Posted in: CBS, Paramount+, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: big bang theory, cbs, preview, tbbt, Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon: Jim Parsons Shares What Convinced Him to Return

Jim Parsons shared what it was that convinced him to return in front of the camera as Sheldon Cooper for the Young Sheldon series finale.

This Thursday brings the two-episode, one-hour season finale of CBS's Young Sheldon, with "Funeral" & "Memoir" set to bring "The Big Bang Theory" series to an end after seven seasons. To honor the occasion, series narrator & executive producer Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik are reprising their roles as Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler – with some early looks at their return released last week. Describing the experience of reprising their roles as "really special, actually," Parsons shared during an interview with PEOPLE what it was that convinced him to return in front of the camera as Sheldon one more time. "I felt a slight hesitancy when they first asked, just as I thought, I don't really want to go revisit the character. But the way that they wrote it in was I thought so beautiful that it ended up being like this little extra coda or whatever to my experience with the character," Parsons shared. "It was this gift of a second layer of losing it out in a way that I had never seen coming, and it was a real treat." Along with the two preview clips waiting for you above, here's a look at the image gallery for the series finale that was released (followed by a behind-the-scenes featurette that sees the cast discussing the series and its final chapters):

And here's a look at the cast behind "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff prequel series previewing what's still to come with the one-hour, two-episode series finale on May 16th:

Series star Iain Armitage and Parsons checked in via Armitage's social media last week to tease the series-ender. In the video below, Armitage says that he's heard that there's a filter that shows you what you look like when you get older – and from there, it cuts to Parsons offering his thoughts on how well it worked:

@iainarm Did I do this right? #filter #bigbangtheory #youngsheldon #jimparsons #fyp #fypシ゚viral @Young Sheldon ♬ original sound – Iain Armitage

Young Sheldon: Parsons on Sheldon Return; Michael Keaton Fan-Casting

Checking in with Jimmy Fallon on NBC's The Tonight Show last month, Parsons shared what it was like for him and Bialik to return to their popular roles – and how it was different from the TBBT days. But first, Fallon had Parsons address the recent fan-casting that would have Michael Keaton playing an older Sheldon – based on side-by-side images of Keaton when he was a boy and Armitage.

"It is interesting. There's definitely a resemblance. The one thing I will say is Michael Keaton – that really looks like Michael Keaton still, doesn't it?" Parsons noted. But if anyone was a fan of Fallon's idea of Keaton actually playing an older Sheldon in a series, don't get your hopes up. "Let me tell you this: I doubt that's going to happen. But I would be so excited to have Michael Keaton added to the lineage of Sheldon portrayers. I would be amazed," Parsons added. "I've admired that man my entire life, starting with 'Mr. Mom. I mean, what a great guy. He's a wonderful actor."

As for his & Bialik's recent return to the TBBT universe, Parsons shared that it took a bit more than either of them was expecting to tap into their inner Sheldon and Amy. "The only thing that was weird was the first time she and I got on set, we did our first rehearsal, and it was like, 'huh.' And we were walking back to the dressing room and she goes, 'I really thought I'd feel more confident.' And that nails it. I don't know what it is. It wasn't like riding a bike; it was like, 'Oh! Ah! God!'" Parsons shared, joking that it initially "felt weird,"  but that you then "get into it and it was really nice."

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