Behind the Scenes TBBT Drama That Led to Cuoco Ignoring Parsons on Set

In fact, sometimes more drama occurred on set than on the screen. Elements of it were revealed to the fans before, but with release of the new book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series (written by Jessica Radloff and released on October 11, 20222), we learned a bunch of important facts which heretofore remained unknown to the public.

For example, it had not been a secret that the series ended where it did, because Jim Parsons really wanted out, and TBBT could not go on without him, even though the rest of the cast and the crew would have liked another season.

But the book reveals major details about the reactions of other actors to Parsons' decision. Kunal Nayyar, for example, was greatly relieved, while to Johnny Galecki that was a highly unpleasant surprise. In general, most people were rattled by the announcement that the series is coming to an end.

Young Sheldon Just Proved Georgie Isn't the Dumbest Cooper After All

The most emotional reaction, however, was that of Kaley Cuoco. While several people ended up in tears, others mention that she cried most of all, and Kaley herself confirms that:

"I mean, we cried for hours that day. We thought we were going to do another year, so all of [a] sudden your life kind of flashes before your eyes. I looked at Chuck and said, 'What are we going to do?' I couldn't breathe. It just felt like a death, but also a new horizon for everybody as well." (via)

Unsurprisingly, tensions on-set were high after that, especially on the very next day after the dramatic announcement – to start with, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki nearly missed the filming on that day. And as showrunner Steven Molaro recalled:

"Kaley could barely make eye contact with Jim during the run-through, but they got through it."

But, thankfully, relationships between the cast fairly quickly returned to normal, allowing filming of the final season to proceed without nigh-unsurmountable difficulties, inevitable when your actors cannot stand each other. After a few days Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons were back on talking terms, and the cast was able to enjoy making the final season together.