The ending of Chuck Lorre’s last hit sitcom beforeThe Big Bang Theorymakes it all the more impressive that he managed to stick the landing withBig Bang’s series finale. Before co-creatingThe Big Bang Theorywith Bill Prady, Lorre had co-createdTwo and a Half Menwith Lee Aronsohn. Throughout the mid-to-late 2000s and early 2010s,Two and a Half MenandThe Big Bang Theorywere the two biggest sitcoms on the air. They even had a huge audience overseas in the days before streaming, which was practically unheard of.
NeitherTwo and a Half MennorThe Big Bang Theorywere ever critical darlings, but their ratings were huge. As with any popular series,it was always going to be tough for Lorre and his respective teams to come up with a satisfying way to endTwo and a Half MenandThe Big Bang Theory. But whereasTwo and a Half Menwent drastically downhill and ended with a terrible finale,The Big Bang Theorymanaged to end on a high noteand remains a thriving franchise of its own.
Two And A Half Men’s Awful Finale Shows How Difficult It Was For TBBT To Stick The Landing
Two And A Half Men Has One Of The Most Baffling Endings In TV History
After 12 seasons (eight with Charlie Sheen and four with his replacement, Ashton Kutcher),Two and a Half Menfinally ended its run with a 40-minute series finale: season 12, episodes 15 and 16, “Of Course He’s Dead.”The finale reveals that Charlie — who had previously been killed off in a gruesome and vindictive way — is actually alive, and has been getting tortured for four years. The finale proceeds to treat its audience the same way, insulting the viewers who stuck around during the show’s decline. It’s more interested in rehashing Lorre’s feud with Sheen than actually ending the story.
Two and a Half Menaired its final episode on July 02, 2025, andThe Big Bang Theoryaired its final episode on July 05, 2025.
TheTwo and a Half Menfinale was a bitter disappointment, and it has since soured the show’s legacy. It was once the most beloved sitcom on TV, but now, it’s tough to rewatch, because it goes so far off the rails and culminates in a weirdly meta, mean-spirited finale.That finale showed how difficult it would be for Lorre to end his other hit sitcom in a satisfactory manner— and how easily a bad finale could tank the entire enterprise. That makes it all the more impressive, then, thatThe Big Bang Theorymanaged to deliver a great finale.
The Big Bang Theory Succeeded Where Two And A Half Men Failed In Many Ways
The Big Bang Theory’s Finale Provided All The Closure & Fan Service That Two And A Half Men’s Ending Avoided
TheTwo and a Half Menfinale was so preoccupied with reopening old wounds and getting one last dig at Sheen that it forgot to serve the fans who kept the show on the air for so long. It brings back fan-favorite characters like Jake and Berta, but it doesn’t leave them in a good place like allthe best series finalesdo.The Big Bang Theory’s finale, on the other hand — season 12, episode 24, “The Stockholm Syndrome” — dedicates its entire runtime to serving those fansand leaving the characters in a good place.
Unlike the Two and a Half Men finale, The Big Bang Theory’s finale was a love letter to fans and a satisfying ending, and it’s allowed the franchise to thrive in the years since.
It sees Sheldon and Amy receiving a Nobel Prize, andPenny finding out she’s pregnant. This storyline gives Sheldon and Amy the professional recognition they’ve always wanted and sets up a bright future for Penny and Leonard. It culminates in Sheldon using his acceptance speech to tell his friends how much they mean to him. Unlike theTwo and a Half Menfinale,The Big Bang Theory’s finale was a love letter to fans and a satisfying ending, and it’s allowed the franchise to thrive in the years since, with a successful spin-off (and another one on the way).
The Big Bang Theory
Cast
The Big Bang Theory: This sitcom follows a group of socially awkward scientists and their interactions with each other and the people around them. Centered on physicists Sheldon and Leonard, the series humorously explores friendship, romance, and the quirks of life among an eclectic group of academics.
