Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik will appear in the Young Sheldon series finale, reprising their roles from The Big Bang Theory. The finale happens on CBS May 16. 

Parsons played Sheldon Cooper and Bialik played Amy Farrah Fowler on Big Bang Theory, which concluded in 2019. Spinoff Young Sheldon started in 2017. 

Another spinoff, about Sheldon’s brother Georgie, his girlfriend Mandy and their baby, is in the works. 

Parsons is an executive producer on Young Sheldon, and provides voiceovers. Bialik has taken part in voiceovers in two episodes.  

Created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, Young Sheldon centers on Sheldon Cooper, a child of extraordinary intelligence, “which isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king,” according to CBS. “And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him.”

Iain Armitage plays Sheldon. Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord and Emily Osment are also in the cast. 

Parsons, Lorre, Molaro, Steve Holland, Nick Bakay and Todd Spiewak executive produce Young Sheldon. The show is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Season seven began February 15. 

CBS has ordered a spinoff of Young Sheldon, itself a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory. The as-yet-untitled show features Sheldon’s big brother Georgie and girlfriend Mandy raising their young family in Texas while sorting out the challenges of parenting and marriage. 

Montana Jordan and Emily Osment star. The multi-cam comedy looks to be on for the 2024-2045 season. 

Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and Steve Holland are executive producers. 

“It has been a privilege to spend the last seven years with Sheldon and the Cooper family and now this wonderful journey will continue with Georgie and Mandy,” Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said. “Chuck and both Steves have done a masterful job developing these characters and entertaining generations of fans with relatable, heartwarming stories brought to life by Montana and Emily. We eagerly look forward to the next chapter in this beloved universe.”

The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons on CBS and Young Sheldon, with Iain Armitage playing Sheldon Cooper in his boyhood, debuted in 2017. The seventh and final season began last month. 

“From The Big Bang Theory to Young Sheldon, the world of the Cooper family has been incredibly special to us,” said Lorre, Molaro and Holland. “We’re very excited to continue their stories through the eyes of Georgie and Mandy.”

The spinoff comes from Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Chuck Lorre is developing a comedy for new streamer Max that is “derived,” the network said, from The Big Bang Theory. Warner Bros. Television, where Lorre has an overall deal, is producing. 

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Max, a combination of HBO Max and Discovery Plus, April 12. The service is set to launch May 23. 

Lorre will executive produce the spinoff via Chuck Lorre Productions. 

The Big Bang Theory debuted in 2007 and ended in 2019. All 12 seasons are on HBO Max and will be on Max, and the first five seasons of Young Sheldon are on HBO Max and will be on Max. The Big Bang Theory detailed five characters living in Southern California: physicist roommates Leonard and Sheldon, waitress Penny from across the hall, aerospace engineer Howard and astrophysicist Raj. Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons played Leonard and Sheldon. 

With six seasons on CBS, Young Sheldon is also derived from the Big Bang Theory universe. Iain Armitage plays Sheldon Cooper as a kid in East Texas.  

Warner Bros. Television and Max did not divulge characters, storylines or a title for the new series. 

Young Sheldon has been picked up by TBS from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The off-CBS sitcom, based on the life of young Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) from The Big Bang Theory, will premiere on TBS on Monday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. ET/PT. Young Sheldon joins such sitcoms as Friends, Big Bang, Seinfeld and Family Guy on TBS' line-up.

“The Warner Bros. Domestic TV library has been wonderfully successful for our networks from Friends to The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon is a natural addition that is going to enhance more opportunities for consumers to sit back and laugh,” Brett Weitz, general manager, TBS, TNT and truTV, said in a statement.

Also Read: Marketers Roll Up Sleeves as Shows Prep for Premiere

Young Sheldon, about the brilliant and socially awkward Cooper’s childhood in football-loving East Texas, premiered on CBS in 2017 as the most-watched comedy debut in broadcast primetime in 15 years. It recently concluded its fourth season and has been renewed by CBS for three more seasons. 

Besides Armitage, Young Sheldon stars Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord with Annie Potts and Jim Parsons as the voice of grown-up Sheldon. 

Young Sheldon was created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, who both serve as executive producers along with Steve Holland, Parsons and Todd Spiewak. 

CBS Television Distribution’s Judge Judy, going into its last year in first-run syndication, is syndication’s top-rated show in households for the 11th straight year, averaging a full-season 6.2 live plus same day national household ratings average, according to Nielsen. Nielsen’s 2019-20 syndication season officially concluded in the session ending Aug. 30.

