How Mayim Bialik Really Feels About The Big Bang Theory's Ending
All good things must come to an end, including our favorite TV shows. On May 16, 2019, audiences said "goodbye" to Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and friends as CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" concluded after a whopping 12 seasons and 279 episodes, making it the longest-running multi-camera comedy in history over "Cheers," which previously held that title (via Twitter).
Over the course of these many episodes, viewers laughed and cried at the various happenings of science-loving friends Sheldon, Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar). A major plotline is Sheldon's relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), a neurobiologist whom Howard and Raj discover for him on a dating site in Season 3. It takes 10 seasons for the pair to "have coitus" and tie the knot, much to the excitement of Amy and the fandom alike.
When the ending of "The Big Bang Theory" was announced, longtime viewers were devastated. However, as was the case with "Friends" and other long-running series, its conclusion hit some of the cast just as hard.
Mayim Bialik experienced the five stages of grief
For Mayim Bialik, letting go of Amy Farrah Fowler was far from easy. In fact, she experienced the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, as identified by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – during the final days of filming (via Grok Nation). She attempted to avoid thinking about "what happens next," became furious and confused over why the show had to end, had desperate hope that she'd be included in a spin-off, felt sadness at the idea of losing touch with the cast and crew, and finally accepted the situation for what it is.
Prior to shooting the last handful of episodes, Bialik said, "I don't know what these scripts will hold. I don't want to know. I'm just going to show up every day and see what our wonderful writers have in store for us. I'll act as if it's the first time I've played this character. I'll recite my lines as if I have forever to play this character. I will, indeed, dance like no one's watching, even though millions of people will be tuning in to see how our show unfolds and ultimately ends."
Though there are no longer new episodes of "The Big Bang Theory," at least for the foreseeable future, Amy and friends live on thanks to reruns and streaming platforms.