The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons prepared the sitcom’s team to expect inevitable criticism of the series finale, despite its success.
The beloved sitcom, The Big Bang Theory wrapped up its 12-season run in 2019, but the series finale received a divisive response from fans. While some were satisfied and mourned the show’s end, others were disappointed with certain aspects, such as Penny’s storyline.
Jim Parsons, who portrayed the role of Sheldon in the sitcom, had expected a similar response from the vast audience of the show, as he shared during an interview, that no matter how the show concluded, someone was bound to hate the series finale.
Jim Parsons Anticipated Mixed Response to The Big Bang Theory Finale
In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the cast of The Big Bang Theory reflected on working on the final episode of the show. And they expressed relief and satisfaction with how the finale turned out.
Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny, admitted being anxious due to the pressure of the series finale. “It was hard, we had a lot of anxieties about how this was going to go,” the actress said.
She further said, “Us as actors, the writers, there is a lot of pressure on how to end this.” Jim Parsons also recalled a conversation with a writer, where he discussed their worries about how the finale would be received.
I was like, “Well, you can’t get it wrong because it’s yours, you’ve been writing it all this time…” I said, “Look at it this way: You can’t get it right. It’s a series finale. Someone’s going to hate it.”
The actor suggested that he expected a mixed reaction from the fans. The cast of the show, however, was content with how things wrapped. “It was tough and I think they did it brilliantly,” Cuoco said.
“I think they did too,” Parsons added, praising the writers of the show. He also shared that he believed that the finale was handled brilliantly and expressed hope that it wouldn’t be overly divisive.
The Big Bang Theory Cast Reflected on the Emotional Farewells
During their appearance on the talk show, The Big Bang Theory cast also reflected on their last day on the set, reminiscing about the emotional and memorable moments they experienced.
Kaley Cuoco described the experience as “bizarre,” and “weird” saying that it felt like the last day of school, when not much work gets done. She said,
[It was] very bizarre — It was almost like the last day of school in a weird way. You don’t really get a lot of work done… You’re kind of like taking pictures with people and crying. It was weird.
Jim Parsons also shared that the staff even put together a yearbook. He said that the yearbook was beautifully done to commemorate the end of the show. The actor also recalled how there was a lot of signing of the yearbook, which became a significant and emotional part of their final days on set.
“In the middle of the scene, they’d be like cut… and the crew would come, ‘Could you sign my yearbook,’” Parsons recalled, sharing that it was a cute and memorable gesture that contributed to the overall nostalgic atmosphere of their last days on set.
