There's been a lot of talk over the past several months regarding whether or not Season 10 of The Big Bang Theory will be the CBS sitcom's last. The good news? The show is still kicking other shows' butts in the ratings. The bad news? Ratings for the Season 10 premiere of The Big Bang Theory were way down compared to previous seasons, which doesn't give us the best hope for the show down the line.
Reports this week indicate that Monday night's episode of The Big Bang Theory was down a whopping 23% in the 18-49 ratings compared to the Season 9 premiere. Some of this may have to do with the fact that the Season 10 opener didn't have quite the it factor that Season 9 did when it picked up on a couple of huge cliffhangers involving Sheldon and Amy's breakup and Leonard and Penny fighting on what was supposed to be the best night of their lives. Plus, some of it might simply have to do with certain factions of the audience tiring of the series as it ages, or with the fact that The Big Bang Theory will air on Monday nights for the foreseeable future, at least until football finishes airing on the Eye Network. While the Monday night switcheroo has happened for the past few seasons, it is still surprising some viewers.
Per TV Line, in total viewership, the numbers weren't quite as bad. The Season 10 premiere did drop a bit from the Season 9 premiere, but only by 15% in total viewers. Despite the drops, The Big Bang Theory still managed to do better than the season premieres of Gotham, The Voice and the series premiere of The Good Place, starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. Although there was a 15% drop, 15.4 million total viewers still turned in.
The Big Bang Theory cast has mostly been open about wanting to return should the network decide it's a good idea---although Kunal Nayyar has been a bit cagier. Although the numbers have begun to drop, 15.4 million total viewers is still a number that most shows would envy. It should be noted The Big Bang Theory is expensive to produce and any potential renewal would have to involve new contracts being worked out so that CBS and the production company were still making a hefty profit on the sitcom. Otherwise, in the network corporation's eyes, what's the point?
It's too soon to tell whether or not The Big Bang Theory will be returning for Season 11, but we will keep you updated as all sides start to work out potential contract renewals before the network officially signs on for another season. In the meantime, new episodes of The Big Bang Theory air on Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET, followed by new series Kevin Can Wait on CBS. You can find out when the rest of your favorite comedies are returning with our fall TV premiere schedule.
