The Big Bang Theory Scored An Impressive Streaming Milestone In 2024
"The Big Bang Theory" ended its 12-season run in 2019, but apparently, it's still a major hit with audiences. According to Deadline, the series was the "most-binged" title in all of streaming in 2024 (which the outlet pulled from a Nielsen report).
According to Nielsen, "The Big Bang Theory" boasted an average of 265.5 episodes per audience member, which apparently translates to 29.1 billion minutes of streaming (which is seriously impressive). The show also managed to place seventh in all of the year's most-streamed titles, and 58% percent of its audience was from the highly valuable age group of 18 to 49. Deadline also noted that, in the Nielsen report, "most-binged" is drawn from shows that have at least 50 episodes ("The Big Bang Theory" has 279) and viewers had to spend the length of a single episode, which in the case of this series is about 20 minutes, in order to qualify. "While half-hour programs tend to be more binge-able, the level of dedication from audiences in viewing to programs across the board was astonishing," the Nielsen report read.
Again, this is sort of astounding when you consider that, in May 2025, the show's series finale "The Stockholm Syndrome" will celebrate its sixth anniversary — but it's quite clear that, as the years tick on, "The Big Bang Theory" will remain wildly popular. So why did the show call it quits in 2019, how did it end, and what spin-offs can fans of "The Big Bang Theory" binge-watch next?
Why did The Big Bang Theory end after twelve years and seasons?
"The Big Bang Theory" kicked off in 2007 and became one of the most popular sitcoms not just on CBS, but TV in general thanks to creator Chuck Lorre's creative vision and the main cast, which initially was made up of Jim Parsons (as Sheldon Cooper), Johnny Galecki (as Leonard Hofstadter), Kunal Nayyar (as Raj Koothrappali), Simon Helberg (as Howard Wolowitz), and Kaley Cuoco (as Penny, who doesn't get a last name). During the first few seasons, the guys, who all work at the California Institute of Technology, overcome their social awkwardness to engage with Penny, who moves in down the hall from Sheldon and Leonard during the pilot; in the show's third season, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch join the show as Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette Rostenkowski, respectively, rounding out the entire endeavor (and giving Penny two friends to hang out with, finally).
Ahead of the show's 12th season, Parsons, who was dealing with numerous personal and professional struggles (including an injury he incurred during his Broadway show "The Boys in the Band"), decided that season would be his last ... and as a result, Lorre and his team declared season 12 would be the final one. In that season's finale (which is, obviously, also the series finale) titled "The Stockholm Syndrome," Sheldon and Amy, now married, head to Stockholm, Sweden with the whole gang to receive their Nobel Prize for their joint work in super asymmetry. Sheldon very nearly ruins everything by pissing everybody off, but ends up giving a touching speech at the ceremony where he asks his friends to stand and thanks them each in turn. It all ends as it began, with the whole group of friends eating takeout in what is now Leonard and Penny's living room — the only difference is the Nobel medals around Amy and Sheldon's necks.
The Big Bang Theory has produced a handful of spin-offs — with more to come
If you've already binged "The Big Bang Theory" about a million times, fret not; the show has one major spin-off (which also has its own spin-off), and another one is coming to Max at some point in the (likely near) future. "Young Sheldon," a prequel starring Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper but young this time, aired on CBS from 2017 to 2024, closing out its run with the canonical death of Sheldon's father George Cooper Sr. (played by Lance Barber). That spin-off's spin-off, "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage," began its run on the same network in 2024, led by Montana Jordan and Emily Osment as the titular Georgie (Sheldon's brother George Jr.) and Mandy McAllister and follows them as they raise their first child (and, apparently, get divorced at some point?).
Okay, let's say you're not interested in a younger Sheldon and the exploits of his extended family. There's still some good news! Kevin Sussman, Brian Posehn, and Lauren Lapkus — who played Stuart Bloom, Bert Kibbler, and Denise on "The Big Bang Theory" — have officially signed on to a spin-off of the original series on Max, though it's not clear if it will take place before or after the narrative of "The Big Bang Theory." In any case, you've got plenty of options for binging, and as for "The Big Bang Theory" itself, the entire series is available on Max now.