‘Big Bang Theory’ Safe Beyond Season 10, But Bye-Bye ‘Mike & Molly’
Still a broadcast rating juggernaut, CBS could make the argument more than most for extending or cutting short its most recognizable hits, and with TCA putting the Eye in the limelight, CBS has good news and bad. We may not have to worry about The Big Bang Theory returning after next season, while Mike & Molly’s closure is official, and both The Good Wife and Person of interest get dubious futures.
Despite Big Bang Theory showrunner Bill Prady looking at Season 10 as a potential end date (renewing contracts after which will prove expensive) current CBS boss Glenn Geller relayed at the TCA press tour that “We expect The Big Bang Theory to be on for a while,” with no current plans to make 10 the end. The same can’t be said of Mike & Molly, which will in fact end after Season 6, as had been leaked.
Futures aren’t so bright for once-critical staple The Good Wife or Person of Interest either, as while The Good Wife may yet end up renewed for Season 8, showrunners Robert and Michelle King would depart. Says Robert to TVLine:
The bottom line is CBS is trying to make deals for an eighth season, so we would be there in a supervisory role, but the storytelling we have will finish in the seventh year. That doesn’t mean we’re putting Alicia in her grave, because you couldn’t do an eighth season after that. But to our minds, we have always written with the idea we could end this season a certain way so that it would make it a satisfactory [conclusion to the] series. We don’t own it, but we understand completely CBS’ interest in it.
Meanwhile, Person of Interest will likely air its fifth season in the spring, but CBS curiously declined to confirm it as the final year, despite the writing on the wall. According to Geller, the upcoming episodes could serve as both season and series finale, while worth noting is that both Big Bang and Person of Interest futures rest with Warner Bros., ultimately.
No doubt changes are afoot at CBS, but which series (apart from Molly) will end up getting an axe within the next year or so?