CBS Renews "The Big Bang Theory" for 3 More Seasons

[JamesG]

CBS Renews "The Big Bang Theory" for Three More Seasons
Mar 12, 2014
by Sadie Gennis


CBS has given "The Big Bang Theory" a three-season renewal, the network announced Wednesday.

The decision comes after "Big Bang's" current seventh season garnered its highest ratings to date, averaging 19.79 million viewers and a 6.1 in the adults 18-to-49 demographic.



"Comedy is a big part of our schedule, and The Big Bang Theory is the biggest comedy force on television," CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler said in a statement.

"This multi-year deal further strengthens our network's position for future seasons and marks another chapter in the great partnership CBS enjoys with Warner Bros. Television for delivering audiences the best in comedy. We're proud to work with and showcase the incredible talents of Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and this amazing cast every week."



Warner Bros. is still negotiating contract renewals for stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and more, according to Variety.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/CBS-Rene...s-1079224.aspx

[Skywalker]

I had a feeling Lorre would run this show into the ground just like he did 2 1/2 Men. As great as the ratings are now, they won't be next season when the show gets moved to Mondays(I assume) because CBS will be airing NFL games on Thursdays instead. I only hope Jim, Johnny and Kaley get paid more per episode than Ashton Kutcher, they definitely deserve it.

[ohmrwilson]

I have a feeling Raj and Simon are going to get the short end and the producers will save money.

But the James Earl Jones episode and the Newart episodes were the best ones in the shows history.
They should have both on every week.

[lucyandethel]

I never got this show. But glad everyone else does....I guess....

[Yong Fang]

What are they going to do for three more seasons?

Are Sheldon and Leonard supposed to share the same rented apartment forever? How old are they now, 40? I know LA is expensive and all, but these two have worked the same job as PhD level scientists amd should be able to each afford their own place. Their jobs should pay $80k-100k a year each. The two guys act like teenagers with their stupid video games, computers and crap. Leonard, marry Penny you dope and divorce Sheldon, or awaken Sheldon as the gay he is and live as a couple.

What is Penny supposed to do, just have her apartment that she can somehow afford as a now unemployed waitress with no other job skills besides a failing acting career? Are she and Leonard going to get married, and how this work with Sheldon living under the same roof?

Has Sheldon and Amy even done the deed? Face it, Sheldon is not heterosexual, the character really doesn't care for women, and just more or less wants to be left alone.

What is Amy supposed to do, wait for her mincing, Asperger syndrome, asexual "Boyfriend" to make any kind of move on her? Is she supposed to be an old maid waiting for that dud? She needs to go with Wolowitz to the temple and find a nice Jewish boy with a libido and leave Asberger kid to his comic books and overly complicated games.

The Indian dude (Troopithali or whatever his name is)...get Kate Miccuci back. To the show, hire Kate Miccuci as a regular. Bring back Kate Miccuci. Kate Miccuci damnit! (I guess you can tell I love Kate Miccuci and after a night of passionate love making with her, God can strike me down. Moving on........)

Wolowitz ironically seems to be the only one who is sort of moving forward with his life. He and the "Polish Girl" should do a spinoff and leave the others behind. They are married, the characters will probably have a child, and he actually does interesting things outside the scope of his three other friends. In Season One, Wolowitz was a creepy loser guy and he really came around, while the other characters just haven't moved forward.

I like this show, I really do, but I don't know how they are going to do three more years of it. But what do I know?

[ohmrwilson]

of course young fang, we were suppose to believe the same stuff on 3's company LOL

let alone Seinfeld and all the other similar type shows (HIMYM took 8 years or so)

so we suspend disbelief don't we

[Chocolate Moose]

3 years means a lot more stories and maybe some new characters.

It's not great when shows are done to death, though. I loved Frasier and Seinfeld but the show really fell off in the last few seasons. Silly isn't funny. Certainly not memorable. Except for silliness, of course.

Having said that, I'd rather see a silly show I've ben watching for years, rather than a new stupid show that might be cancelled. How many new shows are introduced each year, that turn out to be really terrible? Some TV is truly terrible.

