The Big Bang Theory made its debut in the fall of 2007. Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the show thrived for 12 seasons, airing 279 episodes. The last episode came in mid-May of 2019. As expected, fans are already talking about a possible reboot or reunion. However, that doesn't seem to be in the cards, at least for the near future given that the show's ending is still relatively fresh.
In the following, we're going to take a look back at how the show came to an end from a behind the scenes standpoint. It was an unexpected decision as most of the cast anticipated a 13th season. However, once Jim Parsons made the call to make season 12 his last, it ended the entire show as things just couldn't continue on without the actor.
In the following, we'll take a look at how Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki reacted to the announcement, and why Jim Parsons didn't brief his cast prior.
Kaley Cuoco Was Stunned By Jim Parsons' Decision To Leave The Big Bang Theory During Season 12
The decision to leave the show was one Jim Parsons' cast members understood. Co-star Johnny Galecki would admit that his performance would have declined had they continued the sitcom without Sheldon. However, what was problematic to some of the cast was the way Jim Parsons exited the show. It was done at the start of season 12, and the cast had not been informed prior on the way he was feeling.
Instead, a meeting was held with the entire cast and showrunners, to which Parsons would announce his exit and one that meant the end of the series. Cuoco recalled the shock from that moment
"The shock of Oh my god, what is next? was scary," Kaley Cuoco said. "I mean, we cried for hours that day."
"We thought we were going to do another year, so all of the sudden your life kind of flashes before your eyes. ... I couldn't breathe. It just felt like a death, but also a new horizon for everybody as well."
Cuoco admitted to crying for a lot of the season, and she also contemplated skipping out of the taping the following day, given how blindsided she was by the announcement.
Johnny Galecki Was Upset That Jim Parsons Didn't Warn Any Of The Castmates Prior To Making His Departure Announcement
Given that the cast had been together for over a decade, Johnny Galecki expected the situation to be handled a little differently behind the scenes. Johnny expected his co-star to issue a certain warning prior, but that never came.
Galecki got candid with how he felt about the ordeal and the way it was handled. "I was shocked. We were just blindsided that day. And not necessarily shocked by Jim's decision, but that he hadn't had that conversation with his castmates first to prepare us," Galecki said.
"So yes, it could have been handled better. We're a family; have a conversation."
Galecki would also speak out about how hard it was to see Kaley Cuoco broken over the decision. Ultimately, Johnny decided to keep his composure and hugged Jim Parsons following the announcement. The show ended up coming to an end during season 12, and Galecki himself wasn't against the idea, understanding that it was time. He just wishes things would've been handled differently.
Jim Parsons Didn't Like How His Castmates Felt, But Had His Reason For Departing The Way He Did
Jim Parsons wasn't in the best place during his Big Bang exit either. According to Jim, his pet was very ill at the time and the mood was a somber one in his personal life.
Ultimately, Parsons felt as though it was best to change things up, and finally leave the sitcom. He did think about the show possibly asking him for limited appearances in a possible season 13, and this was an idea he very much wasn't into. Jim also worried what would happen to Amy's character played by Mayim Bialik had the sitcom continued, but that was a none issue in the end as the show wrapped up.
As for Parsons and the way he handled things, the actor simply claims he went about it the way he did, given that the cast really never had group meetings behind the scenes. He was just going in accordance to the norms backstage.
"It's never nice to hear that you've done anything that's even accidentally made somebody angry or feel bad. But I was doing what I had to do, and that was the best way for me to handle it. To be honest, we weren't the kind of group that I felt needed to have a group meeting in that way."
