The Big Bang Theory Finale Table Read Moment That Had Everyone Crying

Fans know that during the show's series finale "The Stockholm Syndrome" — which closed out the 12th and final season of "The Big Bang Theory" — Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his wife Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) win a Nobel Prize for their work in super asymmetry. During the ceremony in Stockholm, Sheldon, who has been irritating his friends to no end throughout the episode, decides to thank each of his friends individually, asking Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Penny Hofstadter (Kaley Cuoco), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz (Melissa Rauch), and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) to stand as he shows his gratitude. Apparently, during the table read for the episode, the actors also decided to stand as Parsons, in character as Sheldon, called their names ... and everyone cried.

In Jessica Radloff's book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," executive producer Steve Holland recalled, "[W]hen they were reading the scene where Sheldon calls each one of the gang out by name at the Nobel, Kunal decided to stand up when Jim called out Raj's name. That wasn't planned, but they all decided to stand up as their names were called. The tears were already flowing, but this just opened the floodgates."

"We wondered if they might stand up during the table read in that scene, but it was also fine if they didn't," showrunner and executive producer Steve Molaro added. "When Kunal did, it was ... yeah ... just a layer of emotion on top of another 28 layers that were already happening."

Frankly, it shouldn't have been surprising that people would cry during the final table read for "The Big Bang Theory" — because as co-executive producer Andy Gordon told Radloff, just writing it was emotional. "The writing of the finale was like nothing I'd ever experienced," Gordon said. "Chuck [Lorre], who is an incredibly fast and focused writer, joined us. Without realizing it, we were only a few scenes from the end, and I started to get a lump in my throat. I think others started having the same realization, because almost everyone started choking back tears. When Sheldon told his friends he loved them in his Nobel speech, those of us in the writers room lost it."

Sure, the table read was always going to be emotional — and probably tearful — but Jim Parsons said the fact that everyone stood as he called their character names really took it to a new level. "It was absolutely inevitable you were going to have all that emotion, which is why I was like, 'Let's get through this and get me out of here,'" Parsons said. "But I didn't know they were going to stand up during the table read." So, what was behind the decision to stand? According to Kunal Nayyar, who did it before anyone else, he wanted to pay homage to the entirety of the show during a private moment with the cast and crew. "I knew Raj's name was being called first by Sheldon, so I stood at the table read, not for effect, but as a sign of respect for all the table reads we had done before," Nayyar recalled. "People don't realize that the success of our show was how prepared we were for the table read, [meaning] our entire series was shaped by the first time we would read the script together. Me standing up was an homage to that sacred institution called the 'table read.' It was a sign of respect to all 279 episodes; it just felt right."

Ultimately, according to the show's creator Chuck Lorre, Sheldon's gesture to his friends was more than just an emotional moment; it was the perfect ending that showed just how much he'd evolved since the show started. "We began the series with a character — Sheldon — who was very isolated, couldn't touch or be touched, and was very difficult to be around," Lorre opined. "And he remained so for many years. So to then have him recognize how his accomplishments couldn't have happened without the support and affection of his friends and his wife was a very wonderful experience for me, both in the writing of it, and watching Jim's performance. It was beautiful and restrained, never erring on the side of treacle and schmaltzy."

So, what did Sheldon Cooper himself, Jim Parsons — who elected to leave the show at the end of season 12, bringing the entire production to a close — think of his speech? As the actor told Jessica Radloff, he was concerned that he would get too emotional when he actually performed the monologue as the cast and crew filmed "The Stockholm Syndrome," which would be drastically out of character for Sheldon ... but that it all worked out and became one of his most cherished memories from the series. "Specifically, I felt apprehensive that [the writers] wanted some breakdown or something from Sheldon at the Nobel ceremony," Parsons admitted. "Nobody told me that, but it was a fear of mine. But all those fears went away as soon as we started working on it ... and it felt well-balanced to me. There was a real moment of humanity ... and it was really lovely. I was able to see the cast members from the podium as I spoke, and Mayim was right there next to me. It was something that I went into being apprehensive about, and in the end, it was a very memorable moment that will stick with me." 

According to Steve Holland, this speech from Sheldon was a perfect way to end the series, both for the character and as a tribute to the entirety of the series. "Sheldon was such a unique, specific character, and I think he dominated what people thought of the show, but to us it was always an ensemble, and we wanted the last episode to acknowledge that," he said. "Sheldon giving that speech at the Nobel ceremony was somewhat meta because it was a chance to thank and pay tribute to the team that was with him through it all." Holland is right; Sheldon can be a difficult character under the best of circumstances, but letting his kind and loving side shine in the show's final moments is a perfect emotional closer for the beloved sitcom.

"The Big Bang Theory" is streaming on Max now.