'The Big Bang Theory' to have a traditional sitcom ending, characters to live on

The popular American sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', which made history as TV's longest-running sitcom, is just a few episodes away from its series finale. But, just in case you were worried about how the show will end, the CBS comedy is not going to kill off the beloved characters, unlike a lot of other shows that might do it.

The show is instead sticking to the more traditional sitcom ending, allowing the characters lives to continue normally.

"I will say the one thing about how they've approached the whole season: When we learned that this was to be the last season...writers have approached it, not so much as the show is wrapping up and we'll never see them again and the finality of it all. It's going to be the last episode and it's going to end, but people's lives still go on," Director Mark Cedrowski said during a panel at Deadline's The Contenders Emmys.

"The characters will be giving the idea that their lives continue on. It's not going to be an atomic bomb where things blow up and you never see anybody again," Mark added.

Mark also revealed that the finale hadn't been totally written, but has been outlined. So theoretically, anything could happen. One thing that is not happening any time soon is another spinoff, or at least one involving Raj.

Actor Kunal Nayyar, who plays the role of Raj Koothrappali, said he is ready to move on and explore new opportunities.

"I'm taking those cargo pants and burning them. I need a little bit of a break, as much as I'd miss playing that character. I'm ready to move onto different things now," he said.

When E! News spoke to actor Kaley Cuoco, who also features on the show, she explained that the series finale will be shot a little differently from the typical episodes, which are filmed mostly in front of an actual audience.

"We're actually going to re-shoot the whole thing, so we'll have shot it, and then we will have an audience taping," she said.

"That was probably because they knew I'd be crying the entire time. So we still want the audience experience...so we're gonna still do the audience, but we will have taped it and shot it beforehand, so if the tears come unexpectedly, then that's just what's going to happen because I guarantee you it's going to happen," Kaley added.

'The Big Bang Theory' airs on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on CBS. The one-hour finale will premiere on May 16.

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the show premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. In March 2017, the series was renewed for two additional seasons, bringing its total to twelve.

The show originally centred on the lives of socially awkward physicists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, who take a wild turn when the beautiful and free-spirited Penny moves in next door.

The series stars Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch. It has earned 52 Emmy nominations and 10 wins during its run.