Jim Parsons reveals he'll reprise The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper

While it may not be everyone's bag, there's no denying the popularity of “The Big Bang Theory” and its spin-off “Young Sheldon.” Both had ridiculously long runs that defied the norms of the streaming era, where shows were lucky to run for three short seasons. A large part of what keeps these titles loyal is the love audiences have for Sheldon Cooper, portrayed by Jim Parsons. But with both shows now in the books, would Parsons consider returning as Sheldon?

And! News asked Parsons what it would take to get him to continue on the “Big Bang Theory” sequel following his cameo in the series finale of “Young Sheldon,” which aired on CBS in May 2024. The actor blurted out “reincarnation” before adding “next life” to end his comment. He did so with a laugh before explaining his position a bit with the following:

“Look, never say never. Long life, God willing. But I don't think so.”

Parsons is very good in the role of Sheldon. It's not hard to see why. The series finale of “The Big Bang Theory” aired in 2019. For those characters. While everyone else moved on to other acting endeavors, Parsons remained the narrator and executive producer on “Young Sheldon” in this universe. After all, this role dominated his career for nearly two decades. It's a gift most actors don't know, but spend a long time doing some version of the same thing.

Again, Parsons takes a “never say never” approach here. Who knows what he will look like in a few years? Maybe the right idea will come. An entire dump truck can be returned to your home by CBS. For now, Parsons understandably wants to pursue other things. Meanwhile, CBS can focus on this universe's latest spin-off, “Georgie & Mandy's First Wedding.”

There's also the possibility that CBS could do a spin-off focusing on an older Sheldon. The Internet recently pointed out that Oscar winner Michael Keaton looked like an older version of the character. Maybe “Old Sheldon” is in the cards? Maybe not with Keaton, but someone for sure. It's not hard to see the pitch.

For Parsons, we're looking at an actor who played Sheldon in more than 400 episodes of television dating back to 2007. He had to say goodbye to the character not once but twice. Speaking in the same interview, he explained how it's a little different.

“It was very special to do that. Feeling weird today, you know? This is the second time, because when we finished The Big Bang Theory, it felt like this. A little different. You shoot that final episode, and it's wrapped up for you, and then two months later, it goes out into the rest of the world, and it's a very strange feeling to have it flood back at you.”

“The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon” are both streaming on Max.