Bazing-ahhh! After 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory is coming to an end next year.
Update (August 23): Turns out the decision to end The Big Bang Theory came down to one person: Jim Parsons. According to Deadline, Parsons told creator Chuck Lorre late last week that he wouldn’t be returning for a thirteenth season. Attempts were made to change Parsons’ mind, but to no avail. It was then that Lorre decided the show would not continue without the star. Lorre and Parsons told the rest of the cast together. The latter started the speech, tearfully telling everyone he was not going to continue, and Lorre followed up by saying the show would be coming to an end.
Original story (August 22): On Thursday morning, Parsons wrote a big goodbye on Instagram. Check out the post below (and swipe through his posts to read the full thing):
CBS announced today that the 2018-2019 television season will be the last hurrah for its long-running comedy. The Big Bang Theory, which follows the lives and loves of several irredeemably geeky California scientists, has dominated ratings for years and received multiple Emmy nominations and awards over the course of its run.
A joint statement released by Warner Bros. Television, CBS, and Chuck Lorre Productions marks the emotional decision.
“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons,” the statement reads. “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.”
Though The Big Bang Theory‘s role in normalizing nerd culture might be somewhat exaggerated, there is no question that the series has made an indelible impact on popular culture. Jim Parsons’ idiosyncratic Dr. Sheldon Cooper has become a television icon, and the character’s spinoff series Young Sheldon will continue to air on CBS.
It will certainly be bittersweet for fans of The Big Bang Theory to say goodbye to the staple comedy, but the final season is sure to offer more heartwarming milestones for the nerdy crew. After Sheldon and Amy’s blockbuster wedding in the finale of last season, the sky (or perhaps we should say, the stratosphere) is the limit for one final geeky hurrah.
The Big Bang Theory season 12 premieres on Monday, Sept. 24 at 8:00 p.m. on CBS, and will shift back to Thursdays for the remainder of its run on Sept. 27.