Young Sheldon is taking a break, and it won’t return until April. The Big Bang Theory spinoff prequel airs every Thursday night back-to-back with the long-running sitcom making for a solid comedy block for the broadcasting channel. And like its parent series, it’s also going on hiatus for a few weeks.
Fresh off a two-season renewal from CBS, Young Sheldon is already being poised to become the network’s number one comedy show after The Big Bang Theory ends after 12 seasons in the next few weeks. Debuting in 2017, Young Sheldon, which tackles Sheldon’s years of growing with his family in Galveston, TX, is currently its second season. Iain Armitage brilliantly portrays the the titular character first popularized by Jim Parsons. Young Sheldon offers fans the opportunity to learn more about the genius but socially-inept theoretical physicist’s past before coming to Pasadena and becoming roommates with Leonard (Johnny Galecki). For the most part, Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory have operated separately despite both existing in the same reality until last year’s crossover event.
Taking a break in March, Young Sheldon won’t return until April 4. During this time, CBS will be airing reruns of the show instead. This is in conjunction with the so-called sweeps period, which will take place between April 25 to May 22 this year. Data collected during these dates (also done in November, February, and July) are used by advertisers and networks to decide on the advertising rates for the rest of the year - the higher the ratings a station poses, the higher they can drive the prices for advertisements slots.
This explains why CBS intentionally spreads out the remaining episodes of Young Sheldon in the months of January to March until it goes back to its regular programming schedule by April. The same set-up applies to The Big Bang Theory, being the highest-rated sitcom right now on TV. With the two shows raking up high viewership ratings for an hour, CBS is able to increase their rates for their ad slots implementing this strategy.
Unfortunately, while The Big Bang Theory will at most take a week off once it returns on air next month, Young Sheldon is scheduled to take another two-week hiatus after its April 4 return. This is due to the difference in number of episodes for a full season orders for the shows: 24 for The Big Bang Theory, 22 for Young Sheldon. Young Sheldon needs an extra two-week break for its season 2 finale to land on May 16 - the same day as The Big Bang Theory’s series finale. It’s curious, however, whether Young Sheldon will simply be bumped to a 9pm start or if The Big Bang Theory will just begin earlier since the latter’s send-off special will last for an hour.
The last time fans saw the Sheldon and his family, the Coopers were going through some rough patches with Mary (Zoe Perry) surprisingly getting pregnant. This caused George (Lance Barber) to worry about finances, working out a minimal raise in preparation for the arrival of their brand new kid. Unfortunately, his wife loses the baby, explaining why there was no mention of another sibling from Sheldon aside from Missy and Georgie. Whether or not the remaining story for Young Sheldon season 2 will directly reference what’s happened/happening in The Big Bang Theory remains to be seen, but considering that Young Sheldon will take over its parent series’ spot next TV season, CBS might be more interested in emphasizing their connection.
More: Big Bang Theory: [SPOILER] May Already Be Pregnant
Young Sheldon airs Thursdays on CBS.
