The gnaB giB -- How should BBT End?

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

I cannot imagine what it would feel like to have had to go back to work when my children were so young!  Where I worked we got a year and that's fairly common here in Canada.

As it is in most first world countries. Except the USA. Yay us. :(

[Sarah 103]

There is a series based on the young Sheldon that's in development, but what other spin-offs would you like to see? I came up with two in another thread that I'm combining here. 

There would be two geeky girls in what was Leonard and Sheldon's apartment (now Penny and Leonard's). One of them would be more into science/sci-fi and the other would be more into fantasy. This is easy to show through t-shirts/props (one of them is wearing/carrying something "Star Trek" or "Firefly" related and the other is wearing/carrying something "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings" ) They would see a totally hunky guy move into the apartment that was Penny's (and is currently Sheldon and Amy's). 

Stuart will somehow become an important person in a small comic book publisher/company. One of the geeky girls works for Stuart. Stuart is in a long distance relationship, so he is not looking for romance. We see his girlfriend every now and then so we know she's real. The series is a combination hang-out show (what's happening at the apartment) and workplace comedy (what happens with the comic book publisher). The Dick Van Dyke Show, Fraiser and others have managed to blend the two genres, so it can be done. There is an episode set at comic-con where The Big Bang Theory characters appear. 

[Driad]

Fun to speculate. The title might involve tangents or centrifugal force.

[wknt3]

I can't say there are ANY spin-offs I want to see. I think at this point all the characters have been pretty well explored and the time has passed for taking any of the supporting characters and trying to tell their own stories. At one point Stuart and the comic shop might have worked - before they turned him into the unluckiest loser who ever lived, back when he had some hopes and life. Raj also could have been this show's Frasier - with his flair for the dramatic and pretensions he could have become a commentator or a popular professor at another institution and avoided a few years of stagnation. And while I would love to see to that plot done on the show I think the ship has sailed as far as a spin-off.  Spin-offs don't really seem to be Chuck Lorre's thing (I firmly believe Young Sheldon was created entirely as a way to keep Jim Parsons on board) and to be honest I think that's probably a good thing as we are all probably better off with Mom than a mediocre attempt to cash in.

[antikking]

On 4/8/2017 at 10:09 PM, CherryAmes said:

I cannot imagine what it would feel like to have had to go back to work when my children were so young!  Where I worked we got a year and that's fairly common here in Canada.

When I got pregnant with my first child I had just started a new job and my husband was still in college (with a part-time no benefits job) so I had to go back to work after 3 weeks, including the delivery and  recovery time. Yeah, that sucked.

[TurtlePower]

On 4/11/2017 at 2:12 PM, wknt3 said:

I can't say there are ANY spin-offs I want to see. I think at this point all the characters have been pretty well explored and the time has passed for taking any of the supporting characters and trying to tell their own stories. At one point Stuart and the comic shop might have worked - before they turned him into the unluckiest loser who ever lived, back when he had some hopes and life. Raj also could have been this show's Frasier - with his flair for the dramatic and pretensions he could have become a commentator or a popular professor at another institution and avoided a few years of stagnation. And while I would love to see to that plot done on the show I think the ship has sailed as far as a spin-off.  Spin-offs don't really seem to be Chuck Lorre's thing (I firmly believe Young Sheldon was created entirely as a way to keep Jim Parsons on board) and to be honest I think that's probably a good thing as we are all probably better off with Mom than a mediocre attempt to cash in.

I feel the same way. And at this point not only have the characters developed, but they've developed to the point that this show is reaching the end. I think the world "stagnation" applies , if it goes on much much longer, it will all feel very stagnant. 

This has been a great show with good character development. It should end on a high note, I hope they don't try to drag it out for more seasons or attempt any spinoffs. 

[dungeonwriter]

Actually, this board has made me up with a pretty awesome way to pick four apples with one grab (as a kid, killing birds with stones made me wail with fury so my parents had to change it) 

If I were the writers, I'd do this to end the show over a few episodes. The group breaks apart for the best reasons. 

