It may have all started with a big bang, but, after a record-breaking 276 episodes, it’s about to be all over.
The Big Bang Theory signs off for good on Thursday, May 16, meaning that there’s only one last bazinga left in the pipeline before we’re forced to say farewell to Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, and the gang after 12 laugh-filled seasons. And while there’s still a few questions left to be answered by the big one-hour series finale—Will the elevator ever be fixed? And will we ever learn Penny’s maiden name?—there’s a bigger one looming for when the credits roll and it’s all over.
Namely, when will we be able to get our next fix of this beloved group of actors who’ve kept us entertained for over a decade on TV’s longest-running multi-cam sitcom?
Now that Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik have said most of their tearful goodbyes—there’s no doubt a few more weepy tributes to the job of a lifetime to come during the airing of tonight’s emotional conclusion—it’s time to start looking towards the future.
So before we say goodbye for good, let’s take a look at the disparate paths each of CBS’ biggest stars are heading down now that they’ve flown the coop.
The Big Bang Theory‘s hour-long series finale airs Thursday, May 16 at 8 p.m. on CBS, with a retrospective special entitled Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell hosted by Galecki and Cuoco airing at 9:30 p.m., taking fans behind the scenes of the record-breaking comedy.