No more Bazingas. Kaley Cuoco opened up about the discussions that surrounded the decision to end The Big Bang Theory after season 12.
“It was definitely tough. There was not a dry eye in the room. A lot of hysterical sobs,” the 32-year-old actress told James Corden during the Wednesday, September 19, episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden. “I think I wrote this on my social, it wouldn’t have mattered when it ended, we all would’ve been completely devastated. So it’s been a long run and we’ve been very grateful. It’s time to, I guess, move on to other things, which is so heartbreaking, you know? But it would’ve been heartbreaking no matter when.”
Cuoco also made light of her vision for the final season. “I would like the elevator to get fixed,” she said, which elicited applause from the audience. “Simple request, right?”
She explained: “The stairs have gotten more and more exhausting as our seasons have gone on. You know, season 1 and 2, we’re running up there. Now it’s season 12. We’re all a little bit older. A little more difficult getting up those steps, so I’d like that elevator to work.” The characters have been forced to walk up the stairs in transition scenes since the apartment elevator has always been out of service.
Cuoco’s remarks on The Late Late Show echo her initial public reaction to the news. “This ride has been a dream come true and as life changing as it gets. No matter when it was going to end, my heart would have always been broken in two. Drowning in tears, we promise to bring you the best season yet,” she wrote on Instagram August 22. “To the fans, our crew, families, [executive producer] Chuck Lorre, Warner Brothers, CBS, and everyone who has supported us for so many years, thank you. We are goin out with a bang.”
Warner Bros. Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions announced on August 22 that the hit sitcom’s upcoming 12th season would be its last. “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons,” their joint statement read. “We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close.”
Entertainment Weekly reported at the time that the CBS series is ending because Jim Parsons walked away from his role as Sheldon Cooper when an offer to stay two more years was presented to him by the network.
Earlier this week, cocreator Bill Prady told Us Weekly exclusively that he has “not a clue” how the show will end. “We’re approaching the final season the same way we’ve approached the 11 seasons before: with no planning whatsoever,” he noted. “From day one, we have never planned an arc for a season. We don’t plan ahead, we just kind of just tell the next story.”
The Big Bang Theory’s final season premieres on CBS Monday, September 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