Howard, Bernadette (and some , Raj and Stuart ) 

At a work conference he attends with Bernadette, Howard gets offered a very high level medical robotics engineering job at a successful start up. It pays as well as Bernadette's job. He goes to tell her, and then the CEO of the company makes an announcement.  Bernadette is getting a major promotion and is now making even more money. 

The two celebrate together and realize that while their income goes way up, and they have their dream jobs, they have a problem. They have one kid, they will soon have two and need the help. 

So they build renovate the house, to give them enough space. They also build  Raj and Stuart  a mother in law suite over the garage. With four adults assisting with the chores (Raj is an amazing cook, Stuart cleans well and is a great manny, Bernie is the home CEO and Howie is...Howie) the six settle into a happy blended family. Howie finally has the home he wanted, full of love and care, and the recognition he always desired. 

Bernie and Howie and Halley and Baby Wolowitz (I'd use the name Leo after the constellation, after Leonardo Di Vinci, after the Pope Leo and it's a traditional Jewish name for the name Ari) settle into a happy life of two high achieving professionals who are the top of their fields. Howie's work gets him attention, but Bernie's work always manages to just be a bit better. And secretly, he loves it that way. The final shot is a Hannukah-Christmas dinner in their beautiful home, with Bernie shouting for the kids to come.  

 Raj and Stuart 

With the pressure off and the loneliness less painful, both lonely bachelors have the love a family brings and manage grow a backbone. They have two kids who adore Unka Raj and Unka Stewie. They have each other. They have Howie and Bernie as their family. 

Stuart turns the comic book into a more successful online store, with a small store front for browsing. He submits a comic he himself wrote, lands a great job in cartooning at one of the smaller labels. He  does well, and  ends up with some really awesome person (get a guest star like Danica Keller back or maybe he'd do well with Leslie Winkle, Stuart does well with manipulative people, like Mrs. Wolowitz). Flash forward, he's moved in with her and is responding to her demands, and both are happy. 

Raj begins corresponding with another astrophysicist from England on a project (we never see the other one, it's strictly email) and their work starts getting attention. On the final episode, they finally meet up and it's Neha Kapur (his real life wife) and Raj can't talk (call back) until she starts talking heavy physics and then they start debating happily. We flash forward to the over the top Bollywood wedding, and Raj living it up. 

Penny and Leonard 

Penny finally lands a role in some science fiction television show. Leonard is happy to follow and become a physics professor, although they both still keep Sheldon's spot empty for him. Penny finds her niche and feels fulfilled, and the money is good. Flash forward and Penny is now a sci fi icon, and no longer relies on Leonard to feed her answers from the nerds, but still finds it weird. 

Amy and Sheldon 

Amy and Sheldon sign up for the Mars mission, and are in training to boldly go where no man has gone before, but Sheldon is worried someone might be in his spot. 

[anna0852]

Omg @dungeonwriter that is absolutely perfect!

[LoneHaranguer]

21 hours ago, dungeonwriter said:

The final shot is a Hannukah-Christmas dinner in their beautiful home, with Bernie shouting for the kids to come.  

And the doorbell rings because they invited Howard's brother (Bernie's parents are already there, upstairs with the kids).

[Sarah 103]

 @dungeonwriter I love all of this. Although I would make one small change. 

On September 27, 2017 at 3:21 PM, dungeonwriter said:

Penny finally lands a role in some science fiction television show. Leonard is happy to follow and become a physics professor, although they both still keep Sheldon's spot empty for him. Penny finds her niche and feels fulfilled, and the money is good. Flash forward and Penny is now a sci fi icon, and no longer relies on Leonard to feed her answers from the nerds, but still finds it weird. 

Penny knows all of the ins and outs to the sci-fi universe she is a part of. At conventions and in interviews, whenever someone asks the cast a question about backstory, how things work or what would happen if, she is the go to person. Even if the question is directed at another cast member, he or she will say "That's totally a Penny question." However if it's about actual real world science or comparing it to another property/franchise, she will say "I'm going to phone a friend, actually he's my husband. Leonard? Where are you? Come up here!" Leonard will come up and answer the question. It's become sort of a routine between them. 

[Driad]

BBT is to end in May 2019.  What would you like to see in the final episodes?

