As Big Bang Theory fans know well, sooner or later our favorite TV show comes to an
end. The CBS series made it through a full 12 seasons, but we still have to wonder why
in the world the series ended. Now we finally know why it got canceled.
Though it went on to have a successful run of 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory almost
didn't get picked up by a network. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Steve Holland, showrunner
for a time during the production of the hit TV series, stated that the show's producers
didn't really think it would amount to anything even close to what it turned out to be.
In fact, this beloved series almost didn't even include the stunning Kaley Cuoco, who
played Penny, the nearby neighbor to Leonard and Sheldon. CBS originally planned to bring
in actress Amanda Walsh to play Penny rather than Cuoco. It's a little hard to imagine
the show without the vivacity that Cuoco brought to her portrayal of Penny, isn't it?
It's impossible to know whether Walsh would have brought as much chemistry to the set
as Cuoco did, but luckily CBS ultimately chose to produce the series after it was reworked
and had Cuoco in the cast.
The Big Bang Theory made it past the initial cutting floor and flew through 12 seasons,
but there were hints of an impending conclusion even earlier than the actual series finale
date in May of 2019. In a podcast interview with actor David Tennant on David Tennant
Does a Podcast With..., Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon, revealed some additional details
about the series and his thoughts on when the contracts could end.
Parsons told Tennant about his final contract, which covered a period of only two years,
saying,
"I kind of had a suspicion in my heart, I think, that that was going to be it for me
when I did sign that contract, but you never say never and who knows."
Without those last two seasons, viewers would have missed out on quite a lot that happened
in each of the characters' lives. The series finale alone was jam-packed with surprises
and interesting twists that involved a Nobel prize, an unexpected pregnancy, and even more.
Jim Parsons' character, Sheldon, had multiple quirks that we came to love. Most of the time,
those quirks annoyed and even angered the other characters on the show.
"It's so strange. No matter how thoughtless and selfish he is, I still love him."
Despite all of this though, Sheldon seemed to be the main star of the show in many of
its fans' minds. It really isn't terribly astonishing then that the producers just couldn't
envision continuing the series without Parsons.
Before deciding to leave the show, Parsons had a few things going on behind the scenes,
including a dearly beloved dog's passing, and these personal events contributed to his
decision to walk away from the show once his contract was finished. And Chuck Lorre, one
of two creators of the show, told the Los Angeles Times that he, quote, "just couldn't
imagine doing this show if any of the principals were not there."
Parsons was concerned about preventing the show from getting stale, but it turns out
that his late father also played a role in his decision to walk away from the show, as
Parsons shared on David Tennant's podcast.
When making his decision about whether or not to continue doing the show, Parsons, who
was starring in the Broadway production of The Boys in the Band during the final two
years of taping the TV series, spent some time remembering his father, who had passed
away at the age of 52. Parsons came to the stunning realization that he would be 46 years
old when the show concluded in May 2019.
The fact that this was only six years away from the age when his father died seemed to
serve as a bit of a wake-up call for Parsons, who noted that he thought,
"I think there's other things I need to try and do."
It may come as a surprise to be informed that the style of The Big Bang Theory is actually
almost obsolete. The main difference in its filming style compared to other shows involves
camera usage. Specifically, single-camera versus multi-camera shooting. As Screencraft
explains, single-camera use is something that has become more commonplace for TV shows filmed
within the last ten years or so. The term "single-camera" is actually rather misleading
because it doesn't refer to the number of cameras utilized for production. Instead,
it essentially signifies that the series was filmed with no audience so it feels more like
a movie set than a TV show.
The Big Bang Theory was a multi-use camera production, meaning most of their scenes were
shot in front of an audience. That's right: People were able to sit in and watch the filming
of their presumably favorite TV show. While this type of filming is no doubt a fascinating
experience, it seems that networks are moving away from live studio audiences for comedy
sitcoms, making the show something of a dinosaur in today's television world.
Ratings are the lifeblood of television. Pilot episodes get killed if ratings are low, and
an entire series may be cut if viewers aren't tuning in as expected. One interesting detail
about The Big Bang Theory is that its ratings were declining during some of the last few
seasons. While in its 2015-2016 season, the series raked in over 20 million viewers. During
2016 and 2017, the season's ratings dropped and pulled in about 1 million viewers fewer
than the prior season. By 2018, the average number of viewers the series garnered each
week hovered at approximately 18 million.
One or two million fewer viewers may not seem like such a huge deal at first glance. After
all, when the numbers are in the millions like this, what would a drop of 2 million
viewers amount to? While the ending of the show wasn't necessarily attributed to this
drop in ratings over three seasons, it could have factored into the decision to end the
series.
