Listen carefully. Can you hear it? Can you hear the sound of utter jubilation in the streets? The sighs of relief? The happy tears of joy? If you can’t hear it yet, you’ll hear it soon. Because The Big Bang Theory is ending, which means our long collective nightmare is finally over. The US network CBS has announced that the 12th series of The Big Bang Theory will be the last, apparently because Jim Parsons was finally ready to leave the show. Producers have promised an “epic creative close” when the series ends in May. After that, The Big Bang Theory will be dead, and nobody will be sad. Except, of course, they will. Because, inexplicably, The Big Bang Theory is still one of the most-watched shows on US television. It regularly gets more than 15 million viewers an episode, and, statistically, not all of them can be incapacitated to the point of being unable to change channels whenever it comes on. “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The #BigBangTheory during the past twelve seasons..." pic.twitter.com/OWIHsICi6e — The Big Bang Theory (@bigbangtheory) August 22, 2018 Nothing confuses me more than The Big Bang Theory’s success. It has always been markedly less smart than it thought it was; the TV version of someone wearing a “GEEK” T-shirt because they liked a Facebook post about the moon once. Plus, it was packed to the gills with empty “hot girl” characters, which often made it feel tawdry and regressive. But the fact that it’s still popular blows my mind. Watch any recent episode of The Big Bang Theory and you’ll see that it is barely even a sitcom at this point. It has been going on for so long that the writing, presentation and performances are more or less autonomous. Everyone is just glumly going through the motions, stuck in the tracks they’ve carved out for themselves over the years. It’s like watching a museum exhibit of a sitcom made with mannequins and miserable circus bears. At least Jim Parsons, a fine comic actor when he isn’t being driven semi-conscious by brutal repetition, is now free. He is free to play what he actually is – a 45-year-old man – instead of a weirdly ageless man-boy trapped in a developmentally arrested closed-loop flatshare scenario more suited to somebody half his age. Jim Parsons. Photograph: CBS/Everett/Rex Sitcoms, especially sitcoms that refuse to acknowledge basic biological change, can often start to look tragic quite swiftly. Fortunately, Parsons has avoided the fate of Jon Cryer who – by the series finale of Two and a Half Men – looked as if he had been kept young against his will by scientists – with sprayed-on hair and full-body Spanx. However, despite this, The Big Bang Theory’s cast aged out of the show’s premise a good half-decade ago, so the end is bound to come as a relief for them. But let’s temper this jubilation with a note of caution. Just because The Big Bang Theory is ending, it doesn’t mean that The Big Bang Theory is ending. CBS clearly saw this coming, which is why it put Young Sheldon – a transparently cynical cash-grab masquerading as a prequel – into production. And, theoretically, this could simply be the start of the Big Bangiverse; TV in 2018 is such a compost heap of zombie programming, brought back to life to artificially extend the lifespan of a dead IP, that we should feasibly expect spin-offs about everyone from Leslie Winkle to Octavia Spencer’s DMV clerk in the near future. We should deal with that when it happens, though. The Big Bang Theory is dead. If you need me, I’ll be dancing on its grave.<doc-sep>The reason why The Big Bang Theory is set to be coming to an end has been revealed after it was announced yesterday (August 22) that the show will not continue beyond its twelfth season. According to EW, CBS and Warner Brothers TV made the decision to end The Big Bang Theory in 2019 because Jim Parsons wanted to walk away from the hit show. Earning a reported salary of $1 million per episode, EW reports that he and his co-stars Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg all stood to make more than $50 million if they agreed to stay on the show for two more years. Advertisement The long-running comedy first aired in 2007 and has earned 52 Emmy nominations to date, with 10 wins. “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons,” WBTV and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a joint statement. “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.” The show is the longest-running multi-camera comedy in TV history, clocking in at 279 episodes. The final episode will air in May 2019. Earlier this month, it was suggested a 13th season could be on the cards. Speaking at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said: “We don’t believe it’s the final year. We are in preliminary talks to renew the show [for a 13th season].” Advertisement Actor Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard, has previously said he would be happy if the show ended after 12 seasons. “I think, at this point, everyone’s very comfortable with 12 seasons being a good time to go home and see our families,” he said. “The only manner in which the cast has discussed wrapping [the show] has been that we’re all going to be very sad when that day comes.” Parsons has been on the show for twelve years and has won four Emmy’s and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dr Sheldon Cooper.