[peacheslatour]

14 minutes ago, Driad said:

BBT is to end in May 2019.  What would you like to see in the final episodes?

What dungeonwriter said.

[Chaos Theory]

26 minutes ago, Driad said:

BBT is to end in May 2019.  What would you like to see in the final episodes?

Penny, Leonard, Sheldon and Amy move out of the building for whatever contrived reason and as they all leave a repairman comes to fix the elevator.   

[Snow Apple]

13 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Penny, Leonard, Sheldon and Amy move out of the building for whatever contrived reason and as they all leave a repairman comes to fix the elevator.   

But not before sitting around the couch one last time eating Chinese food and discussing something geeky.

[roamyn]

I’d like to know Penny’s maiden name.

[Frost]

Someone else had an idea for several skips.  One year, five years, ten years, and then maybe 20 years.  No full blown scenes maybe but glimpses into what they're doing.  I want to see Sheldon and Amy's kids and I want the final to be Sheldon and Amy sharing a Noble Prize based on their completely incomprehensible theory they came up with on their wedding day. 

It would be nice if Raj and Stuart could have success and happiness, separately or together.

I don't know where to go with Bernadette and Howard - maybe they end up with ten kids?  Or Halley becomes an astronaut - only a good one.

The only thing I can think of with Leonard and Penny is having a kid.  Maybe a twist with Penny ending up an Emmy award winning actress playing a Mom on a sitcom?  I can't see the show breaking them up, that would be too depressing.  I'm still upset Mad About You broke up Paul and Jamie.

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Penny, Leonard, Sheldon and Amy move out of the building for whatever contrived reason and as they all leave a repairman comes to fix the elevator.   

Oh, yeah-you know that elevator is getting fixed the day they move out, after they move all the stuff out.

[Snow Apple]

7 minutes ago, Frost said:

 

The only thing I can think of with Leonard and Penny is having a kid.  Maybe a twist with Penny ending up an Emmy award winning actress playing a Mom on a sitcom?  I can't see the show breaking them up, that would be too depressing.  I'm still upset Mad About You broke up Paul and Jamie.

Maybe Stuart will write a sitcom called The Big Bang Theory based on a bunch of wacky people he knows and Penny is cast as Penny.

[CherryAmes]

I'm not sure how I want things to end, I more know what I don't want to happen:  no break-ups for the couples and Raj stays metrosexual not gay.

[Chaos Theory]

2 hours ago, Ivydoom said:

I haven't been watching anymore for some time now but I have kept reading now and then. I used to love this show but at some point it became stale, and also download-rules changed and I just can't bear to sit through commercials taking up as much time as an episode.

I think a fitting ending would be for all of them to go their own ways. Over the course of the season, couples are moving away. I imagine Howard and bernadette will be first. I like the idea for one of them to be offered an awesome position and then relocating there. How and where I don't really care.

The group is sad, but this is where Amy (mostly) and Sheldon (less so) realize they need to start building their own life too. Either or both apply to some university and then move too.

Penny and Leonard are getting really tired of Raj and set him up with someone, or have his parents arrange something. Either way, Raj does fall in love and then follows the woman back to her home (state or country) because a family member of hers she is/was close with has fallen ill.

This leaves Penny and Leonard. Leonard finally realizes how irrational his view of Penny is now with the rest of the gang gone and leaves her. Penny is heartbroken because while she never was smitten with Leonard, she did learn to love him in her own way. Devastated she goes back to acting and that's the last we hear of her.

Flash forward 5 or 10 years and we see Leonard happily married to a beautiful woman with 2.3 beautiful children and a job he loves. Snapshot of other couples show us they are faring well too. Cut to Stuart; he has found a semblance of happiness again in running his comic book store. Last scene: Penny in some horrible commercial.

 

While maybe they have been good with each other for those 12 years, maturing and stuff, it is time to move on or they will stagnate. Within the group, each has a somewhat fixed role and they cannot grow out of that. It wouldn't be realistic for the show to suddenly change group dynamics. So in their particular case, I feel it's the most logical ending to the show. Everyone moves away. The friendships don't necessarily have to end, they can keep in touch through social media and I imagine them trying to see each other plenty but just not quite getting around to it.