The top-three game shows all performed well, with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud and CTD’s Jeopardy! tying for second place at a 6.0 full-season average, followed by CTD’s Wheel of Fortune at a fourth-place 5.8. Warner Bros.’ off-network sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory came in fifth overall at a far back 3.0 in households, followed by CTD’s magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight at a 2.7 and a 2.6, respectively.

Also Read: Pat Sajak, Vanna White Re-up to Host 'Wheel of Fortune' Through 2023-24 Season

Dr. Phil led talk in households with a 2.2 overall season average and eighth place in overall syndication. Phil has been the highest rated talker every year since Oprah Winfrey ended her show in 2011, including a first-place tie with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Michael in 2015-16.

Coming closest to Phil in first-run were Live with Kelly and Ryan and CTD’s Hot Bench, both of which tied at a 2.0. 

For the week ending Aug. 30, few shows improved thanks to low viewing levels and daytime preemptions for coverage of Gulf Coast hurricanes Laura and Marcos as well as the pandemic. In access, affiliates in West Coast markets also were impacted by coverage of the 2020 Republican National Convention.

As a result, only two talkers in the top ten improved versus the prior week: Disney’s 

Live and Tamron Hall. Live grew 7% to a 1.6, despite being on hiatus with four repackaged and one pre-taped episode. Tamron Hall tallied a 17% increase to a 0.7, even though it only aired one original episode during the week.

Both Hall and NBCU’s freshman talker Kelly Clarkson will kick off their sophomore seasons later this month. 

Phil remained the top talker at a steady 1.9 with reruns on all five days. Phil has now finished first or tied for first 194 times in the past 208 weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live and Phil tied for first in talk at a 0.7. 

Back in households, NBCUniversal’s Maury, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CTD’s Rachael Ray, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz and CTD’s The Doctors all were steady at a 1.0, 0.9, 0.9, 0.8, 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.4, respectively.

Also Read: Dr. Ian Smith Is New Host of CTD’s ‘The Doctors’

Warner Bros.‘ The Real recovered 33% from a series-low 0.3 set in the prior week to a 0.4, tying The Doctors.

NBCU’s out-of-production syndicated version of Jerry Springer stayed at a 0.3 for the 22nd consecutive week, tying SPT’s exiting Mel Robbins, which held at its season low 0.3 for a 13th straight week.

Judge Judy remained at a 5.5 with a week of all repeats, tying Family Feud for the week’s overall lead.

Hot Bench also held at a 1.9 to tie Dr. Phil as daytime’s second-highest rated strip.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, NBCU’s Judge Jerry, Fox’s Divorce Court, Debmar-Mercury’s Caught in Providence, MGM/Orion’s Personal Injury Court and Trifecta’s Protection Court all were on par with their prior weeks at a 1.3, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.2, respectively.

In access, magazines were mixed. Inside Edition edged ahead 4% to a 2.4. Entertainment Tonight, NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ TMZ all stood pat at a 2.1, 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra hung tough at a 0.7, tying CTD’s DailyMailTV, which eased 13%. Both Extra and DailyMailTV experienced preemptions due to coverage of the RNC.

Also Read: homas Roberts Named New Host of CTD’s DailyMailTV 

Trifecta’s Celebrity Page produced a 0.1 for the fifth straight week.

Among game shows, Family Feud inched up 2% to tie Judge Judy at a 5.5. CTD’s Wheel of Fortune upticked 2% to a 4.5 from a season low set in the prior session. CTD’s Jeopardy! rebounded 5% to a 4.1 from a new season low also set in the prior round. 

Fox’s renewed rookie game 25 Words or Less and SPT’s soon-to-end off-GSN America Says remained neck and neck at a 0.9 and 0.8, respectively.

Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.5 for the seventh straight week.

Disney’s internet video strip RightThisMinute improved 17% to a 0.7.

NBCU’s off-network true-crime strip Dateline dropped 9% to a 1.0, while its scripted crime procedural ChicagoPD skidded 13% to match its series low at a 0.7.

The Big Bang Theory and Disney’s Last Man Standing both stayed put at a 2.5 and 2.0, respectively, to lead the off-net sitcoms. Disney’s Modern Family advanced 9% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men maintained a series-low 1.1 for the sixth straight week. SPT’s The Goldbergs stayed at its series-low 1.0 for a fifth straight week, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which gained 11%. SPT’s Seinfeld was steady at a 0.9 for a third consecutive week. Warner Bros.’ Mom and Mike & Molly each were unchanged at a 0.8, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which barrelled ahead 14%.

