The ending of Chuck Lorre’s last hit sitcom before The Big Bang Theory makes it all the more impressive that he managed to stick the landing with Big Bang’s series finale. Before co-creating The Big Bang Theory with Bill Prady, Lorre had co-created Two and a Half Men with Lee Aronsohn. Throughout the mid-to-late 2000s and early 2010s, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory were the two biggest sitcoms on the air. They even had a huge audience overseas in the days before streaming, which was practically unheard of.
Neither Two and a Half Men nor The Big Bang Theory were ever critical darlings, but their ratings were huge. As with any popular series, it was always going to be tough for Lorre and his respective teams to come up with a satisfying way to end Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. But whereas Two and a Half Men went drastically downhill and ended with a terrible finale, The Big Bang Theory managed to end on a high note and remains a thriving franchise of its own.
Two And A Half Men’s Awful Finale Shows How Difficult It Was For TBBT To Stick The Landing
Two And A Half Men Has One Of The Most Baffling Endings In TV History
After 12 seasons (eight with Charlie Sheen and four with his replacement, Ashton Kutcher), Two and a Half Men finally ended its run with a 40-minute series finale: season 12, episodes 15 and 16, “Of Course He’s Dead.” The finale reveals that Charlie — who had previously been killed off in a gruesome and vindictive way — is actually alive, and has been getting tortured for four years. The finale proceeds to treat its audience the same way, insulting the viewers who stuck around during the show’s decline. It’s more interested in rehashing Lorre’s feud with Sheen than actually ending the story.
The Two and a Half Men finale was a bitter disappointment, and it has since soured the show’s legacy. It was once the most beloved sitcom on TV, but now, it’s tough to rewatch, because it goes so far off the rails and culminates in a weirdly meta, mean-spirited finale. That finale showed how difficult it would be for Lorre to end his other hit sitcom in a satisfactory manner — and how easily a bad finale could tank the entire enterprise. That makes it all the more impressive, then, that The Big Bang Theory managed to deliver a great finale.
The Big Bang Theory Succeeded Where Two And A Half Men Failed In Many Ways
The Big Bang Theory’s Finale Provided All The Closure & Fan Service That Two And A Half Men’s Ending Avoided
The Two and a Half Men finale was so preoccupied with reopening old wounds and getting one last dig at Sheen that it forgot to serve the fans who kept the show on the air for so long. It brings back fan-favorite characters like Jake and Berta, but it doesn’t leave them in a good place like all the best series finales do. The Big Bang Theory’s finale, on the other hand — season 12, episode 24, “The Stockholm Syndrome” — dedicates its entire runtime to serving those fans and leaving the characters in a good place.
Unlike the Two and a Half Men finale, The Big Bang Theory’s finale was a love letter to fans and a satisfying ending, and it’s allowed the franchise to thrive in the years since.
It sees Sheldon and Amy receiving a Nobel Prize, and Penny finding out she’s pregnant. This storyline gives Sheldon and Amy the professional recognition they’ve always wanted and sets up a bright future for Penny and Leonard. It culminates in Sheldon using his acceptance speech to tell his friends how much they mean to him. Unlike the Two and a Half Men finale, The Big Bang Theory’s finale was a love letter to fans and a satisfying ending, and it’s allowed the franchise to thrive in the years since, with a successful spin-off (and another one on the way).