Isn't that the finale to How I Met Your Mother?  Like almost word for word.

Maybe have the finale be Amy finding out she is pregnant or having their first kid.    I mean with the tie in with Young Sheldon it makes sense.    

[theredhead77]

I'd like to see the series end on an upbeat note, with some time skips. I don't care if Raj is paired off. I actually like that he's single and having trouble finding someone because it represents a segment of the population who is just that - single with the desire to want to settle down but not able to find that connection.

[LoneHaranguer]

17 hours ago, Frost said:

The only thing I can think of with Leonard and Penny is having a kid.  Maybe a twist with Penny ending up an Emmy award winning actress playing a Mom on a sitcom?

You could put them in the audience when Sheldon & Amy get that Nobel Prize you mentioned. And they get thanked by Sheldon because it's for a String Theory development coming from his discussion with Penny last season, and Leonard, in his role as experimental physicist, was key to proving it out.

17 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Oh, yeah-you know that elevator is getting fixed the day they move out, after they move all the stuff out.

Unlikely, since the guys blew it up.

[greekmom]

20 hours ago, Driad said:

BBT is to end in May 2019.  What would you like to see in the final episodes?

Raj paired off.

Penny's maiden last name.

Penny having a child.

Howard's dad and the reason he left and never contacted Howard.

Leonard getting some type of recognition from Sheldon

The darn elevator fixed.

 

Forgot to add: I would like to see a few more cameos this season: Sir Pat Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Jonathon Frakes... ok basically anyone from TNG they have not shown yet.

Edited August 23, 2018 by greekmom
forgot to add

[sigmaforce86]

18 hours ago, Frost said:

Someone else had an idea for several skips.  One year, five years, ten years, and then maybe 20 years.  No full blown scenes maybe but glimpses into what they're doing.  I want to see Sheldon and Amy's kids and I want the final to be Sheldon and Amy sharing a Noble Prize based on their completely incomprehensible theory they came up with on their wedding day. 

It would be nice if Raj and Stuart could have success and happiness, separately or together.

I don't know where to go with Bernadette and Howard - maybe they end up with ten kids?  Or Halley becomes an astronaut - only a good one.

The only thing I can think of with Leonard and Penny is having a kid.  Maybe a twist with Penny ending up an Emmy award winning actress playing a Mom on a sitcom?  I can't see the show breaking them up, that would be too depressing.  I'm still upset Mad About You broke up Paul and Jamie.

Was it mine from the media thread?  http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7502-the-media-thread-emanation/?page=9&tab=comments#comment-4558160

Apologies if it wasn't, don't want to take credit if it was someone else's post.

Just popped in to see what everyone was saying about the news that S12 is final season and I was thinking - it's sort of nice that so many seem to want to see the characters futures as part of the show ending.   I think it speaks to how many really like the characters and the actors that play them that we want to know how their "lives" end up and what their futures will be.  There really aren't many shows out there that get that level of fan support anymore.  Wish it was one more season; although if it was at the end of S13 I'd probably say I wish there'd be a season 14!  But if there's a good side to the news it's that they have a good amount of time to create a season that wraps things up they way they want instead of being yanked off the air with no closure to current plots or characters future

Edited August 23, 2018 by sigmaforce86

[snarkylady]

Random thoughts here:

final appearances throughout the season from Mary (preferably two), Beverly, Kripke, Wil, Zack, Mrs Davis, Raj's parents (together), Professor Proton (in this case Newhart, not Wheaton), Bernadette's dad, Penny's dad

If there is to be a romantic interest for Raj pick from someone we've already seen, don't introduce a new character. 

however if we do meet a new character I would like it to be Howard's father with Dustin Hoffman in the role

Howard gets his PHD

Business/financial success for Stuart (with a number of appearances from him as well)

[Bort]

How about we find out that Raj's ex, Emily, is a serial killer? Because, wow, she's been really creeping me out in the reruns. I had noticed her fixation with death when the episodes were first run, but it seems a lot worse than I had originally thought.

