‘Big Bang Theory’: Expect Sheldon Cooper’s Character To Change Post Season Finale

The Big Bang Theory may be seven seasons in, but, creatively, the hit CBS show, starring Jim Parsons, is still firing on all cylinders.

The season seven finale of Big Bang Theory, its most watched finale to date according to Hitfix.com, focused mainly on Sheldon Cooper, played by the aforementioned Parsons. Sheldon’s world hit a colossal breaking point as several life events came to a head in this one episode. It forced Parsons’ character to re-evaluate everything and make a decision that left viewers chomping at the bit for what comes next.

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead]

First, his longtime roommate Leonard, played by Johnny Galecki, announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco. This prompted Leonard to request that Sheldon Cooper move out of their apartment. Then Sheldon’s university told him that they were not allowing him to change his area of study, forcing Parsons’ character to have to stick with something he’s no longer interested in. Finally, Cooper’s beloved comic book store burned to the ground.

Recently, The Big Bang Theory‘s Executive Producer Steve Molaro phoned into Entertainment Weekly Radio to chat about the show’s much-talked-about finale, which was awarded EW‘s Season Finale Award for “Best Serious Moment”.

“We talked about it for a little while and we thought it would be interesting to systematically chip away at Sheldon,” Molaro told EW. “Break him down to the point where he just needed to leave to process everything.”

As for the Leonard and Penny relationship and how it will affect Sheldon going forward, Molaro expects Jim’s character to change, citing that all the characters in the show have undergone some form of growth as The Big Bang Theory has progressed over time:

“If you look at the history of the show over the past several years, they’ve all changed quite a bit. It’s a slow change and that’s how we like to do it, but everybody has really grown. Sheldon, Penny, Leonard…So I think everyone’s making growth in their own way. Our goal is usually to have the characters grow, but have them still be the characters.”

He also hinted that Jim’s character, despite how rigid and unemotional Parsons plays him sometimes, is capable of human emotion: “[Sheldon’s] a work in progress. Sometimes, moments of humanity sneak out,” Molaro said in the interview.

Overall, plans for season eight of The Big Bang Theory are still up in the air according to Molaro, as the writer’s have yet to assemble for future plotting. So at the moment, Steve had this to say of Jim Parsons’ beloved alter ego:

“We’re not back yet. We go back in a couple of weeks. So for now [Sheldon Cooper] is off riding the rails like a hobo [laughs]”

The Big Bang Theory returns this fall on CBS.