'The Big Bang Theory​' To End This Season

BURBANK, CA — The long run of "The Big Bang Theory," one of the most successful sitcoms of the last decade, will come to an end after this season, Warner Bros. Television announced Wednesday.

The actors playing Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Raj and Penny, were back together this week to begin filming the final season, which will air Sept. 24.

"We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of `The Big Bang Theory' during the past 12 seasons," according to a statement from Warner Bros., CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions. "We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show's success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring `The Big Bang Theory' to an epic close."

The last episode will be the 279th for the hit comedy.

Actress Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny, told fans they weren't the only ones crying over the show's end Wednesday.

The series "has been a dream come true and as life changing as it gets," she wrote in Instagram.`No matter when it was going to end, my heart would have always been broken in two, she wrote. "Drowning in tears, we promise to bring you the best season yet."

She thanked the fans and producers of the show and added, "We are goin out with a bang."

The show, which follows the lives of four socially awkward Caltech scientists and the women who learn to love them, debuted in 2007. It has won 10 Emmy Awards, including four lead actor prizes for Jim Parsons in 2014. But despite consistently high ratings, the show never won for best comedy series.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 18: The cast and crew of 'The Big Bang Theory' accept the Favorite Network TV Comedy award onstage during the People's Choice Awards 2017 at Microsoft Theater on January 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for People's Choice Awards)