‘Young Sheldon’ Sold in More than 90% of U.S. for Fall 2021

'Young Sheldon' stars Iain Armitage.
'Young Sheldon' stars Iain Armitage as 'The Big Bang Theory''s young Sheldon Cooper. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Young Sheldon, starring Iain Armitage as The Big Bang Theory’s young Sheldon Cooper, has been sold to TV stations in more than 90% of the U.S., David Decker, executive vice president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, said on Monday.

Launching this fall, the off-network sitcom will air on stations owned by Nexstar, Sinclair, CBS, Hearst, Gray, Tegna, Scripps, Cox, Meredith, Graham, Weigel, Allen Media, Sunbeam, News-Press, Londen Media, Griffin, Lockwood, Morris and more. Both Young Sheldon and its elder sitcom sibling, The Big Bang Theory, also have been sold to HBO Max to air in premium streaming.

“WarnerMedia continues to deliver to our broadcast partners distinctive and franchise making comedies that both viewers and advertisers crave,” Decker said in a statement. “With Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory in syndication, the full story of Sheldon Cooper, the iconic and beloved character that connects both shows, will bring humor, laughter and joy to television stations every day of the week.”

Young Sheldon premiered on CBS in 2017 and was the most watched comedy debut in 15 years. Currently in its fourth season, and recently picked up by CBS for an additional three, the series is television’s number-one comedy, delivering nearly 10 million total viewers a week, and is also TV’s top-rated comedy among adults 25-54. Young Sheldon joins fellow Chuck Lorre series Two and a Half Men, Mom and Mike & Molly in syndication along with The Big Bang Theory, which has been sold for its third cycle beginning fall of 2023.

Besides Armitage, the series stars Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan and Raegen Revord with Annie Potts as well as Parsons as the voice of Sheldon. The show is created by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Mike & Molly) and Steven Molaro (The Big Bang Theory, The Class),  and executive produced by Lorre, Molaro, Steve Holland, Parsons and Todd Spiewak. Produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, the hit comedy series is currently airing its fourth season on CBS.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.