to reach the last 3 episodes, I think Parsons was absolutely right. Short of a major (and successful) re-vamp this show was done. The finale was 2 episodes, but screen time fell way short of 60 minutes, which is why I think it was really 3 episodes that began a week before.

Duster76 · 05-22-2019, 09:24 PM

I thought it was a great final episode. The edited version of the pilot episode (which is the one run in syndication) is the best pilot episode I ever saw, so the series bookended nicely. Did anyone else pick up on the fact that the entire final episode could have been a dream sequence. Sheldon falls asleep while waiting for the Nobel call, so it is possible to reboot at a point in the future where none of the things that took place in that episode actually happened.

TSMIV · 05-22-2019, 10:17 PM

It was a great finale. When it was over, I wanted to watch season 1 again so I did. Usually, when a show has a bad (Seinfeld) or mediocre (Friends) finale, I have to take a break from it for a while.

RetroGuy2000 · 05-23-2019, 12:12 AM

It was pretty good. The last couple of seasons have been pretty lackluster, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Certainly not horrific, like the Game of Thrones ending.

loaferman · 05-24-2019, 01:34 PM

I wish there had been some type of callback to a hospital or doctor's office so Vernee Watson-Johnson could have been in both the first and last episodes. Every time they went to a doctor or hospital she was there.

70s show watcher · 09-01-2019, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocolate Moose

It was really good. I just felt bad that Raj ended up alone.

me too

Duster76 · 09-01-2019, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loaferman

I wish there had been some type of callback to a hospital or doctor's office so Vernee Watson-Johnson could have been in both the first and last episodes. Every time they went to a doctor or hospital she was there.

She also has appeared in Young Sheldon (again a hospital episode).

TMC · 09-04-2020, 05:00 AM

Does Sarah Michelle Gellar being in the series finale make no sense when you think about it too hardly? Why would she be at the Nobel Prize ceremony? And how is her being seated next to Raj any kind of resolution for his character? She's married. Were we supposed to think she was going to leave her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. for a random stranger with no social skills? I suppose that Raj presumably invited her after talking to her on the airplane.

05-17-2019, 08:38 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,709	The Big Bang Theory series finale was true to itself ...: "It didn’t try to do too much or too little" https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/bi...rs-1202142241/ "The series finale of The Big Bang Theory was everything the show did well, and a bit of what it did poorly, wrapped into one hourlong package," says Ben Travers. "It didn’t try to do too much or too little. It didn’t buck expectations, shift formats, or try to set a new standard for series finales. It really wasn’t surprising or all that ambitious, but then again, neither was The Big Bang Theory. If anything, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s goodbye to normcore geek culture went out of its way to avoid changing much of anything, despite spending its first half learning to accept the inevitability of change as a universal constant...What The Big Bang Theory did best was make time for its characters to just be — to sit and talk and eat and speculate about impossible pop culture pairings or concoct ludicrous big-brained ideas. While not as sharp in its dialogue or performances as the mecca of friendship sitcoms, Friends, Big Bang treated its ending like one precious, yet not too precious, final hour to spend with the gang. And as other endgames go horrifically off-the-rails, this one felt refreshingly true to itself." ALSO: The Big Bang Theory series finale was satisfying with its many little grace notes Early ratings show Big Bang finale racked up a huge audience Showrunner Steve Holland says the episode "gave us all a lot of sleepless nights" because we wanted to "stick the landing" Executive producer Steven Molaro says writers opted against "putting giant bows on everybody's storylines" Co-creator Chuck Lorre had envisioned Big Bang's final scene before the show premiered How that big-name surprise series finale cameo came together Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki react to the series finale surprises We never found out Penny's last name How Young Sheldon was linked with The Big Bang Theory finale Sheldon's finale speech was the one writers thought about the most and had the most time to work on NASA, Mark Hamill, Danica McKellar join in congratulating Big Bang Stephen Colbert asked the cast in post-finale Late Show: "Did anyone have sex in their dressing room?" Big Bang cast assumed the series finale would be divisive Big Bang Theory superfans waited 14 hours for one of the roughly 100 seats for the finale taping

05-19-2019, 05:46 PM	#2
Chocolate Moose Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 4,901	It was really good. I just felt bad that Raj ended up alone.
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05-23-2019, 12:12 AM	#6
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	It was pretty good. The last couple of seasons have been pretty lackluster, so I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly not horrific, like the Game of Thrones ending.
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05-20-2019, 02:18 PM	#3
loaferman Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 23, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 642	It was about as good as they were going to do. I hate those forced finales where multiple characters suddenly move away, get married, have a baby, etc. all in one episode. This was really a 3 episode ending to me since they focused on Leonard in the previous week. Some of them said they were prepared to do season 13 had Parsons not just felt the time was right to move on. Given how boring and dragged out Season 12 was to reach the last 3 episodes, I think Parsons was absolutely right. Short of a major (and successful) re-vamp this show was done. The finale was 2 episodes, but screen time fell way short of 60 minutes, which is why I think it was really 3 episodes that began a week before.

05-22-2019, 09:24 PM	#4
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,656	I thought it was a great final episode. The edited version of the pilot episode (which is the one run in syndication) is the best pilot episode I ever saw, so the series bookended nicely. Did anyone else pick up on the fact that the entire final episode could have been a dream sequence. Sheldon falls asleep while waiting for the Nobel call, so it is possible to reboot at a point in the future where none of the things that took place in that episode actually happened.

05-22-2019, 10:17 PM	#5
TSMIV Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 29, 2018 Location: Arkansas Posts: 696	It was a great finale. When it was over, I wanted to watch season 1 again so I did. Usually, when a show has a bad (Seinfeld) or mediocre (Friends) finale, I have to take a break from it for a while.

05-24-2019, 01:34 PM	#7
loaferman Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 23, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 642	I wish there had been some type of callback to a hospital or doctor's office so Vernee Watson-Johnson could have been in both the first and last episodes. Every time they went to a doctor or hospital she was there.

09-04-2020, 05:00 AM	#10
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,709	Does Sarah Michelle Gellar being in the series finale make no sense when you think about it too hardly? Why would she be at the Nobel Prize ceremony? And how is her being seated next to Raj any kind of resolution for his character? She's married. Were we supposed to think she was going to leave her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. for a random stranger with no social skills? I suppose that Raj presumably invited her after talking to her on the airplane.