Chuck Lorre is considered the king of sitcom comedies and his track record speaks for itself. However, his role as a showrunner comes with a lot of pressure behind the scenes. Like for instance, Lorre had to fight to keep Kunal Nayyar on The Big Bang Theory, while he also doubted Parsons' ability to maintain his excellence in the role of Sheldon.
Thankfully, he was able to keep Nayyar onboard after the pilot, while listening to Bill Prady and keeping Jim in the role of Sheldon, a part nobody else could have pulled off as the actor did.
In the following, we'll look back at the process that took place behind the scenes when the show came to an end. Parsons' decision to leave ended the sitcom, and some of the cast had quite the reaction, including Kaley Cuoco.
Chuck Lorre also had his own perspective, the showrunner was open to continuing things but ultimately, he knew it might've been best to call it a day.
Jim Parsons' Decision To Leave The Big Bang Theory Ended The Show
Signing a two-year deal for season 11 and 12, Jim Parsons had a feeling this would be his final contract on The Big Bang Theory. We can't say the same for the rest of the cast, with most, prepared to extend for a 13th season.
Parsons admitted that his decision to walk away didn't have anything to do with the show or its future. He came to terms, due to fatigue and the health of his dog at the time.
Parsons said alongside TV Guide, "Our final contract was for the last two years, but no one knew when we signed it what that would mean. I kind of had a suspicion in my heart that that was going to be it for me when I did sign that contract, but you never say never and who knows."
He continued, "I was exhausted, and I was really upset about, more than anything, one of our dogs was getting really at the end of his life around then."
It was a major decision and one that caught a lot of the cast off-guard, including Kaley Cuoco.
Kaley Cuoco Was Shocked By Jim Parsons' Choice To Leave The Show
Ending such a show is never easy, and then factor in the bond of the cast, it made things that much harder. Kaley Cuoco in particular was ready for a season 13. She really didn't envision ending the show at that point.
During a meeting, Jim Parsons stated that he was done and this completely blindsided Cuoco. She recalls the experience alongside Variety, “Jim said, ‘I don’t think I can continue on.’ And I was so shocked that I was literally like, ‘Continue on with what?’ Like, I didn’t even know what he was talking about. I looked at Chuck: ‘Wow. I thought we were — I’m so blown away right now.’”
The cast was a united one, making it clear that they all entered together, and would leave at the same time as well. Cuoco admitted that the decision became a bit easier to process during the final season, however, it still wasn't easy, especially during the final table ready for the finale.
Given the success of the sitcom, fans always wonder if there was a plan in place to possibly continue on without Parsons. Other shows have used this formula in the past. Speaking alongside The Hollywood Reporter,Lorre did admit this was considered.
Chuck Lorre Thought About Continuing On Without Jim Parsons
Deep down, everyone involved knew it was time to end the show following Parsons' decision. However, Lorre did tinker with the idea of continuing on, if that's what everyone wanted.
"It’s the tank in Tiananmen Square. I’m not the guy to stand in front of it. Proceed. If they wanted to keep going, I would’ve said “God bless.” It’s hundreds of people that are making a living on this show. You don’t want to stop that," he told THR.
Lorre continued, "Considering the extraordinary success and the economic nature, I didn’t want to step in front of it. It gets bigger than you and you’ve just got to get out of the way."
From his own personal perspective, Lorre did not want to continue on, especially given his history on shows that followed that formula.
"Long ago decided that I didn’t want to do a series if any of the principal players were not in it. I didn’t want to explain away the absence of a major character. I didn’t want to do Archie’s Place. You don’t just pull it apart and put it back together again and expect the same results."
Most fans can agree the correct decision was taken up by the cast and those behind the scenes.
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