As much as I like the show, or really because I like the show, I hope this won't be the case. They need to go out with a bang, with season 12 as the last one.

@SpecialFlowers said:

As much as I like the show, or really because I like the show, I hope this won't be the case. They need to go out with a bang, with season 12 as the last one.

If the show continues to rate well this season, which I think every indication is it will, I doubt CBS is gonna let it end so easily. They like to keep their shows around for as long as they can.

@TheBayHarborButcher said:

If the show continues to rate well this season, which I think every indication is it will, I doubt CBS is gonna let it end so easily. They like to keep their shows around for as long as they can.

I totally see what you're saying but my personal wish is that they would choose quality over quantity.

I hope you're ready for the "if they really cared about quality over quantity, they would have ended it X seasons ago" comments.

@SpecialFlowers said:

@TheBayHarborButcher said:

If the show continues to rate well this season, which I think every indication is it will, I doubt CBS is gonna let it end so easily. They like to keep their shows around for as long as they can.

I totally see what you're saying but my personal wish is that they would choose quality over quantity.

Quality over quantity is a rarity anytime the quantity is money.

I think the show ends when Jim or any number of actors in the main cast decide to quit.

@TheBayHarborButcher said:

https://tvline.com/2018/08/05/big-bang-theory-season-13-renewed-cbs/

CBS is currently in negotiations to try to renew TBBT for a 13th season.

I'm speechless; or in this case, "commentless".

Looking at it from CBS's perspective I would want to keep it going too. It' their highest rated series and making a ton of money for them both in live airing and syndication. Obviously it makes sense why they would want more episodes. Plus, if they keep making new episodes it helps keep a lot of people employed. Not just the cast but everyone else who works behind the scenes.

@TheBayHarborButcher said:

Looking at it from CBS's perspective I would want to keep it going too. It' their highest rated series and making a ton of money for them both in live airing and syndication. Obviously it makes sense why they would want more episodes. Plus, if they keep making new episodes it helps keep a lot of people employed. Not just the cast but everyone else who works behind the scenes.

…and rightfully so, since it is a business.

But, in order for that business to make all that they are interested in, there must be a market (audience) for their product (the show). So, if they are about doing S13, no doubt, they see it as something folks still want. After all, there is no to be made in producing something nobody wants to see.

If it happens I'd call that a Win-Win.

Also, for all this carping about quality vs. quantity--where is it written that the writers they’ll employ if this comes about can’t write a quality S13?

@TheBayHarborButcher said:

Looking at it from CBS's perspective I would want to keep it going too. It' their highest rated series and making a ton of money for them both in live airing and syndication. Obviously it makes sense why they would want more episodes. Plus, if they keep making new episodes it helps keep a lot of people employed. Not just the cast but everyone else who works behind the scenes.

This issue was brought up when Roseanne was (temporarily) cancelled too. But they won't just be running a test pattern in that time slot. Once TBBT ends, whatever new show replaces it will be employing writers and cast and everyone else who works behind the scenes.

The issue is that for CBS (and network television which is dying a slow death) there's nothing on the horizon to replace it. The millions of viewers for TBBT aren't going to just see what else is on the broadcast nets. Many of them will leave and not return. A certain percentage of TBBT viewers likely watch little to no other network scripted programming. This show essentially goes back to pre-Facebook - when MY SPACE was the new and hip social media. Hell, I'm in my 50's, and very little of what I watch is scripted over the air network TV. Many tune in because they've watched since 2007. After this, a hunk of those viewers are gone. My wife and I are probably some of them. Aside from YOUNG SHELDON, which is a direct tie in to TBBT, we haven't watched a new network comedy in years - because they were all so cookie cutter and terrible.

CBS will do whatever it takes to keep this going. However Erica is right when she says the real decision makers here are the cast. If they decide to walk away from all the cash that is going to be thrown at them, then the show ends. They are probably all pretty tired of TBBT - but it's hard to walk away from that kind of money. And if any of them have a half a brain, they likely realize the odds are (with the possible exception of Parsons) they are never going to make this kind of $$$ again.

