Out With a Bang: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Airs its Final Season

“Big Bang Theory” fans will be disappointed to hear the long-running sitcom will not be returning after the premiere of its twelfth season.

The series, set in Pasadena, California, was originally focused on two physicists – Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) – and their aspiring actress neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco). First airing in 2007, “Big Bang Theory” has become one of the longest-running sitcoms in the United States. The show has accumulated a huge fan base on CBS, averaging over sixteen-million viewers in its previous eleven seasons.

The sitcom — created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady — has been nominated for over fifty Emmy Awards. Of the fifty nominations at the Emmys, the show has won ten times, with four of them earned by Parsons for “Best Actor in a Comedy.”

Speculation as to why the beloved show is coming to an end have been pointed towards Parsons, who did want to continue his character’s crucial role in the series, as he looks forward to embracing new projects in his career.

The show will, however, continue on through the spin off series “Young Sheldon,” which focuses on the events of Sheldon Cooper’s childhood in East Texas during the 1980s. The spinoff series builds upon sparsely mentioned references to his childhood throughout the “Big Bang Theory,” giving the audience a better picture as to why the iconic character is the way he is.

As far as the rest of the cast has planned after the show’s finale, Kaley Cuoco announced on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 that she will be voicing the titular character in the upcoming Harley Quinn animated series after the final season of the “Big Bang Theory”

Many have foreseen the end of the series for quite some time now, and the announcement of the show’s ending has received mixed reactions from its audience. Some have suggested that the show should have ended some time ago, while other argue that the show’s ending is devastating news, to say the least.

The last season of “Big Bang Theory” airs every Thursday at 7:00 PM CST on CBS.