Well, folks, it's official: Sheldon Cooper's time on television is officially ending. Luckily, the character's story is going out with a (big) bang.
Fans of The Big Bang Theory were thrilled when one of the show's main characters, played by Jim Parsons, received a prequel series. Young Sheldon debuted in September 2017 and stars Iain Armitage as the younger version of the theoretical physicist. Well, after seven seasons on the air, the final episode of the series will air on May 16 with a major surprise in store. As Deadline revealed on March 6, Jim and his co-star Mayim Bialik (who portrayed Sheldon's romantic partner, neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler) will reprise their roles to help wrap up the character's decades-long storyline.
While we'll have to wait for details on how exactly adult Sheldon and Amy will be folded into the Young Sheldon series finale, Jim spoke with Entertainment Tonight about his experience going back to the role that delivered him four Primetime Emmy Award wins. As he explained, he's so excited to get viewers' reactions on how the duo are included in Young Sheldon's season 7 ending.
"It was beautiful. It was even more beautiful than I expected it to be," he told the outlet. "What they wrote, I think, is so sweet. I think they worked Mayim and I into that last show so beautifully. I hope everyone agrees," Jim revealed in a clip posted to TikTok.
Given how this is the first time Jim and Mayim are stepping back into their old roles since The Big Bang Theory wrapped after 12 seasons in 2019, the actor did acknowledge one surprising element of filming. He noted that while he played Sheldon for over a decade, he had some trouble picking up his character's nuances after being away from him for so long.
"We finished our first read-through of the scene, and Mayim nailed it when she walked back. She goes, 'Huh, I thought I'd feel a lot more confident than this,'" he explained. "I said, 'Me too!' I really thought it'd be like putting on a pair of old shoes. Eventually, it was, but not for about an hour or so. It was like, 'Do I still know how to talk like this?'"
Thankfully, he got back into his groove to play Sheldon and round out the story of this iconic character. Although Young Sheldon's time on TV is up, this isn't the last folks will see of the fictional family. In early March, Deadline revealed that CBS ordered a spinoff series featuring Sheldon's brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and his wife Mandy (Emily Osment) that will air during the 2024-2025 TV season.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
