This Is The Exact Moment The Big Bang Theory Jumped The Shark

When you put "The Big Bang Theory" under a microscope, you'll find the real enemy may be time itself. It's possible the series simply lasted too long. At a certain point, perhaps it had no choice but to stretch the narrative beyond the scope of that original, established premise of socially awkward friends navigating life together. 

In that regard, shark-jumping aside, it's important to celebrate the infusion of new cast members that occurred — they're the ones who prevented the original characters from falling into stagnant caricatures, particularly the stubborn Sheldon. Amy's love and patience changed Sheldon for the better, which helped him be less selfish, more empathetic, and even more social within his growing friend group. This ultimately paid off in the series finale, when he took time out of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to individually thank each of his friends. In the end, Sheldon (and Jim Parsons, whose decision to leave ended "The Big Bang Theory" after 12 seasons) grew up and put his comic book collection away. 

If this were real life and real people, the progression of familial events depicted on "The Big Bang Theory" would be positive and believable. On TV, though, it's the straw that broke the eopie's back. Longtime viewers of the accomplished series still tuned in post-shark jump, though they can't deny it wasn't the same show anymore. Action figures were traded for baby dolls, video game consoles for cribs. Just as in life, if a series lasts this long, change is inevitable — and, perhaps, so is jumping the shark.

In the end, at least some nerdy bones of the original series remained. And looking back, fans can always fondly recall that it all started with a big bang.