Next season is set to mark a major shift within the broadcast TV world. For the first time in nearly 17 years, there will be no Sheldon Cooper on our screens.Young Sheldon, TV’s top comedy andBig Bang Theoryprequel,is set to endwith its upcoming strike-delayed seventh season.
The Big Bang Theoryfranchise has been CBS’s comedy anchor since the 2007-08 TV season. Fittingly, that debut season was also shortened by a writers' strike. ByYoung Sheldon’s end, both series will total 19 seasons and an appropriate 420 episodes. That’sa lot of Sheldon.
Given how iconic this franchise is, it’s no surprise to hear rumblings of another spin-off. We won’t see this one on CBS and shouldn’t count on following any existing characters. Per series creator Chuck Lorre, a newBig Bang-universe project is in itsvery early stages for Max. But what would a newBig Bang Theoryoffshoot following a new set of characters look like? Could it be another prequel? Will it follow some of Sheldon and Leonard’s scientific colleagues? Or we might see an entirely new story unconnected to the original. Let’s look at what we know and what this new series could be.
What Do We Know?
The Big Bang Theory
We don’t have many exact plot details about this new spin-off.Per creator Chuck Lorre, this new series would follow a new set of cast members. Lorre didn’t elaborate on how these new cast members would be connected to the original gang. He did tease that certainBig Bangalumni could pop in for occasional guest appearances.
In a more unusual move, Lorre teased that episodes of the new series would run for an hour. One of the ironclad norms of TV states that sitcom episodes run thirty minutes and dramas span an hour. Streamers play fast and loose with runtimes, but an hour-long episode still pushes it for a comedy. Is this a hint that the new show will be a drama?
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Big Banghas toyed with dramatic elements before, primarily inYoung Sheldonand centering onreal family struggles. But both shows are still comedies at their core.Big Bangis arguably one of the most “sitcommy” comedies there is, complete with an overzealous laugh track and all. A one-hour drama with new characters still doesn’t seem like a real option. So when could we get more concrete information?
When Could It Debut?
Don’t expect to see this new series anytime soon. In aNovember 2023 interviewwith TVLine, Lorre emphasized that the series was still in its early stages.
“It’s prenatal. Yeah, you don’t talk about the birth until the second trimester, I believe, is the rule. That’s a long way of saying no, I’ve got nothing to say about it other than it’s something that we are discussing."
WithYoung Sheldonon its way out, we could see production on the new entry ramp up early next year. There’s clearly still an audience for this franchise, asYoung Sheldonremains TV’s top comedy. If production picks up afterYoung Sheldonfinishes, the new show could bow in late 2024 if it makes it that far. But we still don’t know exactly what we’re looking for.
What Could We See?
There are any number of paths this new show could take to expandBig Banglore. One possibility is another prequel in the vein ofYoung Sheldon. Could we see Leonard or Penny’s backstory? Maybe a side character like Bert or Barry Kripke? Given that this spin-off is hinted to be different from anything we’ve seen before, another prequel seems unlikely.
For anyone stuck on the one-hour runtime, a straight-up drama also isn’t the most reasonable option. As streaming shows experiment with longer runtimes, several have blended comedy and drama. Take something likeThe White Lotus. That show uses its expanded episode length to tackle dark comedy and drama. A structure like that may work well withinSheldon Cooper’s universe.
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We should expect that this new show will revolve around science in some way, as that’s the defining element of bothBBTandYS. The field of science isn’t all endless sitcom jokes, despite whatThe Big Bang Theorymay make us believe. Mixing comedy and drama within a scientific atmosphere feels more honest to the process. We could see some of the gang’s associates from the university finally receive center stage after being relegated to the sidelines for so long.
If Lorre is serious about a brand-new cast of characters, the show could pick up whereBig Bang’s series finale left off. What if a new generation of scientists is inspired to follow Sheldon and Amy’s lead after winning the Nobel Prize? This new series could follow that group as they work in their field and cross paths with some of the characters we know and love. In any case,The Big Bang Theoryuniverse is not going anywhere. At least not before the actual universe burns out.
