\n[post_page_title]It started with a big bang[\/post_page_title]
\nPeople probably couldn\u2019t have predicted \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d would become such a phenomenon, but the figures speak for themselves. After its first season pulled in 8 million viewers, the show has gone on to more than double its audience, with season nine boasting a viewership of over 20 million people. The fact that it\u2019s still attracting such an audience is a clear sign that people aren\u2019t yet ready to give up on the show. However, the decision is out of their hands thanks to one person.
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\n[post_page_title]End of an era[\/post_page_title]
\nTalks of the show ending were common over the last few years, so the actualization wasn\u2019t a huge surprise. Given how long the series has been on TV, expectations over its cancelation were bound to start flying around. People have been talking about \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d going off the air for over a decade, yet it\u2019s still here. However, CBS announced on August 22nd that \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d would indeed be ending after 12 successful years on television. The announcement surprised many people, although some weren\u2019t quite so shocked.
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\n[post_page_title]All for one[\/post_page_title]
\n\u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d would be nothing without its cast. While some characters are featured more prominently than others, they all contribute to the show\u2019s comedy and charm. The series would be missing something without Amy or Bernadette, just as it would without Sheldon or Leonard. If any of the actors portraying these characters have an issue, then it affects the entire show. Unfortunately, that\u2019s reportedly what led to \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u2019s\u201d cancelation. One actor announced their wish to leave the show, and now everyone has paid the price.
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\n[post_page_title]Center of attention[\/post_page_title]
\nThat actor is Jim Parsons, the man behind Sheldon Cooper. Since the show first hit our screens, it was clear that Sheldon was the center of attention. He stood out the most from the other characters, and over the years he\u2019s shown the most development. He\u2019s so essential to the series that the character now has his own spin-off in the form of \u201cYoung Sheldon.\u201d So, it\u2019s no surprise that when Jim Parson decided to bring \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d to an end, there was little anyone could do.
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\n[post_page_title]Leaving a void[\/post_page_title]
\nCould you imagine \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d without Sheldon Cooper? He\u2019s provided viewers with some of the show\u2019s most memorable moments, as well as some of the best quotes. In many ways, he\u2019s the face of the series, and to go on without him wouldn\u2019t feel right. What drove Parsons to give up on the show that essentially made him famous, though? Things were going so well for him, and walking away could end up being a colossal mistake. He could regret this in years to come.
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\n[post_page_title]Ready to go[\/post_page_title]
\nWell, according to reports, Parsons is ready to move on after being with the show for 12 years. Typically, after this long, the show would have naturally reached its end, but \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d has continued to power on in the ratings. With no apparent end in sight, Parsons realized that he\u2019d have to bow out if he wanted to break free from the show anytime soon. It wasn\u2019t an easy decision for him to make, but he didn\u2019t want to be stuck playing the same character for years.
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\n[post_page_title]New opportunities[\/post_page_title]
\nNo actor wants to be remembered for only one role, even if it\u2019s an iconic one. Parsons has been in the industry since the early 2000s, but after joining \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d he\u2019s done little else other than play Sheldon Cooper. He appeared in biographical drama film \u201cHidden Figures,\u201d and had a cameo in the musical comedy flick \u201cThe Muppets,\u201d but most of his time has been spent on the sitcom. Parsons is probably hoping that getting away from the show will give him more time for other projects.
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\n[post_page_title]Finding time for love[\/post_page_title]
\nThat\u2019s not the only reason that he\u2019s jumped ship. In 2017, the actor married his longtime boyfriend, Todd Spiewak, although Parsons\u2019 busy work schedule has kept the two from spending much time together. His decision to leave \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d may have been inspired by a desire to spend less time working and more time enjoying life with the man he loves. The actor certainly isn\u2019t short of funds, so it\u2019s not like he can\u2019t afford to take a break from the spotlight to focus on his personal life.
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\n[post_page_title]Money, money, money[\/post_page_title]
\nOf course, the network wasn\u2019t going to let the actor go without a fight. They knew that Sheldon made up the core of the show, so keeping him was vital for their success. CBS reportedly tried to talk Parsons round to the tune of $50 million. That\u2019s roughly how much he\u2019d have earned from another two series of \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d but apparently money can\u2019t buy you everything. Determined to get out while he still could, Parsons said no to the deal and brought the show to an end.
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\n[post_page_title]No other choice[\/post_page_title]
\nWith Parsons officially ready to leave following the end of the twelfth season, the network had some hard decisions to make. It was highly likely that if they were to continue without Sheldon in the show, their ratings would drop significantly. There was no way that they could recast the character after twelve years, so what else could they do but cancel the show? No network wants to end a series too soon when it’s performing well for them, but Parsons left them without any other choice.
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\n[post_page_title]Sad to say goodbye[\/post_page_title]
\nDespite wanting to leave the show, Parsons didn\u2019t harbor any resentment towards it. He was still sad to make the decision, especially after he\u2019d been working on it for twelve years. In a social media post, he thanked everyone involved with the series for everything they\u2019d done and expressed his gratitude to the viewers for their continued support. He knew it was only because of them that the show stayed on the air for so long, so he owes them his career.
