This was when the show started focusing more on its romances: Leonard and Penny deciding to get engaged, effectively resolving their will-they/won't-they dynamic Howard and Bernie coasting through marriage and Amy attempting to take her relationship with Sheldon to the next level. Looking at the show's ratings throughout its 12-season-run, there's a noticeable dip in viewership numbers toward the end of season 7. Related: The Big Bang Theory: How Raj Was Finally Able to Talk To Women As great it was to see the three nerdy boys find their happily ever afters, their love stories apparently had something to do with The Big Bang Theory ending. The show left its main cast in a great place, both personally and professionally as everyone is married except for Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who remains single after his break-up with Anu (Rati Gupta). Sheldon and Amy's (Mayim Bialik) quest for the Nobel Prize in Physics pays off after they won the award for their work on Super Asymmetry Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) are revealed to be having a baby while Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) get used to having two kids. As it turns out, the show ending boiled down to Jim Parsons wanting to move on, but the ratings reveal that The Big Bang Theory's began winding down all the way in season 7.ĬBS's sitcom wrapped up last year with a one-hour special finale which was surprisingly satisfying despite an uneven final season. In fact, shortly before the announcement CBS was reportedly looking to order another season. Fans were surprised when news broke that the sitcom was ending after season 12, since it continued to be popular. The Big Bang Theory's shift to focus on romances was the beginning of the end for the show.