'The Big Bang Theory' Series Finale Date Revealed

Fans of The Big Bang Theory will want to mark their calendars for May 16th, as the series finale will air that night with a special one-hour event. The final episodes, whose details have been kept under wraps, will air at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the second season finale of Young Sheldon at 9 p.m. ET.

Rather than being one massive episode that is broken up into two parts, show creator Chuck Lorre previously confirmed that the two episodes would be their own storylines, though with a connective narrative thread.

"It will be an hour — two episodes that will connect," Lorre told TV Line. "It will be two separate episodes", but Lorre added, "that will have a throughline."

The series finale will be the 279th episode, a feat that Lorre never anticipated accomplishing.

"I didn't anticipate Season 2! We didn't know if we were going to make it," Lorre said. "I don't dream like that. The dreams are, 'How do we make the show we're doing right now better? How do we fix that scene in the second act? Is the story working, are the jokes working…? You're focused on what's right in front of you."

The decision was made last year that this 12th season would be its last, due in large part to star Jim Parsons wanting to pursue various other endeavors.

"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."

Tune in to new episodes of The Big Bang Theory on Thursday nights and catch the series finale on May 16th.

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