Bad news: It’s Sheldon’s final season

There’s some more bad news for TV viewers: This will be the final year for “Young Sheldon”
CBS announced that the show’s seventh season – which doesn’t even start until Feb. 15 – will be its last. The hour-long finale will be May 16.
After three months of summer reruns and two months on the shelf, “Sheldon” (shown here) finally was returned to its regular spot (8 p.m. Thursdays), starting Nov. 16. That’s for more reruns; CBS is holding off its post-strike season until after the Feb. 11 Super Bowl.
Times have been tough for situation comedies in general. At their peak, they had as many as eight spots in the Nielsen top-10; lately, they’ve had none. At their peak, single networks had 16 or 18 sitcoms; lately, no network has had more than four.
But “Young Sheldon” had seemed like a survivor. A prequel to “Big Bang Theory” (the final sitcom to draw a huge audience), it told of Sheldon Cooper’s tween and teen years. Jim Parsons (Sheldon on “Big Bang”) even voiced the narration and was one of the producers, with Chuck Lorre.
This has been the top-rated current sitcom and has produced surprises. The Sheldon character is fairly limited, but the show has found depth for his parents, his sister and, especially, his brother.
Georgie Cooper originally seemed destined for the limited role of a good-looking teen, obsessing on girls and on himself.
Gradually, however, a sweet side emerged … especially after Mandy (his girlfriend, 11 years his senior) became pregnant. (They’re shown here.) A likable guy emerged, amid stronger storylines.
Now that story will have only one more year to play out. CBS has only three other sitcoms – “Ghosts,” “Neighbors” and Lorre’s “Bob (Hearts) Abishola.” Another – “Poppa’s House,” with Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. — has been delayed until next season.