Fans of The Big Bang Theory saw a satisfying ending to the the popular CBS show, and showrunners finally revealed what was next for apartment 4A.
With Sheldon’s (played by Jim Parsons) emotional acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize and news that Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) are expecting a baby, showrunners certainly packed a lot into the finale.
With the final episode being the last time the cast and crew would be together as part of the show, the director revealed special measures were put in place so the cast didn’t get too emotional filming the final episode.
In order to ensure the final episode played out to perfection, director Mark Cendrowski made one major change to the show’s usual routine.
In conversation with TV Insider, Mark said: “Because we knew all year [that this was] the last episode of the series, the whole way I approached things was to not let things get too heavy.
“It was going to be emotional enough. Since it was our 12th year, we treated it like our senior year of school.
“We did a lot of joking around. We did a yearbook. We did class photos. My intent was to keep things light and to enjoy this last season.”
The director went on to reveal the cast had a whole extra day of shooting, to avoid tears on the big day.
“One of the things I did was we shot a little differently. I got an extra day of shooting, and we put the entire episode in the can before we did anything in front of the audience, which is something shows never do usually.
“That way, we could take our time with scenes and if it got too emotional or people were crying or upset, we fix the makeup, redo it, talk about it, and get the right attitudes to shoot the show.”
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The director went on to discuss some of the tougher moments in filming the finale, as he feared some of the cast would break down into a “crying fit” during the emotional scenes.
He added: “It was so palpable in the air, the excitement and the sadness and the emotions were just hanging there over everybody.
“Everyone got through it really quite well, and there were just a couple little moments of, ‘Are things going to break down a little bit? Are we going to lose some of the actors to a little crying fit?’
“Luckily, we got through it. And I think part of it was knowing we had the show, it took a little pressure off the actors to relax and just enjoy what they were doing.”
However, fans can be sure the finale is not the last time cast members will see each other, after a recent Instagram post revealed the Leonard and Penny stars have already reunited.
Three months after the show ended, Johnny posted a heartfelt tribute to his co-star and her sister.
Johnny said: “Us artists have nothing to build if we don’t support one another.
“The Cuoco Sisters @kaleycuoco & @bricuoco gave their time and immense talents tonight to a project that is dear to me.
“Thank you, Mooks and Mooks Jr. I owe you both one or two. XO @kaleycuoco”
The Big Bang Theory season 12 is available on CBS and All4.
