The Big Bang Theory Will Come to an End with Season 12

It’s official: The forthcoming season of The Big Bang Theory will be the very last for the popular comedy.

In a joint statement (via THR), Warner Bros. Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions said, “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. 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.”

The beloved show is the longest-running multi-camera series in television history and will have aired a record-breaking 279 episodes by its finale.

At the very least, this announcement marks an end to the games the Big Bang team have been playing with viewers’ hearts. Back in January, series star Johnny Galecki said that he and the cast would be comfortable ending the show with season 12.

“I think at this point everyone is very comfortable with 12 seasons being a good time to go home and see our families,” explained Galecki, who has played Leonard Hofstadter on the show since its premiere in 2007.

But then, earlier this month, CBS Entertainment head Kelly Kahl said that the company and Warner Bros. Television were discussing renewing the show beyond its forthcoming twelfth season.

“We don’t believe it’s the final year,” Kahl said. “We are in preliminary discussions to renew the show with Warner Bros.”

Though that ship appears to have sailed, at least the show, which ran for 12 consecutive years, came to a close before any of the leads decided to leave the cast. The five original members—Jim Parsons, Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg —as well as its newer stars, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, will all appear in the last season.

The Big Bang Theory will air its final episode in May of 2019. Find out where the show landed on our list of the best TV sitcoms of all time right here.