'Big Bang Theory' Drops 41 Percent in Ratings, 'Young Sheldon' Takes a Bigger Tumble

Both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon took massive falls in the Monday night TV ratings, based on the recently revealed numbers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Big Bang Theory's season 12 premiere dropped about 41 percent in the ratings from its season 11 premiere, and Young Sheldon fell even further.

The Big Bang Theory spinoff's season two premiere dropped about 55 percent from its series debut in 2017.

Notably, the new season of Big Bang Theory is also its last, so the drop off in viewers could be due to fans who are just putting off having to accept that this really is the beginning of the end.

During a recent interview with THR, Big Bang Theory showrunner Steve Holland opened up about why they made the decision to end the show at this point.

"We all knew going into this season that there was a chance it could be the end. The cast's deals were up and it had been a long time. So, they came together and they had a discussion about it and I think people had different opinions about it but ultimately, everyone felt like this was a good time to end it and end it strong," he explained.

"Everyone was involved in it. I was emotional," Holland continued. The show has been a big part of people's lives, and the decision to bring it to a close was a difficult one."

He also addressed the rumors that the show's ending "ultimately was going to be up to Jim" due to the popularity of his character, Sheldon Cooper," saying he could not "confirm" that specific notion.

"I think different people in the cast felt differently about whether they were ready to end it or to move on, but I think ultimately everyone agreed that 12 years and becoming the longest-running multicam in history was a big accomplishment. And everyone wanted to end on top," Holland admitted. "To us, the show is that whole group of people and if any part of that was going to go away, we didn't want to keep doing it."

The showrunner then went on to confess that the plan to end the show really "didn't impact" their previous plans for the season.

"It was early enough in the season that we hadn't written that much. I don't want this whole season to feel like one long farewell," Holland said. "Our goal is to make a really strong, really funny season, and then also find a way to end it in a way that seems satisfying. But it's nice to actually have the time to do that."

"It would have been hard, I think, if we'd found out in February or March that it was the end and with only a few episodes left to go [in terms of the writing process," he went on to say. "This really lets us take our time and plan things out in a way that we don't always do."

The Big Bang Theory will assume its regular weekly time-slot on Thursday, Sept. 27 on CBS.