[greekmom]

1 hour ago, snarkylady said:

Random thoughts here:

If there is to be a romantic interest for Raj pick from someone we've already seen, don't introduce a new character. 

however if we do meet a new character I would like it to be Howard's father with Dustin Hoffman in the role

I agree on both points. My vote would be for the Cuban cleaning lady that works at the university. I really liked that character.

Dustin Hoffman would be PERFECT for Howard's father.

[Zoe]

I’d be perfectly fine with them following up on the hints with Missy—instant family!

Edited August 23, 2018 by Zoe

[roamyn]

IF they have to (re) introduce a character for Raj, I’d like it to be the Vet lady.  They really seemed to hit it off, but then...nothing.  Or an arranged marriage, which is still very common in Indian culture.

Definitely more Mary, Mike, Wyatt, Raj’s dad, Kripke, Leslie, Mrs. Davis, Denise (Stuart’s employee) and more Mary.  I could do w/o Beverly, Penny’s or Raj’s mother,  and Missy.  I think they’ve gone as far as they could w/Zach, too.

oooh, I just thought of something.  The final fade out could be a picture of Mrs. Wolowitz.

Edited August 23, 2018 by roamyn

[Mom x 3]

On 8/22/2018 at 5:10 PM, Frost said:

  I'm still upset Mad About You broke up Paul and Jamie.

Did you know they are going to do a revival of this?

6 hours ago, kariyaki said:

How about we find out that Raj's ex, Emily, is a serial killer? Because, wow, she's been really creeping me out in the reruns. I had noticed her fixation with death when the episodes were first run, but it seems a lot worse than I had originally thought.

She creeped me out the first time around.  That would be a hilarious plot point.  

[chitowngirl]

Do you think we’ll even get Mary with Laurie Metcalf committed to The Connors? And no Leslie Winkle.

[shapeshifter]

16 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

 And no Leslie Winkle.

All y'all will probably hate this, but now I'm picturing a final scene in which the actors are wearing makeup to look 20 years older and Leonard is with Leslie Winkle, Penny is with Sheldon, Amy is with Howard, and Bernadette is with either Raj or Stuart. 

Don't worry, I don't think this is a good idea. It's just where my mind went for a few seconds. If it happened, Sheldon would be dead, and Penny would be doing life without parole.

I'd really rather have a future wedding of one of Howard and Bernadette's kids with another character's.

Edited August 24, 2018 by shapeshifter
Even though Howard and Leonard both end with "ard," they are not the same.

[Zoe]

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Do you think we’ll even get Mary with Laurie Metcalf committed to The Connors? And no Leslie Winkle.

Even before the implosion, I believe the show was going to remain a short season.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 8/22/2018 at 8:56 PM, Ivydoom said:

How? 

This is gonna sound silly but even though I've known about Young Sheldon for a while, it never really hit me Sheldon will become a father. I guess Amy telling Sheldon she's pregnant and Sheldon responding positively to that could be a good series ender. Honestly, quite boring and predictable with Young Sheldon existing..

Young Sheldon is about Sheldon as a child, not about a child of Sheldon's.

Chaos Theory mentioned it because

Spoiler

In one of Jim Parson's adult Sheldon voiceovers at the end of an episode, he mentions having children, so we know they are in his future.

Edited August 24, 2018 by ItCouldBeWorse

[LoneHaranguer]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

All y'all will probably hate this, but now I'm picturing a final scene in which the actors are wearing makeup to look 20 years older and Leonard is with Leslie Winkle, Penny is with Sheldon, Amy is with Leonard, and Bernadette is with either Raj or Stuart. 

Leonard is with both Leslie Winkle and Amy?

[Passing Strange]

59 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Leonard is with both Leslie Winkle and Amy?

I bet it was a typo, but I'd sure love to see that!

Edited August 24, 2018 by Passing Strange

[LoneHaranguer]

32 minutes ago, Passing Strange said:

I bet it was a typo, but I'd sure love to see that!

Neither Leslie nor Amy has respected Leonard, but Penny has said he "really tries" in the bedroom and, unlike her, they're not likely to hold back on giving him direction out of concern for his feelings, so I could see something developing anyway.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Leonard is with both Leslie Winkle and Amy?

