CBS Developing A ‘Young Sheldon’ Big Bang Spin-Off
I can’t quite decide if this is a great idea, or a monumentally horrible one of Joey-esque sized proportions… But i’m leaning towards the latter… CBS have put into development a spin off from Big Bang Theory based around a young Sheldon Cooper it was announced yesterday.
The show would follow the young neurotic genius as he grows up in Galveston, Texas, with his twin sister Missy, elder brother George Jr, and Evangelical Christian mother, Mary. As this is a prequel, none of the current cast are thought to be appearing, although it could be possible the Laurie Metcalf, who earned an Emmy nomination for her guest role as Sheldon’s mother this year, could reprise her role as Mary.
It’s no great surprise that CBS and the people behind Big Bang are looking for escape routes from the main show that will continue the ‘Big Bang’ brand. It’s now in it’s 10th season, and as star Kaley Cuoco said when asked on a US chat show if it would be renewed for an 11th – “That’s a very expensive question…”
Cuoco, Jim Parsons, & Johnny Galecki are reportedly on $1 million per episode, with co-stars Simon Helberg & Kunal Nayyar on around half that, and Melissa Rauch & Mayim Bialik, having joined later, taking around $100k per episode. That’s a massive amount of cash to be forking out for each episode on salaries alone, and a renewal for more seasons would probably see those salaries increase even more. A spin off would allow them to keep the brand going whilst starting with a new, cheaper, cast.
Jim Parsons is apparently set to exec produce, along with uber-producer Chuck Lorre, Big Bang showrunner Steve Molaro, and co-creator Bill Prady. The new spin-off show is only at early script stage right now, so may not even make it to pilot, but we’d be interested to know what you think. Great idea, or scraping the Big Bang Barrel?
Big Bang Theory is currently airing it’s 10 season, Wednesday nights at 8.30pm on E4 in the UK.
