A major player in television is facing the possibility of life without its ratings behemoth as the show's cast becomes more and more expensive. We're talking, of course, about the show that's on the tip of everyone's tongue these days: CBS' The Big Bang Theory.
Though there are no signs the show's upcoming tenth season will be its last, CBS and Warner Brothers are looking to expand their Big Bang empire. Specifically, Variety reports that a Sheldon-centric spinoff is nearing the script stage.
Per Variety:
"[Big Bang showrunner Steve] Molaro will write the script focusing on Sheldon, the idiosyncratic and neurotic genius, as a youth growing up in Texas. The character’s colorful family and formative years in the Lone Star state have often been referenced on Big Bang Theory. Laurie Metcalf earned an Emmy nomination this year for her recurring guest star role as Sheldon’s mother, Mary Cooper."
In practical terms, this show is probably not going to come super soon. But, it does give CBS a nice transition as the three stars of The Big Bang Theory each earn around $1 million per episode. So theoretically, their show will get renewed for another two or three years, the new spinoff becomes a massive hit during that time, and the original cast can be gently released into their post-network-sitcom careers of moderately successful pilots.
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