The end of TBBT might signal the coming end of the standard TV sitcom. The kids today don't look at CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX the way we did when we were their age. Hell, my nieces don't even watch those networks. They spend their time on YouTube and other such media. The Big 3.5 are terminally ill.

What may lie in store for the future seasons

Season 13 - Raj finally gets a keeper of a girlfriend.

Season 14 - Penny gets pregnant

Season 15 - Amy gets pregnant

Season 16 - Raj gets married and his bride Uhura Koothapoli pregnant

Season 17 - The whole cast is married with children.

Season 18 - Comic Con is a distant memory

Season 19 - Sheldon writes up a "Diaper Agreement" followed by a "Breast feeding agreement" followed up by more and more agreements.

Season 20 - Stuart waits to meet up with the gang in his new cool car but they forgot all about him.

Season 21 - Comedy is a distant memory

Season 22 - The Simpsons is on season 100 by now

Season 23 - Comic books are a distant memory

Season 24 - The Romulans arrive

Season 25 - Steven Hawking reanimated and encased in a robot body

Season 26 - Kripke Krwippler reanimated and goes on a rampage

Season 27 - Sheldon invents time travel and saves the universe

@znexyish said:

What may lie in store for the future seasons

Season 13 - Raj finally gets a keeper of a girlfriend.

Season 14 - Penny gets pregnant

Season 15 - Amy gets pregnant

Season 16 - Raj gets married and his bride Uhura Koothapoli pregnant

Season 17 - The whole cast is married with children.

Season 18 - Comic Con is a distant memory

Season 19 - Sheldon writes up a "Diaper Agreement" followed by a "Breast feeding agreement" followed up by more and more agreements.

Season 20 - Stuart waits to meet up with the gang in his new cool car but they forgot all about him.

Season 21 - Comedy is a distant memory

Season 22 - The Simpsons is on season 100 by now

Season 23 - Comic books are a distant memory

Season 24 - The Romulans arrive

Season 25 - Steven Hawking reanimated and encased in a robot body

Season 26 - Kripke Krwippler reanimated and goes on a rampage

Season 27 - Sheldon invents time travel and saves the universe

I think it's more likely Sheldon becomes a supervillain, builds a formidable robot army and becomes the main anatagonist of "Avengers 12 ".

@CalabrianQueen said:

@znexyish said:

What may lie in store for the future seasons

Season 27 - Sheldon invents time travel and saves the universe

I think it's more likely Sheldon becomes a supervillain, builds a formidable robot army and becomes the main anatagonist of "Avengers 12 ".

Corrected then my Queen - Sheldon becomes a Supervillain, builds a formidable robot army and becomes the main anatagonist of "Avengers 12".

Although Sheldon may still invent time travel in order to prevent Babylon 5 from airing.

Also Leonard works on a Star Trek Holodeck so he can perform scenes from his favorite book "The Hitchhikes Guide to the Galaxy"

@znexyish said:

@CalabrianQueen said:

@znexyish said:

What may lie in store for the future seasons

Season 27 - Sheldon invents time travel and saves the universe

I think it's more likely Sheldon becomes a supervillain, builds a formidable robot army and becomes the main anatagonist of "Avengers 12 ".

Corrected then my Queen - Sheldon becomes a Supervillain, builds a formidable robot army and becomes the main anatagonist of "Avengers 12".

Although Sheldon may still invent time travel in order to prevent Babylon 5 from airing.

Also Leonard works on a Star Trek Holodeck so he can perform scenes from his favorite book "The Hitchhikes Guide to the Galaxy"

And he has to prevent Saturn 3 too, of course. Numerically speaking, it's not even as good as Babylon 5! And only 1/3rd as good as Deep Space 9.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVuxvJVdZQc

13 seasons. That's quite an achievement. If they pull it off, more power to them. Must be a huge money maker for CBS for them to keep going to the well. Can't be cheap to pay that cast's salaries.