Annie Potts doubles down on her earlier criticisms over the surprising cancellation of Young Sheldon despite the show’s continued popularity.
Annie Potts has been in the business for decades, but she still can’t personally understand why CBS cancelled Young Sheldon. Sheldon and the Coopers are about to say goodbye as The Big Bang Theory prequel wraps up with a special one-hour finale on May 16. An immediate hit since it debuted in 2017, Young Sheldon remains a massive ratings hit on CBS, even becoming its number 1 comedy for the 2022-2023 season. Unfortunately, due to its ties to The Big Bang Theory and the writers’ attempt to preserve the established continuity, the spinoff is forced to end.
Speaking with Variety in light of the nearing end of Young Sheldon, Potts candidly expresses her frustrations over the show’s cancellation. She points out the reasons why CBS pulling the plug on them is such a bad business move. Potts also reveals that they were ambushed by the decision, especially since Young Sheldon will end in a shorter year because of season 7’s late premiere. Read her full quote below:
I was shocked. I mean, the No. 1 show on network TV, No. 1 on Netflix. We’re, I think, all that people watch on TikTok besides a couple of recipes for pasta. It just seemed like such a stupid business move. Forgive me, but I don’t know. If a show is starting to drag or lag or have a lack of stories or whatever, then you kind of see it coming. We were totally ambushed by this.
Why Young Sheldon’s Cancellation Is So Divisive
CBS Had Ways To Keep Young Sheldon On The Air
Instead of focusing on Sheldon, Young Sheldon is now a true family comedy-drama series. This means that each member of the Cooper clan is given their respective arcs, and sometimes, they’re even more compelling than Sheldon’s.
Before the Young Sheldon season 6 finale, there were already murmurs that the show was ending. This was prompted by the timeline established in The Big Bang Theory, which mandates that after Sheldon graduates from college, he will immediately move to Pasadena, California. Since he is the titular character of the show, it would be difficult to do the project without him as a series. This made sense if Young Sheldon was still faithful to its original premise, which was to tackle Sheldon’s origins story. But, the show has long outgrown that initial premise.
Instead of focusing on Sheldon, Young Sheldon is now a true family comedy-drama series. This means that each member of the Cooper clan is given their respective arcs, and sometimes, they’re even more compelling than Sheldon’s. Couple that with Young Sheldon’s loose regard for canon for the longest time, resulting in the creation of countless plot holes, it’s difficult to accept that the show is being cancelled because of continuity. If anything, CBS and the writers had ways to circumnavigate the show’s ending, primarily by rebranding it to The Coopers and establishing that it exists in an alternate universe.
It’s worth noting, however, that the decision to end Young Sheldon may not have come from CBS. As Potts says, it’s a bad business decision to let go of a massive hit, especially in light of the changing watching patterns of the public. There’s a possibility that Young Sheldon wrapping up was solely the choice of the creatives behind it to preserve The Big Bang Theory’s continuity.
