Next year “could be the last season of The Big Bang Theory” – and there are no plans for a movie
Kunal Nayyar, who plays Raj on the hit US show, cast doubt over whether the show will continue into an 11th series
After nine seasons, hundreds of episodes and millions of fans around the world, US sitcom The Big Bang Theory seems like a juggernaut that can’t be stopped. Over the last nine years we’ve watched the geeky antics of Sheldon, Leonard and co as they’ve sung cat-themed songs, argued over trivia and fallen in love, and considering its popularity it would be reasonable to assume the series has a long way to run yet.
However, according to one of its stars the show's future on air isn't set in stone.
“Look - next season, as it stands on our contract, could be the last season of Big Bang Theory,” actor Kunal Nayyar (who plays Indian astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali) told the surprised crowd at MCM comic-con London, where he was promoting his new play The Spoils alongside co-star Jesse Eisenberg.
“To be completely honest…I know people are gonna want to know what happens after season 10. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Speaking to Big Bang Theory co-star Melissa Rauch (who plays Bernadette and also appeared on the panel), he asked: “Melissa, are we gonna do season 11?”
“I don’t know – I’d love to,” she replied. “We’ll see.”
“If it were up to me personally,” Nayyar added, “I would love to do the show as long as you guys would have us on the air.”
The cast of The Big Bang Theory
But any fans hoping to see the gang on the big screen once the series ends will be disappointed, as Nayyar said he couldn’t see The Big Bang Theory making the leap to cinemas any time soon.
“I mean it’s a very difficult format to do for a movie,” he reflected, “because you know we shoot in front of a live audience, a live studio audience, with four cameras.
“So unless the movie was a two-and-a-half-hour sitcom version of The Big Bang Theory, I don’t think we could ever actually do a movie.”
Doubts cast over a possible eleventh series and no chance of a film spin-off – uncertain days indeed for the Big Bang Theory fandom. Though Nayyar did have one idea for how the show’s legacy could continue if it left the air.
“We could do it on stage…” he suggested, to general approval from the crowd and offers from MCM staff to put on a production next year.
So you heard it here first: The Big Bang Theory: The Musical will be 2017’s hot ticket. Start saving now.
The Big Bang Theory is on e4 tonight (Sunday 29th May) from 5.30pm
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
