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The final episode of The Big Bang Theory
Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco – who have appeared in every episode since the show’s premiere 12 years ago – filmed their last scene yesterday (30 April).
Fans reportedly queued up at the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California, to try and land tickets to watch the taping, with those lucky enough to squeeze into sound-stage 25 got to see the last scene.
According to Entertainment Weekly , Galecki, who has played experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter since season one in 2007, tearfully addressed the audience before filming wrapped.
Shortly afterwards, he posted a black-and-white picture of him on set on Instagram, writing: “Leonard Hofstadter, PhD.”
Galecki’s co-star, Mayim Bialik, who portrays Amy Farrah Fowler, shared a picture of the show’s logo on an old TV, adding the caption: “Goodnight from stage 25.”
Earlier, their fellow cast members had also taken to social media to commemorate the show’s ending.
Parsons, who plays the highly intelligent yet socially inept physicist Sheldon Cooper, shared a picture of the front door of his fictional apartment, where much of The Big Bang Theory took place.
He wrote: “Knock, knock, knock, thank you... Thank you, apartment 4A, for being a home to so many dreams come true, to so many friendships made.
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NBC
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ABC
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NBC Universal
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ITV
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Community Stars often outgrow their shows. Midway through the fourth season of Community, Donald Glover, who played Troy, left to pursue a music career as the rapper Childish Gambino. Of course, that did not turn out too badly, with Glover now having a few Grammys on his mantelpiece. Unfortunately, Community was never the same without him, and the dominoes kept falling after that. Chevy Chase also left, while Dan Harmon stopped writing for the show. As a result, the final two seasons received awful reviews.
NBC
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Channel 5
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CBS
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Netflix
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BBC
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BBC
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ITV
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FOX
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UPN
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ABC
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men was, for a long time, one of the most-watched TV series in the United States. Why exactly? Well, that would likely be down to Charlie Sheen, whose obnoxious, heightened version of himself (his character’s also named Charlie) charmed the nation. Sheen’s private life, though, soon outdid his fictional counterpart, with the actor going into rehab and making headlines with his bizarre rants (winning!). The network took notice and replaced Sheen with Ashton Kutcher, whose naïve-shtick never quite worked.
CBS
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Sci-Fi
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Fox
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Netflix
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FX
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NBC
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The WB
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FOX
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FOX
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NBC
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Glee Glee was a phenomenon. For a few years, Gleeks – fans of the show – were everywhere. That is until season three. The whimsy soon wore off as fans believed the show had become too overtly cheesy. Still, the Gleeks kept on singing, and the show continued for another three seasons.
FOX
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Dexter The late Noughties were a wonderful time for anti-heroes on television. Following in the footsteps of Tony Soprano were Mad Men’s Don Draper, Breaking Bad’s Walter White, and Dexter’s Dexter Morgan. While Don and Walter have become unquestioned pop-culture icons thanks to their series being of such phenomenal quality, Dexter’s legacy has become mired by two dire seasons and an unsatisfying conclusion. Season six was the first time the fictional serial killer dropped the baton. And while Dexter recovered for season seven, the following final few episodes were so unanimously panned that even the leading actor, Michael C Hall, reportedly thought they were awful.
Showtime
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Saturday Kitchen While Greg Wallace and Antony Worrall Thompson may have been the first two hosts of Saturday Kitchen, it was James Martin who really made the show a success. Under his steady guidance, viewership increased from 1.2 million to around 2.5 million and the cookery programme became a staple weekend watch. No replacement host has been brought on board since Martin left in 2016, and the show has suffered as a result. At least the Keith Floyd and Rick Stein repeats are as good as ever.
BBC
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Angel What started as a critically adored Buff the Vampire Slayer spin-off soon became a run-of-the-mill drama. Angel started with its focus on the eponymous vampire-with-a-heart working as a private detective and saving humans from other demons. However, after Angel came to terms with his ongoing struggle between his human side and his vampire side, the show became a little stale. Season three was filled with filler episodes and shallow villains. Then came season four; a narrative mess that struggled to reconcile the characters Cordelia and Connor. Even with the stellar episode "Spin the Bottle" in the mix, many fans were unimpressed by the direction the show had gone in.
UPN
30 TV shows that jumped the shark Twin Peaks David Lynch’s dreamy murder mystery has become a cult classic, and for good reason. The first season was wonderfully strange and melodramatic. Then the network began putting pressure on Lynch to reveal to the world who killed Laura Palmer. Lynch had not wanted to reveal the murderer but was forced to. The show lacked the same drive after the discovery. Considering the showrunner himself has said the second season “sucked” it’s no stretch to say that it jumped the shark.
Showtime
“And thank YOU, ALL of you – yes, YOU, reading this right NOW! As we get ready to tape our final episode tonight, to walk in and out of this apartment door for the last time, it is hard to find the words to articulate what a profound experience this has been.
“But the words ‘love’ and ‘gratitude’ come to mind... so love and gratitude to all of you. ALL of you. Thank you.”
Kunal Nayyar, who plays Rajesh Koothrappali, wrote a lengthy message on Instagram thanking fans for their support.
He signed off by writing: “In love and gratitude.”
The Big Bang Theory also stars Melissa Rauch, Simon Helberg and Kevin Sussman. The series finale will air in the US on 16 May. It will be shown on E4 in the UK at a later date.
Additional reporting by agencies.
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