Summary
- The cancelation of
Young Sheldon
after season seven despite still being a hit show on CBS and Netflix was surprising. - Annie Potts expressed sadness over the cancelation and shared her disappointment with the decision.
- The producers and some actors agreed to end the show on a high note as Sheldon’s life transitions to college at Cal Tech.
In the middle of November 2023, the decision was made to end Young Sheldon with season seven. It was perceived as a strange choice by some cast, crew, and viewers, considering the show was still a hit on CBS. It became an even bigger hit once it arrived on Netflix in the U.S. about 10 days after the cancelation was announced. While some of the cast and producers have come out to say, essentially, that it’s time to move on, other cast members like Annie Potts have expressed their disappointment.
Potts portrays Meemaw, or Constance “Connie” Tucker, the grandmother of Sheldon in the Cooper family. She’s also legendary for her performance in Ghostbusters and its sequel (and the reboots Afterlife and Frozen Empire). She’s also starred in Toy Story, The Fosters, Love & War, and Designing Women, but Young Sheldon has been one of her biggest hits. “It’s sad, because I didn’t expect it,” said Potts of the cancelation, speaking to Assignment X. “We’re the number one show on network TV, and the number one show on Netflix. Who cancels this?” Potts explained one of the special things about Young Sheldon:
Every family has an oddball in it, someone who they have to explain to others. And so, I think that is relatable, to watch a family try to navigate around this brilliant, difficult thing.
Release Date September 25, 2017
Seasons 7
Studio Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television
Creator Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro
The cancelation of Young Sheldon is only one component of the changes which are sweeping the industry, something which saddens Potts. In October 2023, Warner Bros. Ranch and many iconic sets (such as the houses used in Bewitched, The Partridge Family, I Dream of Jeannie, and others) were razed to make way for office space. “It surprised me that I was so affected by it. My God, I’ve been working on and off over there for 50 years, and they’re going to level the lot and turn it into something else,” explained Potts. “I drive by it, and the whole thing is flattened, and it’s a lot of history gone under there.”
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Young Sheldon Producers and Actors Speak Out on Ending the Show
Ultimately, Potts admits, “The show does not revolve around me. I just get to come in and be sassy. I’m a utility player. They write very well for me.” In Feb. of 2024, producer Steve Holland explained the decision to end the show (via Deadline):
There are certain things we know happen in Sheldon’s life at 14. We started talking about the future of the show, and what it looked like. This is the right time for this story to come to an end, knowing that, at 14, he goes off to Cal Tech. It felt like the right time to end it strong while it was on top.
“Can’t we just leave it at, I’m tall and cool and I look like Jim [Parsons] now?” laughed Iain Armitage, who portrays the titular Sheldon. For actor Lance Barber, it was incredible that he’d even made it to season seven, considering his character, Sheldon’s father, George, is known to have died when he was young. Barber stated:
“I had my fingers crossed from the beginning that I would make it to the end whenever that came. We know the history of George. Personally, for me as an actor with a character like this, I have this legacy, I get to see what life brings.
I never got the inclination that the end was coming anytime soon, nor did I fear it
.”
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Even when Young Sheldon ends, Potts is happy that it’s available for streaming, which she thinks is the perfect medium for the show. “Everybody’s used to binging, and they love to watch that way, and I think, because the show is very consumable, the episodes end up being about 18, 19 minutes long, so you can watch three in an hour.,” explained Potts. “So, people are like, ‘Yeah!’ We’re like ice cream with chocolate sauce on. ‘More and more and more, gimme …’ I think it’s a good fit there, and I think it’s a great show.”
The next episode of Young Sheldon airs April 25 on CBS, with the subsequent final episodes airing Thursday nights. The series will conclude on May 16, 2024, with an hour-long series finale. You can stream Young Sheldon through the link below:
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