TV NEWS
The Big Bang Theory: The Alternate Ending That Was Centered Around The Elevator
By SHANE O'NEILL
The perpetually broken elevator in “The Big Bang Theory” was finally fixed in the penultimate episode, but the repair almost happened in the last scene of the finale.
Producers Steve Holland and Steve Molaro revealed that series co-creator Chuck Lorre planned to end the series with the final scene focused on the now-repaired elevator.
Molaro explained, “As we got closer, I think you could feel people expecting it. We wanted to do it, but we wanted to try and catch people off guard.”
Lorre decided to end the show with a moment of the entire cast and fixed the elevator in the preceding episode titled “The Constant Change.”
The episode deals with Sheldon’s aversion to the changes around him, and the repaired elevator furthers his existential worries about unexpected change.
The broken elevator played a significant role in the series, being the cornerstone of Leonard and Sheldon’s friendship as they were the ones to break it.
The repair brought a bittersweet closure to the series, but some fans argue that it should have been repaired sooner since Sheldon typically doesn’t let things slide.