After 12 years of entertaining fans, the hit CBS show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ has finally aired its last episode. As expected, the show’s season 12 finale tied up loose ends in the nerdy gang’s stories to give everyone a satisfying conclusion to the story.
However, some fans seem to have a gripe over one aspect of the show’s ending.
Surprising Reveal
The one-hour finale is composed of two back-to-back episodes: ‘The Change Constant’ and ‘The Stockholm Syndrome’.
In the latter, it was revealed that the characters Penny and Leonard, played by real-life exes Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, are expecting a baby. Sounds exciting, right? The couple has been married for quite a while now and has been mulling over the decision of having kids as well.
However, some fans weren’t as excited about the news as ‘The Big Bang Theory’ gang was. You see, Penny’s hesitation about wanting children used to be a huge driver of the past seasons’ plots. According to some vocal fans, it seems like Penny’s previous issues with pregnancy and motherhood were swept under the rug with the revelation that she’s already two months pregnant.
What more, they argue that Penny’s thoughts on the matter weren’t given much focus or screen time.
Showrunner to the Rescue
Acknowledging the fans’ concerns about the two main characters’ ending, showrunner Steve Holland said that the decision to steer their story towards starting a family is actually a way of honoring their relationship. What more, he said that he wanted the two to end in a happy place in the show’s finale.
Meanwhile, another producer, Steven Molaro, clarified that it’s implied that Penny is still quite conflicted with her condition and has yet to fully come to terms with it. Molaro also serves as co-creator for ‘The Big Bang Theory’ spin-off series ‘Young Sheldon‘.
Record-breaking Finale
In the end, the show’s finale episodes still enjoyed wide viewership. In fact, they hold the record of being the series’ most-watched episodes in the past three and a half years recording 18 million fans who tuned in last week.
It also managed to rake in viewers despite the showrunners’ decision to not shoot its final episode in front of a live audience as they’ve done before. According to Cuoco, the case was made against having an audience so they can prevent ‘unexpected’ tears from the emotional cast during shoots. They, later on, had a re-shoot with an audience though once the first rounds were completed.
Aside from that, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ also holds the honor of being the longest-running, multiple camera television comedy clocking in 276 episodes in its 12-year run.