<doc-sep>Warner Bros. and CBS announced on Wednesday that the next twenty-four episodes will close out uber-popular sitcom The Big Band Theory's 12-season run—and the Big Bang gang is starting to get emotional about it. "We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons," the network said in a statement. "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." This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Actor Jim Parsons, who plays the iconic Sheldon Cooper (Bazinga! ), was reportedly the catalyst for the show's coming to an end. According to Entertainment Weekly, CBS had tried to negotiate two more seasons but Parsons "walked away" from the offer. Incidentally, that would have likely been a $40+ million offer, because the Big Bang Theory's cast is believed to earn $1 million per episode! This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Regardless, the actor released a long statement saying a sad goodbye to the hit sitcom. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. "It is hard (nearly impossible, actually) to really accept that this is a picture of the first of the final 24 episodes we will shoot for The Big Bang Theory,” Parsons wrote. “I feel very fortunate that we have another 23 episodes to shoot this season because I am hopeful that with each and every one, my level of REALLY accepting this fact will sink in. And while I know that they already know it, it bears repeating again and again: I am so terribly grateful for the cast in this picture and the cast members who aren’t pictured here — whether they were in one scene or many episodes along the way; you are all my playmates that I have fallen in love with and who have become a part of my life on set and off. You are my playmates when we don’t feel like playing but have to because it’s our job to get out there and communicate and pretend we’re these other fictional people and we look into each other’s eyes and say these words and end up creating this weird, other reality that has enriched my life more than I will fully ever understand. I will miss all of you and all of this more than I can say and more than I can know at this time." Parsons' OG co-stars Kaley Cuoco and Kunal Nayyar, who played Penny and Raj Koothrapali respectively, have also reacted to the news. Cuoco said on Instagram, "No matter when it was going to end , my heart would have always been broken in two. Drowning in tears, we promise to bring you the best season yet." This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Nayyar also posted a photo of their first day of Season 12 filming, and captioned, "Without you the fans there would be no us. Tonight I sleep with a prayer of gratitude on my lips. This isn’t goodbye... yet... still 23 eps to shoot!" In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nayyar described the show's ending as "bittersweet." "I’m ready for the next phase of my life [after] 12 years," he continued, "yet at the same time I’m sad to be saying goodbye to my family... I’m still trying to process all of it." This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Once The Big Bang Theory ends its filming, it will have a record for the longest running multi-camera sitcom in the history of television. Follow Jasmine on Instagram. Jasmine Ting Jasmine is a journalist struggling to adult by day... This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
So long, Sheldon. The Big Bang Theory is coming to a close after its upcoming 12th season, CBS, Warner Brothers TV, and Chuck Lorre Productions announced Wednesday in a statement. "We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons,” the producers said in their announcement. “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.” By the time it ends, The Big Bang Theory will be in the history books as the longest-running multi-camera TV series ever with 279 episodes, according to Entertainment Weekly. It has received 52 Emmy nominations and 10 wins so far. Fans of the show were devastated about the news. Kinda sad to hear that the Big Bang Theory is ending in 2019. Then again it has been on tv for 30 years now....at least it feels that way. Thank goodness for TBS and its constant reruns. — MattJVaccinated (MattJSour) (@MattJSour) August 22, 2018 Next year will officially be Big Bang Theory's last season! It was an amazing run. I rewatch it so much that i don't think I will ever think of it as "over" anyway.#BigBangTheory — Parker (@ItsGEEKFEVER) August 22, 2018 The Big bang theory is one of my favourite shows of all time. Devastated it's ending — 🇨🇩🐆 Glory James Michael Matondo🐆🇨🇩 (@glory243matondo) August 22, 2018 Didn’t realize it was on so long! Great show sad to see it go, they had a good long run though. — . (@jerseygirl582) August 22, 2018 But other people thought the move was long overdue. The decision to end The Big Bang Theory is the only thing that makes sense so far in 2018. — Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) August 22, 2018 Modern Family's ending next year, Big Bang Theory's ending next year, it's like we're getting a tired sitcom cleanse, this truly is the golden age of television — jonny jon jon butter shabadoo (@thejonbutter) August 22, 2018 The final season of The Big Bang Theory will premiere Monday, September 24 on CBS, before moving to its normal Thursday time slot the next week.