Jim Parsons Says Reprising His Big Bang Theory Role for Young Sheldon Finale Was ‘the Nicest Little Coda’

Jim Parsons is satisfied with how his 15-year stint as Sheldon Cooper will come to a close.

On Friday’s episode of Today, host Craig Melvin asked Parsons, 51, about his experience in getting to reprise his former Big Bang Theory role for the Young Sheldon spinoff. The actor then suggested it was both “very weird” but “also very beautiful.”

“Big Bang Theory was always a live show, and Young Sheldon is a single-camera show,” he explained. “And I got to do it with Mayim [Bialik] — we both played Sheldon and Amy in the series. And to do it in that situation, it was just different enough that it wasn’t creepy. Instead, it was really sweet.”

Parsons added, “It felt like the nicest little coda to the whole experience, and I was grateful that they asked us to do it.”

The Big Bang Theory spinoff, starring Iain Armitage as boy genius Sheldon Cooper, will end after seven seasons on May 16. For the finale, Parsons and Mayim Bialik will reprise their roles from the parent series as Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler.

Although the Hidden Figures actor has narrated Young Sheldon since its 2017 premiere, Parsons and Bialik’s cameos will be the first time that characters from the original show physically appear.

For his next steps, Parsons will take to the Broadway stage for Mother Play — A Play in Five Evictions, which opens on April 25 at New York City’s Hayes Theater. Earlier this month, PEOPLE obtained an exclusive look at Parsons, Jessica Lange and Celia Keenan-Bolger in their leading roles.

Set in 1962, the play sees matriarch Phyllis (Lange) supervise her teenage children Phil (Parsons) and Martha (Keenan-Bolger) as they move into a new apartment.

“Blending flares of imaginative theatricality, surreal farce, and deep tenderness, this beautiful rollercoaster ride reveals timeless truths of love, family, and forgiveness,” the play’s description reads.

The Emmy winner already has several stage credits to his name, starring on Broadway in An Act of God, Harvey, The Normal Heart and The Boys in the Band. He’s also lately bolstered his resume with onscreen roles in Spoiler Alert and Hollywood following The Big Bang Theory‘s conclusion in 2019.

Tickets for Mother Play — A Play in Five Evictions are on sale now, and new episodes of Young Sheldon air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.