It was a little shocking that CBS decided to bring "The Big Bang Theory" to an end . . . because no matter how expensive it was to pay the cast, it's still a highly-rated show. But now, it's starting to make sense.
"Entertainment Weekly" says that JIM PARSONS wanted out . . . and the producers decided there wasn't a show without Dr. Sheldon Cooper.
There's no word why he wanted out, but the upcoming season will be his 12TH YEAR doing the show . . . so he may have just wanted to do something different.
It reportedly did NOT have to do with money. He's making $1 million-plus an episode . . . and the two-season renewal that CBS was trying to negotiate could've paid him more than $50 million.
That's why CBS said that the show would be brought to an end for "creative reasons." They didn't want to try to do it without him.
Jim did post a long message on Instagram. He didn't address wanting to leave . . . but he said he was grateful to the cast, crew, writers, and fans of the show.