‘The Big Bang Theory’ Fans Join Leonard and Penny’s Debate Over Having Kids

During this week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory, Leonard and Penny started talking about expanding their own family, hinting at a possible baby during the show’s final season. Fans at home joined in on the debate on Twitter during the episode.

In “The Procreation Calculation,” Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) got to thinking about having a baby after hearing about Raj’s (Kunal Nayyar) marriage questionnaire. Raj has decided to let his father try to arrange a marriage for him.

In the very final scene, Penny gives Leonard a surprise: she rented the Batmobile for him!

Before the season kicked off, The Big Bang Theory showrunner Steve Holland promised that the two will finally “tackle the question of whether or not” Penny and Leonard want to have kids.

After the questionnaire, Penny realizes she does not want to have children, but Leonard does. At one point, Penny told Leonard she did not want children, which appeared to annoy Leonard. But in the end, Leonard told Penny there are a lot of things he has today he never thought he would have, including a wife like Penny. However, Penny’s father called and wondered why she did not want to have kids.

Fans at home joined Leonard and Penny’s debate. Some also wondered why the show had not touched on this subject yet.

Others are really confused about why Leonard and Penny are married at all, which is a running joke in the show.

Another viewer wanted to know why Penny and Leonard did not discuss this before they got married.

Holland also said Raj’s “search for life will definitely play a big role this season.” It already has though, and dominated the season’s premiere episode. At the end of the episode, Raj told Leonard and Penny he plans to get married, and said his father has already found a woman for him: Anu, who works in hospitality management.

“So, as long as I can get through six to 10 dates without revealing my true self… this is happening,” Raj told his friends.

This season is the last chance for Leonard and Penny to have a baby, and Raj to get married. Before the new season kicked off, Warner Bros., Chuck Lorre and CBS all announced the 12th season will be the show’s last.

“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close,” WBTV and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a statement.

The network and the producers were reportedly in talks to renew the show for two more years, but when Jim Parsons said he was not planning to re-sign, they chose to end the show.

“It is hard (nearly impossible, actually) to really accept that this is a picture of the first of the final 24 episodes we will shoot for The Big Bang Theory. I feel very fortunate that we have another 23 episodes to shoot this season because I am hopeful that with each and every one, my level of REALLY accepting this fact will sink in,” Parsons wrote in a long statement on Instagram.

“Something else I feel grateful for — and this gratitude needs no time to ‘sink in’ or become more ‘realized:’ this grateful feeling is always with me but is multiplied in this moment of us announcing our final season — but I feel such intense gratitude for our devoted viewers who are the ACTUAL reason we have been graced with the opportunity to explore these characters for 12 years of our lives,” Parsons said.

New episodes of The Big Bang Theory air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo credit: CBS