Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell

"Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell" is the retrospective special episode of the twelfth season and the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It aired on May 16, 2019, following the series finale.

Summary[]

In the special, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco lead fans on a trip down memory lane, sharing some of the best-kept backstage secrets and personal memories from the past 12 years. They reveal their favorite moments playing beloved characters Leonard and Penny and revisit some of the best episodes of "The Big Bang Theory Stage." In addition, the special features a tour of the iconic sets, including Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. This special farewell includes unforgettable clips and interviews to celebrate this beloved series.^[1]

Trivia[]

The production code for this farewell special is T12.16026.
The farewell can be considered where Leonard and his friends move to houses from The Apartment Building, as seen once the lights in the apartment shut down.
Neither the Cheesecake Factory nor Caltech appear in this episode, likely due to having made their last appearance in the 2nd last episode.

Quotes[]

Himself - Host: I remember when word came down that she had passed, we gathered around here, everybody, and just told stories about Carol Ann...

Herself - Host: I mean, she... yeah.

Himself - Host: And cried a bit and laughed a lot. And then, uh, executive producer Steve Molaro and I went to Props and asked them to print up this photo of her. So she's been in every... every episode.

Herself - Host: Every episode. Everyone loved her so much.

Herself - Host: Every show night, Johnny and I have walked to this rail, climbed ourselves up, and thanked our studio audience for their love and support of this show.

Himself - Host: But tonight, we want to thank you, the audience at home, without whom none of this would be possible. You kept us here for over a decade in a job we absolutely adore.

Herself - Host: So we want to take you behind the scenes of our very special show, "The Big Bang", share some secrets, some special moments, and we say goodbye... [choking up] ...to a place that's been our home for a long time.

Himself - Host: This is Stage 25 on the Warner Bros. lot in exotic Burbank, California. Earlier this year, it was officially renamed The Big Bang Theory Stage. I think it's only the fifth stage in the history of Warner Brothers that's been named after a show, right?

Herself - Host: That was a really special day.

Himself - Host: That was a good day.

Herself - Host: Our week starts on Wednesdays. That's our... table reads.

Himself - Host: We gather around a big table and read it aloud for the first time.

Herself - Host: And do you read yours right when you get it Tuesday nights?

Himself - Host: Immediately, yeah, out of respect for the writers. We're aware of the weeks, if not months, of hard work they put in the script, and we're gonna show up and read it cold?

Herself - Host: I read it cold every week.

Himself - Host: [laughing] That's not true.

Herself - Host: That's a 100 percent true.

[The series' last lines]

Narrator: Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state, then nearly fourteen-billion years ago expansion started, wait. The Earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool, Neanderthals developed tools, we built a wall (we built the pyramids), math, science, history, unraveling the mystery, that all started with the big bang. [fade to black]