A new The Big Bang Theory offshoot is in the works.
On Wednesday, April 12th, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre is developing a new comedy series set in The Big Bang Theory universe. If ordered into series, the project would stream on Max, the company’s newly rebranded streaming service that combines HBO Max and Discovery+.
What will the Big Bang Theory spinoff will be about?
Plot details about the new Big Bang Theory spinoff are being kept under wraps and it has not been determined yet what character or characters it would center on. But Variety reported that it will be an “hour-long series” featuring a new set cast, with the potential for known stars of the original series to make guest appearances.
The in-the-works spinoff would be the second Big Bang offshoot. The first offshoot of the critically acclaimed, hit sitcom is its prequel series Young Sheldon, which is currently airing its sixth season on CBS.
Like the original The Big Bang Theory series and its prequel series, the new spinoff will be produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions. It would also mark Lorre’s second project at Max, following Warner Bros. Television’s How to be a Bookie, which is currently in production. The upcoming comedy series stars Sebastian Maniscalco in the lead role, with Omar J. Dorsey, Andrea Anders, Vanessa Ferlito, and Jorge Garcia, appearing in support roles.
What is The Big Bang Theory about?
Co-created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, The Big Bang Theory originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: Caltech physicists Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) who share an apartment; waitress and aspiring actress Penny (Kaley Cuoco), who lives across the hall; and aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), who are both Leonard and Sheldon’s similarly geeky and socially awkward coworkers.
Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles. These included neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman).
How many Big Bang Theory seasons are there?
There are a total of 12 seasons and 279 episodes of The Big Bang Theory. The series premiered on CBS on September 24th, 2007, and concluded on May 16th, 2019. And thanks to the show’s amazing fan base, its final episode was watched by over 18 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched television events of the year.
Why was Big Bang Theory cancelled?
The Big Bang Theory was not canceled. The choice to end the series after 12 seasons was a creative decision to end the show on a high note and give the characters a satisfying conclusion. It was not due to declining ratings or any controversy surrounding the TV series.
But according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper in the series, was ultimately responsible for the show coming to an end, as the actor decided to leave the series after season 12. Lorre, meanwhile, had always been adamant about only continuing the show if the entire cast — Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch — wanted to continue making the show.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of going on without the whole ensemble — and the whole ensemble is why we succeeded,” Lorre previously told THR. “In pulling it apart and re-approaching it as a fraction of what it was just never felt right to me. I’ve seen other shows try and fail to take a character out of their realm and carry on. And maybe Frasier is the only thing I could think of off the top of my head where it really did work, thanks to the lightning strike of David Hyde Pierce.”
For his part, Parson previously told The Hollywood Reporter: “It was the first time in my life of doing this show that it occurred to me that I might want to not do another contract after [season] 12 was up. I don’t know if it’s because I’m an Aries or just because maybe I’m in touch with myself. Whatever it is, once I had that thought, I was like, ‘Well, that’s your answer.’”
What is Young Sheldon about?
Co-created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, Young Sheldon is a coming-of-age sitcom that serves as a prequel spinoff to The Big Bang Theory. Set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the series follows the childhood of Sheldon Cooper, a nine-year-old genius living with his family in East Texas. The show explores his intellectual gifts, his struggle to fit in with his peers, and the worlds of physics and theology that he encounters.
It stars Iain Armitage as young Sheldon, alongside Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and Annie Potts, who play the show’s other main characters. Jim Parsons, who portrays the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, serves as the narrator and an executive producer of the series.
Where to watch The Big Bang Theory
The complete 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory are currently streaming on Max.
Where to watch Young Sheldon
The first five seasons of Young Sheldon are also available for streaming on Max, while its sixth season currently airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
