It’s been more than a month since The Big Bang Theory wrapped up its 12-season run, and yet series star Jim Parsons says that it hasn’t hit him yet. The longest-running multi-camera sitcom surpassing NBC’s Cheers bowed out with a back-to-back offering that’s full of nostalgic moments, including Sheldon Cooper finally winning a Nobel Prize. The ending was satisfying and emotional for the most part, but Parsons reveals that up until now, the fact that the show is done still has yet to sink in.
Debuting in 2007 with only five original characters: Sheldon, Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar), The Big Bang Theory‘s cast grew by season 4 with the addition of Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette and Mayim Bialik’s Amy. Since then, the Pasadena gang was inseparable, going through the motions of their personal and professional lives. In the end, almost everyone got the happy ending they wanted. The Coopers won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on Super Asymmetry after a tumultuous process; The Wolowitzes are a happy family of four; and the Hoftsadters are entering a new era in their married life with a baby coming. Raj, meanwhile, had a less than ideal ending as he’s essentially left at the same place he’s always been – alone. Nevertheless, longtime fans of the sitcom appreciated how the characters were sent off.
Parsons caught up with ET Online during the Power of Pride event hosted by Variety and revealed that despite several weeks have passed, he still hasn’t wrapped his head around the fact that there will be no more new The Big Bang Theory. However, he suspects that by the time they normally go back to work rolls out, he’ll have a more emotional reaction to the show wrapping up. Despite his nonchalant feeling with The Big Bang Theory ending, it didn’t miss Parsons that they crafted a satisfying finale for the fans – something that seems to be becoming more elusive these days (case in point: Game of Thrones).
“It hasn’t really hit me yet, completely, that it’s over. Mostly because the way our schedule worked for 12 years, this was an actual break that we had. I’m looking forward to September where I’d normally be working and we’d start airing. That’s when I think certain things will start hitting me.
“It ended in the way that I hoped it would in that it felt right. There were probably a million different ways it could feel right. I would talk with some of the writers and I know as they were writing it they were nervous. I said, ‘It’s the finale, you can’t get it completely right. Someone’s gonna hate it.’ But I don’t think that was actually the case with this, which was really sweet. I think it wrapped up in the right way.”
It was actually Parsons’ reluctance to return for a 13th year that spelled the end of The Big Bang Theory. CBS was vocal about green lighting another season which is unsurprising considering the rating numbers it generated for them, but the actor opted to walk away from the series and massive pay for him and his cast members. And instead of moving on without arguably its poster boy, the show was just canceled altogether. Parsons explained that it just felt like it was the right time to end the sitcom since they’ve squeezed everything from these characters.
The Big Bang Theory may have already done, but Parsons will remain tethered to the CBS franchise, producing the prequel spinoff, as well as providing narration for Young Sheldon. With The Big Bang Theory done, it’s expected that the network will look for other ways to capitalize on its popularity, perhaps with another offshoot. At this point, it’s difficult to say if Parsons’ going to be tied in the lore outside of his current involvement, however.
