The Big Bang Theory recently made TV history by becoming the longest-running multi-camera sitcom with 276 episodes, passing Cheers. The beloved geeks gear up one more time with its 12th and final season. The CBS comedy show will air its series finale on May 16.
Understandably so, anyone involved in the show, and its fans, have been going through a roller coaster ride of emotions for the past few months.
“In a lucky way, we knew it was the final season pretty early … it gave us a lot of time to talk about where we wanted to leave these characters,” executive producer Steve Holland said Saturday during the show’s WonderCon panel. “That [work] was able to push some of [the emotion] off. Now we’re getting closer and closer and it’s [hitting us that it’s] the last time we’re going to do this or that.”
CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl had some departing words for the high-rated show.
“I can’t pretend I’m happy it’s going away,” Kahl told TheWrap. “I don’t know how many other comedies have had such an amazing and consistent run.”
Any time a show that’s been running as long as The Big Bang Theory comes to an end, it’s hard to move on from it. Writer Tara Hernandez shares with fans the advice Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman gave to them.
“A few of us were at an event and saw [her],” said Hernandez. Hernandez quoted Kauffman as saying: “It’s going to be so hard on you. But you’ll fall in love with the next one. You have to fall in love with the next [show].”
The show received quite an honor last month when Warner Bros. renamed stage 25 after The Big Bang Theory, a feat accomplished by only four other shows on the lot – Two and a Half Men (making it Chuck Lorre’s second time), Friends, Ellen, and ER.
The Big Bang Theory returns to CBS with new episodes on April 4.