Summary
- The decision to end The Big Bang Theory after twelve seasons left some cast members unhappy, with Simon Helberg feeling blindsided and upset about how Jim Parsons' departure was handled.
- Co-creator Chuck Lorre believed that continuing the show without the whole ensemble wouldn't feel right, and he had seen other shows fail when taking a character out of their realm.
- Johnny Galecki was angry that Parsons didn't have a conversation with the castmates about his departure first, and both Galecki and Kaley Cuoco almost walked off a taping due to their dissatisfaction with how the situation was managed.
The Big Bang Theory is still one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. The showrunners were ready to keep on making more seasons, which is why fans were shocked to learn that TBBT was coming to an end after only twelve seasons.
Although the series’ heartfelt finale, for which over 18 million people tuned in, not everyone in the cast was happy with the decision to end TBTT after twelve seasons. In fact, Simon Helberg and Johnny Galecki had extremely different reactions to Parsons’ exit from The Big Bang Theory.
The Cast Of The Big Bang Theory Was Shocked By Jim Parsons' News To Exit The Show
After a successful twelve-year run, it was announced that The Big Bang Theory was finally coming to an end. Before this announcement, the showrunners had plans to continue the series for at least two more seasons, but their plans were ruined when Jim Parsons announced he was leaving TBBT for good.
"I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of going on without the whole ensemble — and the whole ensemble is why we succeeded," the series’ co-creator, Chuck Lorre, told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "In pulling it apart and re-approaching it as a fraction of what it was just never felt right to me. I've seen other shows try and fail to take a character out of their realm and carry on."
After taking the decision to end TBBT after its twelfth season, Lorre is said to have dropped the news on a normal workday, with no previous warning. He called the cast to his office after a table read and had Parsons inform them of his departure from the show.
Then, the series’ co-creator announced that the show’s twelfth season would be its last. The cast members were, understandably, shocked by the news, especially because many had previously talked with Lorre about renewing their contracts for a 13th season.
Simon Helberg Supported Jim Parsons' Decision To Exit The Show
Initially, Simon Helberg felt blindsided by Jim Parsons's departure from The Big Bang Theory and the news of the show’s ultimate cancellation. "In terms of the actual, I guess what you could call the cancelation of the show, that occurred in [that] meeting, where we were informed by Chuck that the show was done. That's what I found to be the most upsetting," the actor told US Magazine at the time.
However, Helberg was more upset because Parsons was portrayed as the one who unilaterally decided to end the series. "Jim didn't cancel our show. Jim just finished the run of our show as we all did, contractually, and no one ever asked us to continue doing the show. That is not an exaggeration," Helberg further stated.
Ultimately, Helberg admitted that he felt like that was the right time to end the show. After the initial anger passed, he realized that it was time for him to move on from The Big Bang Theory. “I was ready to… get out of the security of the show to fully find out what was next for me," Helberg told TV Fanatic.
Helberg wasn’t the only one who thought this way. For instance, Kunal Nayyar admitted that he felt relieved when Parsons announced he was leaving TBBT. "I felt a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't mean this in a positive or a negative way. I mean this in an absolutely honest way, that something within me was released. At that moment, I said goodbye," the British actor told People.
Johnny Galecki Didn't Agree With Simon Helberg And Was Upset Over Jim Parsons' Exit
The entire cast of The Big Bang Theory was blindsided by Jim Parsons’ departure from the show and, even more, by the way the show was canceled so abruptly afterward. While some of the cast members, like Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, were able to find a positive outlook on the entire debacle, others were extremely upset with the news.
For instance, Johnny Galecki was angry with Parsons for not giving the cast any warning of his departure. "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,” the actor told People. “So yes, it could have been handled better. We're a family; have a conversation. And I don't even disagree with how Jim felt, because in many ways, I felt the same way. I just disagreed with how it was managed."
At the time, Galecki and Kaley Cuoco were so upset with the way Parsons’ departure was handled, that they even contemplated walking off a taping after hearing the news. In fact, it was revealed that both Cuoco and Galecki almost failed to come to work the following day.
But ultimately, they decided to remain professional instead. "They seemed to be able to be around each other and not just want to get into their cars and leave immediately afterwards." Steve Molaro told Digital Spy.
