@FormerlyKnownAs said:

Let's give them credit for having some smarts...

Can’t help but think that Chucky and company have considered all the possible and arguments before going ahead with such a creation. It’s not as if we are talking about newbies...unfamiliar with the inter-workings and pratfalls associated with such an undertaking.

Since they have no doubt weighed the likelihood of success vs. failure AND STILL decided to go ahead, then I expect that they are pretty darn sure they have a product worth putting out there.

After all, 11 years ago who would have expected a sitcom about super nerds to be such a humongous success?!

Can't wait to see what they have for us!

Well, Chuck Lorre and the others get paid - sometimes just by their own production companies, if nothing else, based on development deals with networks etc - even if a show DOESN'T run for years/decades. But the one thing they really can't do, at least not for long, is just sit around and not at least pretend to come up with SOMETHING "new."

@Knixon said:

@FormerlyKnownAs said:

Let's give them credit for having some smarts...

Can’t help but think that Chucky and company have considered all the possible and arguments before going ahead with such a creation. It’s not as if we are talking about newbies...unfamiliar with the inter-workings and pratfalls associated with such an undertaking.

Since they have no doubt weighed the likelihood of success vs. failure AND STILL decided to go ahead, then I expect that they are pretty darn sure they have a product worth putting out there.

After all, 11 years ago who would have expected a sitcom about super nerds to be such a humongous success?!

Can't wait to see what they have for us!

Well, Chuck Lorre and the others get paid - sometimes just by their own production companies, if nothing else, based on development deals with networks etc - even if a show DOESN'T run for years/decades. But the one thing they really can't do, at least not for long, is just sit around and not at least pretend to come up with SOMETHING "new."

The man has an estimated worth of well OVER a half-billion $$$ (probably not including what "Uncle" doesn't know about)...don't think he falls into that put-out-garbage-in-order-to-pay-the-rent category.

@FormerlyKnownAs said:

The man has an estimated worth of well OVER a half-billion $$$ (probably not including what "Uncle" doesn't know about)...don't think he falls into that put-out-garbage-in-order-to-pay-the-rent category.

Whatever money he gets for development deals etc, is likely contingent on him coming up with something. Perhaps X number of show proposals over Y number of years, or something. If he doesn't come up with something, whatever you or I might think of its relative quality, he would be in breach of contract, which could cost him more than whatever money he got up front. It might even be worth it for him to self-finance the startup of Young Sheldon and produce the first Z number of episodes himself, even if it doesn't get picked up by the (or any other) network. Nothing like that would surprise me, when it comes to Hollyweird. It also wouldn't surprise me if we never learn the real reasons behind these things, until maybe a book from Lorre, published posthumously.

@Hide86 said:

They have casted for the prequel- and the working title is "Young Sheldon". I hope they change that. Ian Armitage is Sheldon and Zoe Perry (Laurie Metcalf's real life daughter) is Mary Cooper. George Sr. is played by Leonard's high school bully (I can't remember the actor's name). I don't have high hopes for this. Do you?

Just noticed that Annie Potts is cast as Sheldon's grandmother; couldn't help but wonder how much she would have to shrink to fit into the June Squibb's version.

Turns out, not much; there is only an inch difference in their height. Potts - 5' 2'' and Squibb - 5' 1''. Funny that Squibb seems so much shorter. (Yes, some of us do have too much time on our hands.)

I would have been thinking more of diameter than... altitude... but clothes etc could pretty much deal with that.

@censorshipsucks06 said:

@FormerlyKnownAs said:

Since they have no doubt weighed the likelihood of success vs. failure AND STILL decided to go ahead, then I expect that they are pretty darn sure they have a product worth putting out there.

I will give it a chance. But I don't think even they believe they've got a good product. It may be, but in reality, traditional network TV is dying a slow and steady death. Every network is bleeding viewers, and what is considered a 'hit' today would have gotten shows canceled 20-25 years ago. So doubling down on one of the few legit hit shows right now is the smart play. I'm frankly shocked it took them this long to spin something off. Given that garbage like "The Odd Couple" and "Man With A Plan" have gotten the Green Light.

I think it's already dead, people either watch HBO,STARZ,and SHOWTIME or stream.

The only true exception is Game of Thrones, it gets huge viewership in real time no matter what. IMO there's only a handful of good sitcoms on a TV right now and two of them are on TBS.

I think they would be better off if it was called "The Coopers" and focus on the family. Sheldon has fans to be sure but he also has a lot of non-fans. While there have been some successful sitcoms featuring a child actor, "Blossom" of course, this one might be too much. Plus Jim Parsons is as much the draw as is Sheldon, and this kid cast in the show has to start fresh. I really don't care. It might be okay for a while.