The Big Bang Theory cast shares emotional photos of final table read

It may have all started with the big bang, but it’s ending with a lot of tears.

The Big Bang Theory had its final table read today, which means the entire cast sat down and read through the script of the last ever episode of the series before they move on to filming it. And things got, well, emotional.

Much of the cast shared images on social media commemorating this first step in saying goodbye to the long-running CBS sitcom — and the common denominator was tissues, tears, and hugs.

Kaley Cuoco, who has portrayed Penny on all 12 seasons of the show, seemed particularly emotional. She began by teasing the final read with a photo of the last page of the script bearing the words, “End of Series.” The caption expressed her distress at coming to this emotional moment, reading, “Yea, didn’t sleep.”

The actress shared multiple images from the table read, including one of her in the immediate aftermath clutching her script in tears. “Post table read for @bigbangtheory_cbs finale episode,” she captioned.

Cuoco also shared a shot of her script absolutely covered with used tissues, hinting at the emotional finale to come. She wrote, “Prepare yourselves … for a finale that has truly given me a loss for words ❤️ Our whole universe …. @bigbangtheory_cbs.”

Cuoco wasn’t the only to get emotional about the reading. Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard, shared a photo on his Instagram story of him sitting on the stairs outside his character’s apartment looking rather forlorn. Slightly more recent additions to the cast, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, who both joined the series in the third season as potential love interests, were also visibly emotional on their social media pages.

Prior to the read, Rauch shared a group shot of their cast, writers, and more just moments before the table read officially began. “About to go into our table read for the series finale written by this group of geniuses ~ AKA: the heart and soul of @bigbangtheory_cbs ?,” she wrote. “People often ask what the secret is behind the success of the show…well, it’s no secret…it’s the sheer brilliance of these incredible minds. Love them all so very much.”

Rauch later posted a black and white image of the core cast sharing a group hug, which she revealed was their traditional pre-show huddle. “Just because I haven’t flooded my face with enough tears during/after today’s final @bigbangtheory_cbs table read…here’s a pic of our pre-show huddle last night,” she wrote. “I was always picked last for every team as a kid, so getting to be a part of a huddle ~ let alone this particular huddle has been extra special. I‘ll forever cherish these moments with my TBBT brothers and sisters.”

Bialik shared a tribute to Rauch in particular, calling out their status as the season three newbies and posting a photo of the two of them together at the table read. In her caption, Bialik also wittily referenced Rauch’s 2016 film The Bronze, which Rauch co-wrote and starred in.

“This lady and I have been through a lot together as the new kids on the block of season 3 of @bigbangtheory_cbs,” Bialik wrote. “We have cried together and laughed together and raised kids on a set together. I couldn’t have made it without her with any semblance of sanity. Thank you @themelissarauch for being you. You’re so much more than @thebronzemovie to me. You’re solid gold.”

The final table read traditionally marks the beginning of the end for a series, so while the tears were freely flowing here, we imagine this won’t be the last emotional moment as The Big Bang Theory prepares to say goodbye after twelve seasons — hopefully, they’ll go out with a bang.

The Big Bang Theory hour-long series finale airs May 16 on CBS.

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