Warner Bros. Renames Stage 25 to ‘The Big Bang Theory Stage’

The Big Bang Theory is coming to a close this season, leaving a void at CBS that a new sitcom will have to fill. To honor the series’ accomplishments, Warner Bros. is naming Stage 25 on its Burbank, California lot after the series during a dedication ceremony.

“For 12 years and almost 300 episodes, The Big Bang Theory has considered Stage 25 its home,” The Big Bang Theory executive producers Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland and Bill Prady shared in a statement. “We’re honored that the series can now become a part of the history of this legendary studio which has been home to so many amazing films and television shows.”

The stage where Big Bang Theory was built in 1935 and films like Blade Runner, Casablanca, and Bonnie and Clyde have all filmed there. While many iconic productions have taken place on the studio’s lot, this marks only the fifth time a stage has been dedicated to a series. Other named stages include a Friends Stage, an ER Stage, an Ellen Stage, and a Two and a Half Men Stage, each honoring the shooting locations of the long-running series.

The announcement that the series was concluding came last year, motivated by star Jim Parsons wanting to pursue other projects. Lorre had previously revealed that were he, Johnny Galecki, or Kaley Cuoco to exit the series, then the series would come to an end, given the series hinging on their involvement.

“It’s both as complex and as simple as just feeling innately that it was time. It speaks to a lot of things, none of them bad,” Parsons shared with Entertainment Weekly. “There is no negative reason to stop doing Big Bang. It felt like we have been able to do this for so many years now, it doesn’t feel like there is anything left on the table. Not that we couldn’t keep doing it, but it feels like we’ve chewed all the meat off this bone.”

He added, “I guess at a personal level, it feels like the right time in my life. I don’t know what’s next for me. It’s not like there is something specific I am aiming for. I’m firmly in my middle age now. I don’t know how much longer I can wear [the T-shirts] without looking really long in the tooth. In a way, it’s exciting. What is this next chapter of life? What is this next chapter for all of us? It will be very, very sad when it does end, even knowing [I am] okay with it. People are okay when they graduate but there are frequently tears at graduation. It’s hard to say goodbye to people that you have worked with for so long.”

The series finale of The Big Bang Theory is set to air in May.