The Big Bang Theory franchise wrapped its first spin-off, and Jim Parsons weighed in on a potential sequel.
Jim Parsons played the iconic character Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, reprising his role for the finale of the franchise's spin-off, Young Sheldon. However, the actor had a disappointing answer when it comes to reprising his role.
The Big Bang Theory first aired in 2007, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes on CBS. It followed the lives of five characters in their 20s, Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Penny, Howard Wolowitz, and Raj Koothrappali, dealing with their socially awkward personal lives and blooming careers. The show wrapped up in 2019 but the franchise proved to be very valuable for CBS, which also created a prequel series titled Young Sheldon, based on Parsons' character, Sheldon Cooper.
With another spin-off in the works titled Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, based on Young Sheldon's Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister, Jim Parsons weighed in on whether he would ever reprise his character. The actor gave E! News a disheartening answer, saying that he'd only come back as Sheldon through "reincarnation" in the "next lifetime." Parsons continued, "Look, never say never to anything," the actor said on the red carpet at the Drama League Awards. "Life is long, God willing. But I don't think so."
The actor recently took his spot in Young Sheldon's finale, which he called "very, very special." He explained, "It was very, very special to do that. The feeling today is kind of odd, you know? It's the second time now, because when we ended The Big Bang Theory, it felt like this, too. A little bit different."
"You shoot that final episode and it's wrapped for you," he added, "and then a couple of months later, it wraps for the rest of the world and it's a very weird feeling to flood over you again like that."
Another The Big Bang Theory Actor Dismissed the Idea of a Sequel
Earlier this year, Kunal Nayyar, who played Raj, addressed the idea of reprising his character in a future The Big Bang Theory project. The actor talked about the upcoming spinoff to the original series, and also admitted he's in no rush to return to Raj.“To be honest, it feels a little too soon,” Nayyar told TV Line. The actor also added that he feels like The Big Bang Theory hasn’t been off the air long enough to merit any sort of revival. “Can you do a [revival] only four years after your show ends? That’s not a reunion show; that’s just another season.” However, he doesn't rule the possibility out. “If [the spinoff] were to happen, we’ll see what the universe says.”