'Young Sheldon' Renewed for Seasons 3 and 4 by CBS

As The Big Bang Theory nears its end, spinoff series Young Sheldon just secured its future and [...]

As The Big Bang Theory nears its end, spinoff series Young Sheldon just secured its future and will stick around for at least two more years.

The CBS comedy series, a prequel to the network's hit sitcom, scored an early renewal for Seasons 3 and 4 Friday, making sure it will be sticking around at least until the 2020-2021 TV season.

Young Sheldon follows 10-year-old Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) as he struggles to fit in with his family and classmates in East Texas. The series is narrated by the original Sheldon Cooper, Jim Parsons.

In addition to Armitage and Parsons, the show stars Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord and Annie Potts. Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, arsons and Todd Spiewak executive produce the show via Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television.

"Thanks to Chuck Lorre's and Steve Molaro's outstanding creative leadership, Young Sheldon has been a powerful performer for the network with an audience that towers over most of the television landscape," Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement released by Variety.

The show is one of the most-watched on broadcast and the second most-watched comedy, behind only Big Bang. The prequel series is currently averaging between 14.6 million viewers per week in the Nielsen Live+7 numbers.

News of the early renewal comes as Big Bang prepares to finish its 12-season run in the spring.

"The Coopers are portrayed by an amazing cast, and we are looking forward to having the gifted writing staff mine even more of Sheldon's hilarious backstory and the warm family dynamic that has made this comedy a favorite with audiences for the past two seasons," Thom Sherman, senior executive vice president of programming for CBS Entertainment, said in a statement.

CBS also recently handed out a two-season renewal to comedy series Mom, also produced by Chuck Lorre Productions. The network also previously renewed freshman series God Friended Me, FBI and The Neighborhood for next season. They also ordered a 15th and final season of Criminal Minds.

News of Young Sheldon's renewal also comes a few weeks after Kahl told Deadline there have been no "formal" discussions about creating another spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, "the ball is squarely in their court. If they want to talk to us about it, we are here to listen."

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8 p.m., followed by Young Sheldon at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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