[Yong Fang]

It's too bad Paul Lynde is dead, he would have made a great grandfather for Sheldon! (Yes, to suspend reality.)

[comedyfreak]

This show really deserves its three year pick up.

[ajgenard]

Originally Posted by Chocolate Moose

3 years means a lot more stories and maybe some new characters.

It's not great when shows are done to death, though. I loved Frasier and Seinfeld but the show really fell off in the last few seasons. Silly isn't funny. Certainly not memorable. Except for silliness, of course.

Having said that, I'd rather see a silly show I've ben watching for years, rather than a new stupid show that might be cancelled. How many new shows are introduced each year, that turn out to be really terrible? Some TV is truly terrible.

This approximates my feelings too. It would be a shame to see it go creatively bankrupt like Chuck Lorre managed to do with Two and Half Men. But barring any supremely inane directions they might take the show, I'd still watch/DVR even if it fully moves into "not what it used to be" territory - mostly because of the familiarity. And they've built up enough goodwill that most of their audience probably feels this way.

I think the biggest challenge with a long-running show like TBBT is having it age gracefully; contrary to popular belief, it's not trying to replicate previous quality and successes. Taking Frasier for example, sure the 8th, 9th, 10th seasons weren't in the same league as earlier seasons. But the show never wandered so far off course it was regrettably bad. Having forgettable episodes and story arcs is one thing - offending your audience's sensibilities is another. To this day I'll still watch practically any episode of Frasier because I know it won't insult my intelligence. From Day 1 they never wrote down to the audience and managed to maintain that dignity for 11 years.

If any current show could keep up appearances going into double digit seasons, it is definitely The Big Bang Theory. The previous couple years have finally dealt this show some opposition from it's core audience and I think they've responded very well. IMHO, this season is actually trending upwards from where they were just a year ago. Definitely not the same quality as season 1 or 2 (and will probably never get back to that) but it's certainly not bottom of the barrel either. If they can maintain this quality level for another 3 years and also allow for some character growth, then everyone should be satisfied.

[RetroGuy2000]

I think the show hit its stride when they added girlfriends to the show. Prior to Bernadette's and Amy's appearances on the show, the guys often just came off as creepy. Having that little bit of estrogen helps balance the show.

And as Yong stated above, Howard has slowly grown over the last few years. Raj, too, is making strides in that direction.

I like where they are going with the show, and I think they can pull off another three funny seasons, but they'll need to keep it fresh. Having Leonard and Penny move in together (in her apartment) might help develop their storyline as a couple.

And maybe Stewart could move in as Sheldon's new roommate. He's a very funny straight man!

[James28]

During the current season of The Big Bang Theory, I was thinking seven years down, seven to go, as opposed to seven years down and it's been a good run. The most seasons they can possibly get out of TBBT is, er... 16.

[ajgenard]

Originally Posted by James28

During the current season of The Big Bang Theory, I was thinking seven years down, seven to go, as opposed to seven years down and it's been a good run. The most seasons they can possibly get out of TBBT is, er... 16.

16??!?!? No way man, count me out of that scenario. It's practically impossible for a sitcom to last that long. Literally every single little thing would have to go right for TBBT to last 16 years. Even if the show is still doing respectable ratings and quality, there is nothing that can stop key people either in front or behind the camera from wanting to move onto other projects.

16 years...I'd hate to see what they'd churn out after that being on the air that long... *cough*The Simpsons*cough*

[James28]

I meant 16 seasons tops. I'm only imagining this happening because Two and a Half Men got renewed for a 12th season earlier this month. (We shouldn't have gotten more than 9 seasons out of TaaHM if it weren't for Charlie Sheen's problems and eventual firing and Ashton Kutcher). Initially, nobody imagined ER's original run would would end up lasting 15 years. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet lasted 14 years. Plenty of other live-action sitcoms lasted 11 years (Happy Days, Cheers, Married with Children).

There is no way The Big Bang Theory is gonna have it original run end before The Simpsons does, otherwise, I'll be emormously disappointed. I just don't believe in animated shows' supremacy.

[spunkygirl]

Umm let's not pretend like two and a half men was ever great, apples and oranges