43 minutes ago, Passing Strange said:

I bet it was a typo, but I'd sure love to see that!

Heh, yeah. Fixed it because even though Howard and Leonard both end with "ard," they are not interchangeable.

[Crs97]

2 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Neither Leslie nor Amy has respected Leonard, but Penny has said he "really tries" in the bedroom and, unlike her, they're not likely to hold back on giving him direction out of concern for his feelings, so I could see something developing anyway.

She also told him he could drink for “never rocked my girlfriend’s world in bed” so I assume he got better.

[LoneHaranguer]

17 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

She also told him he could drink for “never rocked my girlfriend’s world in bed” so I assume he got better.

Very early on, she called him a genius and he admitted having googled how to do that. Based on Penny's later comments, he didn't stick with what worked, with mixed results, but she gave him credit for his success(s). Is he still googling, or reading Sheldon's issues of Cosmo?

[MissLucas]

Add me to the list of people who would like a follow-up on Howard's father (and his half-brother) before the show ends. 

I would also like to see Raj finally finding love and Stuart being successful as an artist. All the other characters seem to be on a good trajectory with the exception of Penny - she's never shown a big interest in motherhood so I think 'Penny having a kid' a bit of lazy writing. I wish she'd become a kick-ass producer for sci-fi movies. She and Leonard can still have kids but I would find it hilarious that after  all those years of being exposed to all the genre stuff she'd finally find a way to make it work for her.

[lorbeer]

In the end I'd like to find out Penny's last name ;)

[displayname]

It could turn out it was all a part of Beverly's latest book.

[BlossomCulp]

Funny though some of these suggestions are I really hope they don't do anything like that.  Just wrap things up with a happy ending for everyone and let us leave the gang with a smile on our faces.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 8/26/2018 at 10:45 AM, BlossomCulp said:

Just wrap things up with a happy ending for everyone and let us leave the gang with a smile on our faces.

Does it have to be an "ending" episode? Too often that translates into a parting-of-the-ways, which isn't too happy, regardless of how much good news they throw at the characters. I'd rather see something that says that these friends are in a good place, getting better for some, and things will go on, even if we won't see it; maybe fade out on them starting in on some Chinese food.

[Sarah 103]

I'm always dissapointed they had Penny leave acting instead of doing voice-work in video games. It would have opened up some fun plotlines like Penny getting inside info on new games or running into celebrities into the recording studio. 

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I'm always dissapointed they had Penny leave acting instead of doing voice-work in video games. It would have opened up some fun plotlines like Penny getting inside info on new games or running into celebrities into the recording studio. 

I too had hope Penny might find her way in the entertainment industry — even if not actually acting — but I'm okay now with having Penny represent the vast majority of young people who go to Hollywood to be actors and don't "make it," but do manage to carve out a life for themselves in other ways.

[CherryAmes]

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I too had hope Penny might find her way in the entertainment industry — even if not actually acting — but I'm okay now with having Penny represent the vast majority of young people who go to Hollywood to be actors and don't "make it," but do manage to carve out a life for themselves in other ways.

This is one of the things I really like about BBT.  Most wannabe actors don't make it, or certainly don't have the kind of success they dream of having when they head for Hollywood.  I thought it was very realistic that they showed that Penny was capable of acting,possibly even acting well, but she just never got the breaks.

[shapeshifter]

My wish for the last season is that it be great enough to get them one more Emmy.
I realize that's unlikely--old shows that had plenty of Emmys in their younger years don't get Emmys. 
But the last 2 years it has really made a comeback with a few episodes that were even better than the early seasons (like the Shamy wedding) precisely because it's an old show with established characters.

[MaryMitch]

18 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My wish for the last season is that it be great enough to get them one more Emmy.
I realize that's unlikely--old shows that had plenty of Emmys in their younger years don't get Emmys. 
But the last 2 years it has really made a comeback with a few episodes that were even better than the early seasons (like the Shamy wedding) precisely because it's an old show with established characters.

Mayim Bialik deserves an Emmy! It's time!