The Big Bang Theory's Abrupt Ending Caused Tension Between Two Major Stars

Okay — at face value, it seems ridiculous to state that a show that ran for 12 seasons and the same number of years ended "abruptly." Still, according to a comprehensive oral history of the hit CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," some of the show's stars were shocked when they learned the show was finally coming to an end ... and it caused a pretty big rift between Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco.

It's now well-known that the show only did end after 12 seasons because Parsons wanted to leave Sheldon Cooper and his various neuroses behind (frankly, I also feel like any further seasons would have pushed an already-ailing show to a self-parodic point, but that's just my take), and Jessica Radloff's book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series" details how Cuoco was pretty pissed when she discovered that her job was coming to an end. Steve Holland, one of the show's executive producers, even told Radloff that "Kaley could barely make eye contact with Jim during the run-through" after creator Chuck Lorre made the announcement.

"At the time, there were a lot of hard feelings between Parsons, and Galecki and Cuoco, who weren't privy to everything that had unfolded leading up to the decision to end the show with season 12, or unaware why they weren't brought into the fold sooner," Holland clarified. Understandably, the next day at work — which was a Thursday run-through — was "fraught with tension."

When you learn why Jim Parsons decided he should stop saying "Bazinga!" after 12 years and seasons, you'll probably completely understand his perspective. In August of 2020, Parsons appeared as a guest on "David Tennant Does a Podcast With..." and explained to the "Broadchurch" and "Doctor Who" star that he was overwhelmed on a personal level — and picking up more professional opportunities. In 2018, Parsons was pulling double duty on both "The Big Bang Theory" and on Broadway, and as he tells it, he was exhausted. "It was a complicated road, as you can imagine," Parsons revealed. "We went through the 11th season, and then that summer, I went to New York to do 'Boys in the Band' on Broadway, and I think anything I felt [about leaving the show] got really affirmed."

Then a series of unfortunate events occurred. Parsons' dog of 14 years was nearing the end of his life, and it often brought the actor to tears; then a foot injury nearly prevented him from performing in "Boys in the Band." Ultimately, Parsons did the math and realized that he would be 46 years old at the end of the sitcom's 12th season, and his father died at 52. According to Parsons, he told Lorre, "If you told me that like my father I had 6 years left to live, I think there's other things I need to try and do."

Everyone involved with "The Big Bang Theory" made buckets of money and left the show on a relatively high note, and ultimately, it seems as if Kaley Cuoco's life turned out just fine. In fact, she told Variety in 2021 that she now thinks the show ended at exactly the right time — because it freed her up to work on "The Flight Attendant," the two-season series that she produced and starred in on Max.

In a cover story feature for the outlet, Cuoco revealed that she was caught off-guard when Chuck Lorre told them Jim Parsons was done — and so was the show. After Parsons said he wasn't going to "continue on," Cuoco recalled, "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.'"

With that said, Cuoco admitted that "The Flight Attendant" had been on the back burner for quite some time — she optioned the book of the same name by Chris Bohjalian in 2017 — and she did get to make it after "The Big Bang Theory" ended. After musing that "The Flight Attendant" might never have been made if "The Big Bang Theory" had continued, Cuoco concluded, "I do believe someone was looking out for me going, 'Don't worry — I have a plan for you.'"