For fans of traditional TV sitcoms, the gold standard has been CBS' The Big Bang Theory, but that standard won't be around for that much longer. Despite previous reports implying the opposite would happen, CBS has confirmed that The Big Bang Theory will be ending its decade-plus run in 2019 with Season 12, which is set to debut this fall. Get ready for a season presumably chock-full of pop culture references to the endings of other iconic works.
Ending in 2019 with 279 episodes, The Big Bang Theory will officially become the longest-running multicamera comedy series of all time. (It'll beat out Cheers for the honor.) That distinction is but a silver lining for anyone who's going to miss seeing the ever-present foibles that keep Sheldon, Amy and the rest on their toes. Especially now that Amy's mom is around to sharpen those toes right up.
Note that this isn't exactly a flat-out cancellation, since CBS had already ordered a full twelfth season of episodes. But given how contract negotiations have have been so troublesome in recent years, and considering just how many conversations have been had about how long the show will last, it's no big surprise that all parties involved decided this would be the right time to throw in the Green Lantern towel, as opposed to going back into those talks.
With this now known to be the last season, The Big Bang Theory's creative team is going to have quite a lot of big moments to run through in order to wrap up these characters' stories. Now that they're all married (by Mark Hamill) and all, will we see Sheldon and Amy having a screaming bundle of joy of their own? (We know they definitely have kids, thanks to Young Sheldon, even if we don't know when.) Speaking of, how will Big Bang Theory's ending play into future seasons of the past-set spinoff? And will Raj ever find true love that lasts longer than a weekend or two?
In the announcement's joint statement from WB TV, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions, there's a hint of the show ending on something extravagant.
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.
Be sure to tune into CBS this fall for the possibly "epic" final season of The Big Bang Theory, which will debut on Monday, September 24, at 8:00 p.m. ET. It will then move back to its normal timeslot on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. Head to our fall premiere schedule to see what else is on the way soon.
