Backstage Drama Surrounding the Decision to End Big Bang Theory
It was a sad day for all of us when it was announced that The Big Bang Theory was coming to an end after 12 whole seasons. But what really went down?
Jessica Radloff's new book about the sitcom gave us the behind-the-scenes scoop. And let's just say you don't want to miss it because apparently there was some drama!
It was ahead of the 12th season in 2018 when Jim Parsons decided it was time for a change and to find out what was next for him outside the comfort of his role as Sheldon Cooper. He shared his thoughts with co-star Simon Helberg who was also thinking about his next moves. However, Helberg clarified they didn't, by any means, expect the hit series to end without the executives trying to keep the show running, whether it's with or without them. Little did they know that continuing the show without them was not even a possibility but we'll get to that in a second.
Now, things got tricky when the cast returned for a table read for the start of season 12, and nothing came up about contracts, even though Parsons knew these were going to be his last episodes. The following morning, Parsons had a meeting with executive producers Lorre and Molaro. And that's when Molaro revealed that there were no plans to continue the show without Parsons.
"The show was this ensemble, and the thought of doing some strange version without him didn't seem right," Molaro said.
The Big Announcement
The cast was kept in the dark for the next six days as discussions were being held with the CBS and WB executives. The following week, the cast was assembled to inform everyone about what was to come. During the meeting, Lorre greeted everyone but then gave the stage to Parsons, though he didn't expect to be the one leading the meeting.
"I got the feeling [Jim] was upset with me because maybe he thought I was going to lay out the future, but I didn't think it was my place to do that," Lorre explained. So, Parsons talked about his decision to leave, and Lorre then told them that he didn't see a way forward not only without Sheldon but also with anybody else leaving the show.
How the Cast Reacted
According to Lorre, there was a lot of crying that day as they were all in shock. And in Galecki's words, the cast was blindsided and shocked that Parsons didn't have a conversation with them to prepare them beforehand. "The shock of 'Oh my God, what is next?' was scary," Cuoco recalls. Among the main trio, there were a lot of feelings of disappointment, and the run-through the following day was a bit icy, with none of them talking between the scenes. However, the tensions started to cool after that day, and they soon were able to put their anger aside and do their best to enjoy every minute of the last season.
Years later, the cast has moved on and all the drama is just water under the bridge. However, with everything that went down, we can definitely say that The Big Bang Theory went out with a big bang!