If you don’t really pay attention to the people who work behind the scenes on your favorite television shows, then it’s unlikely that you know the names of many of the creators, producers and writers who craft beloved entries on the 2025 TV schedule. But, even then, it’s incredibly likely that you still recognize the name of Chuck Lorre. The man is behind mega comedy hits like Dharma & Greg, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Young Sheldon and a series returning for the 2025-2026 CBS lineup, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. He just revealed that he only had a short pitch for his first TBBT spinoff, and got only a four-word answer.
What Did Chuck Lorre Say About Pitching Young Sheldon To CBS?
Sitcom producer/writer/creator extraordinaire, Chuck Lorre, has spent much of his life now trying to make sure that people laugh, and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. While he’s currently working on yet another spinoff from The Big Bang Theory (Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which will rely on CGI) and a new comedy that you’ll be able to watch with your Netflix subscription soon, Leanne, he recently spoke at the Banff World Media Festival (via The Hollywood Reporter) and reflected on the pretty easy pitch he made that led to the seven-season run of Young Sheldon. As he told the crowd:
I don’t know if you’re allowed to say his name anymore, but I walked in Les Moonves’ office about 10 years ago and said, ‘I have an idea for a show about Sheldon when he’s 10 years old in East Texas.’ And he went, ‘Go do it, now.’
You may be unaware, but Les Moonves is the former CEO of CBS, the network that’s called many of Lorre’s successful sitcoms (like Mike & Molly, Mom, Bob Hearts Abishola, and his current TBBT universe) home. The process of pitching a new idea to a network executive has always seemed to be one filled with a high potential for anxiety or outright dread, but it’s clear that Lorre had none of that on the day he headed into this bigwig’s office.
Of course, by the time he pitched this spinoff prequel (which directly led to its own, previously mentioned, spinoff, Georgie & Mandy) the uber-producer was already very well-practiced in selling shows and talking to network execs. He also, as we know, had several hit shows under his belt for CBS and other channels by that time. Speaking of his prior success and how it likely played into Moonves’ quick response, Lorre added:
You never get a green light because it’s deep. You get a greenlight because they think they can make a profit.
There are good notes and then there are notes that make a really bright lightbulb go off in one’s brain, and I’d say that “you get a greenlight because they think they can make a profit” is one of the latter.
While the creator also said that he only pitches spinoff ideas if he believes it will “make a good show” and “provide laughter,” it’s obvious that he also knows what ideas sound like MONEY to higher ups. Hopefully, the Stuart spinoff (which you can watch with an HBO Max subscription, if it’s eventually ordered to series) will continue his strong winning streak.