The show officially ended in 2019, with the conclusion of Season 12. But could the beginning
of the end have started even sooner than that? That appears to be the case, according to
an article published by Metro. Fans of the show will likely recall that the premise of
the series originally centered on a group of nerdy scientists, all of whom were single.
While the humor and group of friends remained a constant throughout all 12 seasons, there
was something that fans may not have cared to see as much of: the romance factor.
Daniel Clifford of Broadband Choices told Metro,
"The show was about friendship and not judging a book by its cover, but fast forward to Season
8 and all the characters are in relationships, two with each other, and the clever jokes
about science have been replaced with ones about relationships and dating."
Could it be that the script writers struggled even back in Season 8 with new material? Perhaps
this is why romance began to play a larger role in the series, possibly even contributing
to the decision to end the show.
With age comes... creepiness?
There is an old saying that with age comes wisdom. In some cases, this old adage can
most certainly hold some truth. In the case of The Big Bang Theory, however, this saying
doesn't seem to hold water. Actually, the show didn't really seem to age all that well,
according to one piece published on The Guardian. The article stated that the idea behind the
show was becoming, quote, "as creepy as it is depressing."
The writer made an interesting observation. When the show began, the characters were young
people who were roommates and friends. But by Season 12, some of the actors were in their
40s. While 40 is not old by any means, in this particular case, with age came a slight
creepiness factor since the characters still clung to one another as grown men.
"Do you know how creepy that sounds? Yeeeah."
Fans may have been shocked at least a little heartbroken at the cancelation of the series.
However, the cast members didn't seem too surprised that their 12-year run was ending.
E! News interviewed Johnny Galecki , whose character, Leonard, was a mainstay of the
series. Galecki mentioned that the actors did talk about the show's end, though apparently
it was mainly just to share the cast's collective sadness when the series would come to a close.
Galecki stated,
"But I think at this point everyone's very comfortable with 12 seasons being a good time
to go home and see our families."
It seems, according to Galecki's point of view, that the cast as a whole was content
with their 12 seasons. If so, this must have made it easier all around for the cast and
crew to finish wrapping up the filming of the series. It is somewhat comforting, in
a sense, that the actors were fine with letting go of the show.
Along with measuring ratings, money is another big player in the determination of whether
or not sitcoms will continue for another season. Among the many financial considerations that
go along with producing a TV series are the salaries for its cast and crew. Of particular
interest, as highlighted by Variety, was a listing of finalized salaries for two of the
actresses in the last two seasons: Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch.
Both stars signed contracts that brought them $500,000 for every episode filmed in the last
two seasons The Big Bang Theory aired. This amount was actually a huge jump in pay for
the two actresses, who'd previously earned between $175,000 and $200,000 for each episode.
Meanwhile, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar , and Simon Helberg were
each paid $900,000 for every episode during the final two years of the show, taking a
reduction of $100,000 each to help fund the additional earnings for Bialik and Rauch.
With higher salaries for the majority of the cast, some nearing $1 million, CBS may not
have found the show to be worth such exorbitant paychecks.
Oddly enough for a show that ended up being canceled, The Big Bang Theory almost got renewed
for another season of filming. Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, mentioned
to Entertainment Weekly that there were, quote, "preliminary discussions" happening in August
of 2018, which centered on the possibility of filming a 13th season for the series. These
talks were evidently news to Bill Prady , the executive producer of the series. He tweeted
a simple "Huh" to the news on Twitter, and that one word tweet spoke volumes.
Could this discrepancy in responses from executives involved in the show have contributed to the
end of the series? It isn't immediately clear, but it is interesting to note Prady's tweet
in reaction to the announcement of ongoing discussions about filming a 13th season. Of
course, Season 13 sadly never happened, so we likely won't ever know for sure what could
have been.
What is the one piece of good news about a longstanding, successful TV series drawing
to its inevitable conclusion? The hope of a reunion down the road, naturally. We don't
mean to burst anyone's bubble, but in the case of The Big Bang Theory, it doesn't look
like we should hold our collective breath for a reunion any time soon. Actress Mayim
Bialik spoke to Metro about the likelihood of a reunion just over one year after the
series finale aired. Bialik wasn't aware of any type of reunion show planned at that time,
and she added,
"Again, there's a lot of legal stuff which is very boring about why shows do have reunions
and don't, but I think it's probably too soon."
Our apologies to the fans of The Big Bang Theory to have to report this prediction.
Here's hoping for a full cast and crew reunion of The Big Bang Theory sometime down the road!
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