The Big Bang Theory is ending, but can it still have a future? With the sitcom continuously delivering high ratings for CBS, thanks to its loyal fanbase, it makes sense that it’ll somehow continue through other means, even though the flagship series is over.

Debuting in 2007, The Big Bang Theory centered on a group of  intellectually-gifted but socially-inept friends in Pasadena. The series began with five main characters - Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Howard (Simon Helberg), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) - but the roster expanded by season 4 with Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette and Mayim Bialik’s Amy made series regulars. Through the years, we’ve seen the gang go through ups and downs leading to The Big Bang Theory’s ending.

While The Big Bang Theory is officially wrapping up, that doesn’t mean that fans can’t expect more content from this franchise. If anything, CBS will more likely find ways to continue capitalizing on its popularity. Here’s everything we know about the future of The Big Bang Theory.

Big Bang Theory Season 12 Was The End

Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy, and Bernadette will officially bid their fans goodbye with The Big Bang Theory season 12. Composed of 24 episodes, the final season of the show was announced shortly before it premiered September of last year. The decision to wrap up the long-running sitcom came late during pre-production after Parsons decided to exit after season 12, so much of the early episodes of the final season were written without knowing that it’s building to the series’ conclusion. This may explain the introduction of Penny and Leonard’s odd kid/no kid subplot that went nowhere, as well as Raj’s arrange marriage with Anu that ultimately failed. Despite this, the show will go down in history as the longest-running multi-camera sitcom, passing NBC’s iconic show, Cheers.

There Will Not Be A Big Bang Theory Season 13

It’s no secret that CBS had intentions to continue the show with talks of a season 13 considering its performance ratings-wise. And they were willing to spend money on the series with the seven main leads topping the list of highest paid TV actors year-after-year. Contract negotiations, unfortunately, reportedly fell through with Parsons’s declining to return despite being offered a massive pay raise for him and his co-stars. And since Sheldon is the sitcom’s main character, the network opted to let go of the show and allow its creatives to craft a proper send-off.

Young Sheldon Will Continue

While The Big Bang Theory officially bows out, the story that it began will move forward with Young Sheldon. The prequel/spinoff that debuted in 2017 and tackles the titular character’s growing years in Galveston, Texas, was renewed for two more seasons on the heels of the cancellation of its parent series. Young Sheldon is the CBS #2 comedy and is blocked with The Big Bang Theory, making for a formidable Thursday-night sitcom offering for the network. That said, CBS might have to work harder to fully capture the massive fan community that The Big Bang Theory is leaving behind since not everyone is particularly happy with how Young Sheldon supposedly rewrites established canon for its own benefit.

There Could Be More Big Bang Theory Spinoffs

Considering its popularity, it only makes sense that CBS wants to launch more The Big Bang Theory spinoffs. Network executives have repeatedly expressed their eagerness to green light a brand new one after seeing how popular Young Sheldon is. There were talks about developing another spinoff, but series creator Chuck Lorre recently revealed that things didn’t come to pass and the idea was ultimately scraped. He reiterated that he’s only going to do another offshoot if there’s a good story for it. While there’s no concrete plans for a second The Big Bang Theory spinoff, another one can easily come down the road once CBS and Lorre figure it out.

More: Predicting The Big Bang Theory’s Ending

The Big Bang Theory series finale and the Young Sheldon season 2 finale air May 16 on CBS.