'The Big Bang Theory' to end in May

And that — bazinga! — is a wrap: "The Big Bang Theory" will end in 2019 with its 12th season, and with a total of 279 episodes, a record for a multicamera sitcom.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the producers and CBS said, “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of 'The Big Bang Theory' during the past 12 seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring 'The Big Bang Theory' to an epic creative close.”

This final season will begin Sept. 24. A series finale date was not set although it will air during the May sweeps.  

In a recent interview with website TVLine, showrunner Steve Holland, indicated that the end was more or less near. "Until I hear differently, yes," he told the website. "I know we have next season [the 12th], but I don't know what happens beyond that." Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady are executive producers and head writers.

Before the 10th season, "The Big Bang Theory" had gotten a two-year extension and, at the time, that was believed to be the last deal. The series' end was dictated to a large degree by costs, which had gotten stratospheric. Each of the top five cast members makes $900,000 per episode.

CBS and Warner Bros. also seemed to have had their eye on a record: At 279 episodes, "TBBT" will end as the longest-running multicamera (that is, filmed before a live audience) TV comedy. "Cheers" ended in 1993 at 275 episodes; "Friends" in 2004, a mere 236.

"The Big Bang Theory" has been both durable and hugely popular. Indeed, that popularity has barely flagged over the past seven or so seasons, even as network TV viewing has dropped precipitously. The show attracts on average 19 million viewers per episode, which is remarkable in a TV world now defined by a "live plus 7" rating that determines how many people view something online.

The series has also been accorded a measure of respect — also quite a feat in the multicam one world that long ago fell out of step with prevailing tastes in Hollywood. Its science is carefully considered (four of the characters work at Caltech). David Saltzberg, a physics PhD from UCLA, is series consultant, while star Mayim Bialik also has a PhD in neuroscience. The ABC's of String theory and quantum mechanics get a regular airing. Stephen Hawking, who died in March and who appeared on the series a handful of times, conferred a certain dignity on a fundamentally undistinguished enterprise — network television comedy. "The Big Bang Theory" did not squander those opportunities, and Hawking's appearances were almost always accorded national news stories.

As CBS accurately noted in the farewell news release, "In addition to centering many of its episodes in the worlds of science and technology, 'The Big Bang Theory' enjoys a healthy appreciation and support from the scientific community at large, including having a bee species (Euglossa bazinga), a jellyfish species (Bazinga rieki) and a monkey at the Columbus Zoo (Dr. Sheldon Cooper) named in the show’s honor."

Each of the main cast members — Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch — will return for the final season.

By Verne J Gay

Verne.Gay@newsday.com@vernejgay

Verne J Gay is the television critic