Warner Bros Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions have confirmed that The Big Bang Theory – one of the biggest and most successful sitcoms of all time – will wrap in May 2019 following speculation about the future of the show.
The Big Bang Theory started in 2007 and follows the misadventures of a group of brilliant but socially awkward scientists as they attempt to navigate day-to-day life. Centred on the nerdy and introverted physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, we witness their lives change when Penny, an attractive waitress and aspiring actress, moves into the apartment across the hall from theirs.
A statement about the decision to end the show was released on twitter;
“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. 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.”
While there has been no confirmation as to the exact reasons why they have decided to end the show, many feel that it is a positive thing that the creative team has decided to end the show on a high-note, instead of dragging it out and risking cancellation further down the line. One thing is for certain though – it definitely isn’t a ratings issue, as it still continues to pull in huge numbers. The most recent season of The Big Bang Theory was the number one show on U.S. broadcast television, averaging a colossal 18.8 million viewers per week.
The Big Bang Theory has been such a monster success that in 2014, the five main stars – Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar – renegotiated their contracts and each earn a whopping $1million per episode. Now, considering each season of The Big Bang Theory runs for 24 episodes and there have been four seasons since 2014, that amounts to a dizzying $96million each.
Since its debut, The Big Bang Theory has gone on to amass 52 Emmy Nominations and when it comes to an end in 2019 after 279 episodes, it will be the longest running multi-camera series in television history – and that’s not a bad legacy to leave behind.
For those of you who are saddened by this news and are going to miss your weekly fix of nerdy adventures, fear not! For The Big Bang Theory spin-off Young Sheldon is already a hit and has been picked up for a second season.
