“Wouldn’t Do That Again”: Jim Parsons Reveals The Harsh Truth About The Big Bang Theory’s Experience

Jim Parsons has some sad revelations about his experience being in The Big Bang Theory.

It has been seven years since The Big Bang Theory ended on CBS with a special two-part finale. Despite its uneven final season, which was dominated by Sheldon’s story, it wrapped in a satisfying way. It saw Sheldon ultimately reach his dreams of winning the Nobel Prize in Physics, while Leonard and Penny announced their pregnancy. Despite some flaws, it was easy to appreciate the way it said goodbye to the Pasadena gang, considering the rarity of good endings these days.

Still, The Big Bang Theory continues to be popular, hence the ongoing campaign for its reboot — something that started not long after it went off the air. The Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady-created series could likely have remained on the air for a couple of more years, considering its ratings when it ended. Instead, Parsons’ decision to move on from The Big Bang Theory after season 12 convinced the rest of the cast to wrap it up with a complete ensemble.

Now, Parsons is looking back at this time playing the beloved Sheldon in All Out with Jon Dean and admits that he was deeply miserable during the time he was in The Big Bang Theory. This was despite the show being extremely popular, leading to the cast being the highest-paid actors on TV at that time, earning $1 million per episode. Parsons adds that he won’t be subjecting himself to that kind of experience again, regardless of the salary. Read his full quote below:

“I look back now and realize that there were many ways, at some of the best moments of my life, I was miserable. I was not happy. I was stressed.

“I felt that there was so many plates I was supposed to be keeping in the air and that the success and the good things of life that were happening were only due to this overworking … discipline and whatever. And maybe to a degree that was true. I don’t know.”

“I can’t say, because that’s how I was. But I wouldn’t do that again and for any amount of money … just because it was stressful and miserable at times. I made myself miserable.”

While The Big Bang Theory and other multi-camera comedies tend to be looked down on, there was a lot of work that went into doing the series. For starters, as a network show, the production schedule was rigorous. Not only were the cast and crew working long hours for months, they also had to produce 20–24 episodes a season, which is very rare these days. That said, it’s understandable that Parsons felt the weight of the series more than his castmates, considering how specific Sheldon had to be played.

The way the character was written demanded a more precise performance from Parsons, because he was so unique. It was also a tricky one to pull off, considering that he could have easily been just a one-dimensional genius jerk, which would be detrimental to The Big Bang Theory in general. However, since Parsons played the part with pinpoint accuracy, Sheldon worked. Somehow, he was annoying, but viewers still felt very protective of him, which made him such a special character.

This doesn’t take away from the performances of the rest of the sitcom’s cast, as Sheldon couldn’t have done it on his own. However, it’s also only fair to acknowledge the weight of Parsons’ responsibility to The Big Bang Theory because of how prominent his character was. It will be interesting, however, to learn what his former castmates think about their experience being in the sitcom, especially now that a bit of time has passed since it ended.