Jim Parsons Talks ‘Big Bang Theory’ Sequel & ‘Young Sheldon’ Finale

Jim Parsons recently said goodbye to Sheldon Cooper for a second time as Young Sheldon aired its series finale on May 16, but he isn’t entirely closing the door on the beloved character.

Speaking with E! News in a recent interview, Parsons was asked what it would take for him to reprise the role of Sheldon. “Reincarnation,” he quipped. “Next lifetime.”

However, while the Emmy-winning actor has put Sheldon on the shelf for now, he did say, “Never say never to anything. Life is long, God-willing, but I don’t think so.”

Parsons portrayed the quirky theoretical physicist across 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory from 2007 to 2019, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.

He went on to serve as narrator for the prequel series Young Sheldon, in which Iain Armitage played the child prodigy version of Sheldon. Parsons reprised his role for the recent series finale, where Sheldon and his wife Amy (Mayim Bialik) appeared in a flash-forward, set a few years after The Big Bang Theory.

“It was very special to do that,” Parsons told E! News about stepping back into the role. “The feeling today is kind of odd. It’s the second time now because when we ended The Big Bang Theory it felt like this too, a little bit different, but you shoot that final episode and it’s wrapped for you. And then a couple of months later it wraps for the rest of the world and it’s a very weird feeling to flood over you again like that.”

The show’s executive producer, Steve Holland, previously told Deadline they’d always wanted Parsons and Bialik in the series finale.

“As we got to the finale, I think Chuck Lorre had pitched the idea of bringing back Mayim and Jim, which was really exciting and so much fun,” he said. “But then it was like a balancing act for us. We wanted to make sure that we honored this cast and not let adult Sheldon and Amy dominate the last episode.”

He added, “I’m really happy with the balance we found. I think that Jim and Mayim are in it a great amount, but I think the Cooper family still gets their moment to shine.”

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