Bill Inoshita/Warner Bros. Television
"The Big Bang Theory" ended after 12 seasons because Sheldon Cooper actor Jim Parsons wanted to leave, which speaks volumes of how popular the show was. Had the entire core cast of "The Big Bang Theory" been on board, there's no telling how many more seasons the CBS sitcom might have had in it, especially when you consider how popular its first spin-off, "Young Sheldon," proved to be.
"Young Sheldon" explores the titular character's childhood adventures, with Iain Armitage playing the younger version of Parsons' character. What might have sounded like a challenging premise to pull off proved to be quite successful, with the series ultimately running for seven seasons. While that's five seasons shorter than "The Big Bang Theory," it's worth noting that the show didn't end because any of its cast members were ready to pack it in. Instead, as executive producer Steve Holland explained to Deadline, the makers of "Young Sheldon" simply chose to call it quits at a very particular time in Sheldon Cooper's life:
"There are certain things we know happen in Sheldon's life at 14. We started talking about the future of show, and what it looked like. This is the right time for this story to come to an end, knowing that at 14, he goes off to Cal Tech. It felt like the right time to end it strong while it was on top."
Sheldon Cooper's Caltech years would be a whole different show
Warner Bros. Television
When you think about it, Sheldon Cooper's character arc between "Young Sheldon" and "The Big Bang Theory" supports Steve Holland's assertion that ending the prequel series when Sheldon is 14 makes sense. After all, "Young Sheldon" wraps up at the pre-established time when Sheldon's father, George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber), has a fatal heart attack and Sheldon himself heads to the California Institute of Technology, where he remains in various capacities until "The Big Bang Theory" begins and beyond.
Since this specific age marks both the most emotionally devastating event of his youth and a radical change in his life circumstances, it makes sense that the creatives behind "Young Sheldon" chose this particular moment in Sheldon's character arc as the perfect end point to the series. After all, "Caltech Student Sheldon" would effectively be a completely different show — and co-creator Chuck Lorre said as much in an interview with USA Today:
"In the 'Big Bang' universe, Sheldon goes to Caltech at 14. Even if we ignored that, the show is called 'Young Sheldon,' and that's not true anymore. We got to watch this guy grow up, and it was wonderful. It's heartbreaking to end, even though it was the right story decision. It just felt like the right time."
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