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\n[post_page_title]Love not war[\/post_page_title]
\nGiven that Parsons is supposedly responsible for bringing \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d to an end, there was every chance that his co-stars would be angry at him. The show had brought all of them into the spotlight and even gave a few a second chance at reclaiming stardom. Now, because of one person, that was being taken away from them, and they hadn\u2019t even had a say in the matter. That would be enough to drive anyone to resentment, but the cast proved that they\u2019re above that sort of behavior.
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\n[post_page_title]Thanking the fans[\/post_page_title]
\nThe actors have expressed their upset about \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d reaching its end, but no one\u2019s been pointing the finger anywhere. Many of them seemed to repeat Parsons\u2019 sentiments about making it so far because of the fans, and vowed to give it their all until the very last episode. The cast was twelve years younger when the show first hit TV screens, and so much has changed in their lives since then. One thing that\u2019s definitely improved in all that time is their financial situations.
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\n[post_page_title]Make it rain[\/post_page_title]
\nThe longer a show is on the air, the more money it makes. That allows for better quality content and opportunities for marketing, but it also means the actors can negotiate for a higher salary. We\u2019d be surprised if after twelve years on \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d the cast were still working on the same pay that they received when they first started. The series’ immense success has meant that the actors have been able to get a pay rise, and a significant one at that.
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\n[post_page_title]Raking it in[\/post_page_title]
\nAfter renegotiating their contracts in 2013, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki all got an increase in pay from $350,000 to $1 million per episode. That\u2019s nearly triple what they were already earning, but the trio had proved that they could attract viewers to the show. With a day\u2019s work bringing home more than most of us will ever see in our lives, the cast would have had good reason not to want the series to end. However, that money has been a constant source of controversy.
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\n[post_page_title]Special treatment[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile Parsons, Cuoco and Galecki might be raking it in every episode, their co-stars aren\u2019t quite so well off. Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, who portray Howard and Raj respectively, only got a bump up to $750,000 per episode, although they had previously been on $100,000. However, it was Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik who were the worst off. At $200,000 per episode, they were receiving one-fifth of what some of their co-stars were earning, and they weren\u2019t too happy about their pay being so different.
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\n[post_page_title]Taking a cut[\/post_page_title]
\n$1 million is a lot to be earning for one episode, and the show\u2019s main stars knew that it wasn\u2019t fair they were getting paid so much more than their co-stars. So, they all agreed to take a loss of $100,000 so that Rauch and Bialik would earn much more for their hard work. Now, the two women receive a paycheck of $425,000 for every episode they film, which is still an incredibly substantial amount of money. It\u2019s more than they\u2019ll probably earn in their future endeavors.
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\n[post_page_title]Digging deep[\/post_page_title]
\nBidding farewell to their hefty salaries probably won\u2019t be easy for the cast of the sitcom, but the show ending isn\u2019t all bad. After all, even if they love the series, it still has its downsides. Helberg, in particular, will probably be glad to portray Howard no longer if it means he finally gets to wear more comfortable clothing. The belt buckles that have become synonymous with his character have a habit of digging into him whenever he sits down, making it difficult to ignore the pain while he\u2019s acting.
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\n[post_page_title]Too hot to handle[\/post_page_title]
\nHoward\u2019s insanely tight skinny jeans and sharp belt buckles weren\u2019t the only clothing items causing discomfort on set. Nayyar once said that he envies Cuoco\u2019s wardrobe because her small outfits look a lot more pleasant to film in than the big sweaters he always has to wear. Raj has a habit of wearing long sleeves and bulky clothes, meaning all those hours he spends on set can get pretty hot. Well, he can wear all the shorts and tank tops he wants once the show\u2019s over.
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\n[post_page_title]False start[\/post_page_title]
\n\u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d will always be remembered in TV history as one of the biggest sitcoms ever made. However, it might never have reached this point if the network had gone with the original pilot. In that version, Penny was a cynical drinker who moves in with girl-crazy Sheldon and his roommate, Leonard. Doesn\u2019t sound like the show we love, does it? Thankfully, although CBS didn\u2019t enjoy the pilot, they liked the premise, so the creators made some changes and gave us the sitcom as we know it.
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\n[post_page_title]Time to let go[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough we still have some time until the final episode, it\u2019s only a matter of months until we have to wave goodbye to \u201cThe Big Bang Theory” officially. However, we can take solace in the fact that we got to watch these characters for so many years and see them show geek culture in a whole new light. Plus, with a new season of \u201cYoung Sheldon\u201d airing alongside \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u2019s\u201d final episodes, it could be some time before the franchise properly reaches its end.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[post_page_title]It started with a big bang[\/post_page_title] People probably couldn\u2019t have predicted \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d would become such a phenomenon, but the figures speak for themselves. After its first season pulled in 8 million viewers, the show has gone on to more than double its audience, with season nine boasting a viewership of over 20 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":63486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n