Comedy going out with ‘Big Bang’

AT SOME point in the near future, new episodes of The Big Bang

Theory will cease to exist. It’s shocking, we know.

The enormously popular sitcom, about two brilliant physicists and their circle of oddball friends, has become omnipresent over the last decade. But the show’s production company confirmed last week that the upcoming 12th season will be the show’s last.

“The number one comedy in the world, The Big Bang Theory, will end its successful run in May, 2019 as the longest-running multi-camera series in television history,” the studio said. “Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions will bring the Emmynominated comedy series to a close at the end of season 12 with a record-breaking 279 episodes.”

At the Summer TV Press Tour this month, CBS Entertainment president, Kelly Kahl, told reporters: “We don’t believe it’s the final season. We are in discussions to renew the show with the studio that produces it, Warner Bros.”

It looks like those discussions didn’t work out. On the surface, it seems like it’s time – 12 seasons is a long lifespan for a network sitcom. But The Big Bang Theory was the rare show that consistently brought giant ratings. Last season, it was the No. 1 show on broadcast TV and averaged nearly 19 million viewers a week.

The five original stars – Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg – started earning $1 million per episode in 2014, when the show hit its peak. Although the series was a hit from the beginning, it climbed in the ratings each season and got an extra boost in 2012 when TBS landed the syndication rights for $1.5m an episode and started airing reruns almost constantly.

Alas, it makes sense to end now that the cast and crew are not only set for life financially, but may be ready to move on to new projects. While the series was never completely beloved by critics (the release notes the show has “received 52 Emmy nominations and 10 wins to date, though it has never won for outstanding comedy series”) it has a fan base that ensures the final season will be a spectacle.

“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of

The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons,” CBS, Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre Productions said. “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.” – Washington Post