Because The Big Bang Theory was one of the most successful TV shows of the modern era, there have been endless headlines about it. Fans have learned about Bert Kreischer insulting TBBT, Joe Rogan telling Macaulay Culkin he was lucky to not star in the show, and that appearing on the show traumatized a former teen star. The Big Bang Theory fans also typically know about Craig Ferguson’s cameo, how hard it was to cast Penny, and Johnny Galecki dating Sheldon’s mom on another sitcom.
While The Big Bang Theory fans tend to know how excited Jim Parsons was about one guest star, there is one thing about the show that is much more widely known. Even many people who’ve never even seen The Big Bang Theory know that Jim Parsons was responsible for the show ending. However, it turns out that the amount of blame Jim got for The Big Bang Theory ending was unfair.
Jim Parsons Didn’t Deserve All The Blame For The Big Bang Theory Being Canceled
In October 2022, a book about the production of The Big Bang Theory that was written by Jessica Radloff was published. That book, which was titled “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” revealed many facts about the show that fans previously didn’t know.
One of the most interesting parts of the book was when it revealed some fascinating facts about how The Big Bang Theory ended. In October 2022, Buzzfeed published an article outlining details about what led to The Big Bang Theory being canceled. That article revealed that Jim Parsons was given too much blame for The Big Bang Theory ending after 12 seasons.
An August 2018 article from The Sun summarizes the basic truths about what led to The Big Bang Theory being canceled.
The Big Bang Theory Franchise Shows So Far | |
|---|---|
Show | Tenure |
The Big Bang Theory | September 24, 2007 – May 16, 2019 |
Young Sheldon | September 25, 2017 – May 16, 2024 |
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | October 17, 2024 – present |
According to that report, CBS was interested in renewing The Big Bang Theory for its potential 13th and 14th seasons. Then, Jim Parsons told the show’s producers that he would be done with the show, and the decision was made to cancel The Big Bang Theory. Based on those details that everyone involved confirms, there is no denying that Jim’s decision led directly to The Big Bang Theory ending.
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However, based on what Jessica’s book revealed about The Big Bang Theory’s cancellation, it still seems clear that Jim was still given too much blame for the show ending.
While there is no doubt that Jim Parsons is best known for The Big Bang Theory, he has starred in several movies too. In January 2025, Screen Rant published an article about Jim’s best roles that included the movie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile. That article revealed that Jim has starred in the movies Home, A Kid Like Jake, The Boys in the Band, Spoiler Alert, The Normal Heart, and Hidden Figures.
The first way that Jim carried too much of the the weight of The Big Bang Theory’s cancellation was that he was the one who told the show’s other stars. Buzzfeed’s article based on Jessica’s book revealed the details of how most cast members learned The Big Bang Theory was ending.
After Jim revealed to the show’s producers that he wasn’t going to continue starring in The Big Bang Theory, a meeting with the show’s other cast members was called. In the book, it is stated that when the meeting began, the show’s producer, Chuck Lorre, had Jim tell everyone in a group that the 12th season would be his last. Chuck then stood up and stated that there was no way forward for the show without Jim.
Buzzfeed’s article that quoted Jessica Radloff’s “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” quoted Jim Parsons. While talking for the book, Jim explained that during the first table reading for the show’s 12th season, there was a moment he knew he had to tell the show’s producers that he was done. “I felt like a liar at that [first] table read, because I knew that at the end of these next 24 episodes, that was it for me. So I asked Chuck [Lorre] and Steve [Molaro] if we could talk.”
Buzzfeed’s article revealed that while talking to Jessica for the book, Chuck admitted that having Jim tell everyone might have been a mistake.
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In the book, it is revealed that Jim’s only castmate who knew that he was thinking about exiting was Simon Helberg. With that in mind, it is fascinating to look at how Simon felt about seeing Jim announcing he was done at that meeting.
According to Buzzfeed’s article, Simon found the meeting “upsetting” because he felt the situation was unfair to Jim. While talking about the situation for the book, Simon pointed out that Jim didn’t actually quit The Big Bang Theory. Instead, Jim finished out his contract and decided not to sign a new one.
It also has to be pointed out that Jim starred in The Big Bang Theory for 12 years. The vast majority of successful actors don’t star in a show for that long. With that in mind and the fact that Jim finished out his contract, the blame falling on his shoulders alone for The Big Bang Theory ending when it did seem wildly unfair.
If all that wasn’t enough, Buzzfeed’s article about Jessica’s book reveals another important piece of information. Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco had previously considered walking away from The Big Bang Theory after the show’s 10th season. If that had happened, they also wouldn’t have deserved to be publicly blamed for the show’s ending.
Ultimately, everyone should remember that it is common for actors to leave shows after many years. Instead, The Big Bang Theory fans should just be happy that the show’s cast starred in the show long enough for it to last 12 seasons.
The Big Bang Theory Ended On A Nice Note For The Show’s Cast
When it was publicly announced that The Big Bang Theory was ending, many fans were upset with Jim Parson’s decision to leave the show. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that after Jim announced he was leaving The Big Bang Theory, his castmates initially were deeply upset.
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Buzzfeed’s article quoted Kaley Cuoco talking about how devastated she was when she learned The Big Bang Theory was ending. “The shock of ‘Oh my god, what is next?’ was scary. I mean, we cried for hours that day. We thought we were going to do another year, so all of the sudden your life kind of flashes before your eyes … I couldn’t breathe. It just felt like a death, but also a new horizon for everybody as well.”
However, The Big Bang Theory’s former executive producer, Steve Molaro, recalled that when the cast got back on set, Jim quickly was back to being friendly with his co-star.
By the next run-through, pretty quickly I saw Kaley and Jim talking between scenes and laughing.
While still talking about how the show’s cast came together, Steve Molero commented on a conversation he had. According to him, Kaley told Steve that she was insistent on ending her The Big Bang Theory experience on a positive note with her co-stars.
“I remember Kaley saying later that [the cast members] loved the show so much and it was such a special place and such a big part of their lives, that they didn’t want it to end ugly. If this was going to be the last season, they were going to put aside their anger and frustration and differences and enjoy every moment of it.”
No matter what led to The Big Bang Theory ending and who got blamed, it is nice to know that the show’s cast ended their time working together on a nice note.
The Big Bang Theory
- Release Date
-
2007 – 2019-00-00
- Network
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CBS
- Showrunner
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Mark Cendrowski
- Directors
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Mark Cendrowski
- Writers
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Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady
