CBS Reportedly Eyeing Spinoff for ‘Big Bang Theory’

With The Big Bang Theory ending after its current season, reports have emerged that indicate CBS may be eyeing a spinoff series of the popular primetime series.

CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl recently sat down with Deadline for an interview, and when asked about the possibility of series producers wanting to another spinoff he explained that “nothing formal” has been discussed, but that “the ball is in squarely in their court. If they want to talk to us about it, we are here to listen.”

Regarding the rumors that the first Big Bang Theory spinoff, Young Sheldon, would take over its predecessor’s time slot for the 2019-2020 TV season, Kahl said that decision “won’t be made until May when we are doing our scheduling meetings.”

“We are gratified to have a show doing as well as Young Sheldon, but there are never any guarantees about time periods or where things are going to end up on the schedule,” he went on to say.

Khal was also asked if the void that Big Bang will be leaving on the network prompted him to seek out a new big sitcom property, to which he replied, “I think it’s big priority every year to find a big multicam that develops into a big hit. We are always looking for the “next one,” and that would be the case again this year.”

In addition to all the Big Bang Theory talk, Kahl also revealed that the Murphy Brown reboot “definitely remains in the mix for possibly returning next season, along with several other shows.”

“Creator Diane [English] and Warner Bros came to us with a vision for the show. We were exited for the vision and put it on very true to what Diane wanted to do. We are very proud of the show, and as I said it remains in contention,” Kahl added, after being asked if he would have done anything differently with the show, which was critically acclaimed but did not have stellar ratings.

Finally, Kahl also spoke about CBS’ move to feature a number of new reality-based programs, sharing, “We’ve been successful with very, very long-running reality shows. We made the commitment to try and find the next generation of hits while we still have some strength in that area so the cupboard is not empty when you try find these new shows. Hopefully we can make noise and have some new franchises to put on the schedule going forward.”

The Big Bang Theory airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.