AT&T acquired the rights to hit The Big Bang Theory for its upcoming streaming service, HBO Max in a deal that will also keep the sitcom on the company’s TBS cable channel through 2028.

As media companies line up to launch streaming products, shows like The Big Bang Theory have been in demand, with the companies that produce them spending big buck to put on their own distribution platforms.

HBO Max previously grabbed the rights to Friends and NBCU acquired the rights to The Office. Earlier this week Netflix acquired rights to Seinfeld. Financial terms have not been released, but each deal is reportedly in the multi-hundred million dollar range.

All 279 episodes of Big Bang Theory, which ended its original run on CBS in the spring, will be available on HBO Max when it launches in 2020, AT&T said.

“Few shows define a generation and capture mainstream zeitgeist like The Big Bang Theory,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer. ”We’re thrilled that HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home for this comedy juggernaut when we launch in the spring of 2020. This show has been a hit virtually around the globe, it’s one of the biggest shows on broadcast television of the last decade, and the fact that we get to bring it to a streaming platform for the first time in the U.S. is a coup for our new offering.”

The Big Bang Theory, created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered on CBS in September 2007. It became the longest-running multi-camera comedy series in U.S. TV history. 

“I am forever grateful to have been part of something as extraordinary as The Big Bang Theory,” says co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre. “All of us, — Bill Prady, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland, and the amazing writing staff, cast and crew, recognize that 12 seasons of laughter is a gift to be cherished. And now we are extremely excited that TBBT will be joining the HBO Max lineup and be available to both existing and future fans of the show. Laughter has legs!”

AT&T’s WarnerMedia will retain broadcast and streaming rights to Warner Bros. TV sitcom The Big Bang Theory through 2028.

The pocket-to-pocket transaction means the Chuck Lorre-produced comedy will be available on HBO Max when the streaming platform launches next year. The show’s 279 episodes will also keep repeating on linear channel TBS.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sourcing, the total value of the agreement is worth $600 million.

The Big Bang Theory was a hit prime-time series on CBS for 12 seasons.

“Few shows define a generation and capture mainstream zeitgeist like The Big Bang Theory,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer, in a statement. ”We’re thrilled that HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home for this comedy juggernaut when we launch in the spring of 2020. This show has been a hit virtually around the globe, it’s one of the biggest shows on broadcast television of the last decade, and the fact that we get to bring it to a streaming platform for the first time in the U.S. is a coup for our new offering.”

According to WSJ, Lorre is said to be pleased with the outcome of the in-house deal, believing the show was licensed at fair market value.

Related: Netflix Snags Global Streaming Rights to 'Seinfeld' Starting in 2021

Venerable sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory have become valuable chips in a heated battle in which upstarts including HBO Max, Disney+, Comcast/NBCU and Apple TVB+ are crowding into the streaming market to compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.

Notably, WarnerMedia pulled all 236 episodes of Warner Bros. TV series Friends off Netflix, starting in 2020, and will put them on HBO Max. NBCU did the same with The Office, moving the show from Netflix to its own streaming platform, also set to launch next year.

On Monday, Netflix announced the acquisition of Sony Pictures TV classic Seinfeld, starting in 2021. 

Johnny Galecki will appear in and executive produce the series SciJinks on Science Channel, which is slated to premiere in the fourth quarter.

SciJinks will use cutting-edge science as the foundation for stunts and practical jokes, creating what the network is calling “the smartest prank show on television.”

Galecki, best known for his work on The Big Bang Theory, will orchestrate a team of scientists from chemistry, physics, technology, engineering and more, with pranks designed to introduce audiences to unusual scientific discoveries.

"One of the most rewarding elements of being on The Big Bang Theory has been being approached by younger people who claim they never before had considered a life in the sciences until watching the show,” Galecki said. “Our goal on Big Bang is to make people laugh. These kids are molding our culture, building our future and even curing diseases. SciJinks is a way to celebrate them and hopefully inspire more young people to follow in their footsteps — while having an absurdly good and mischievous time.”

Eight 30-minute episodes are planned. Galecki’s Alcide Bava Productions and A. Smith & Co. Productions will produce the series.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.