Fall TV season is quickly approaching, but the current WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike mean that many returning shows aren't on the schedule, and that includes CBS comedy Bob Hearts Abishola. The sitcom's absence from CBS' Fall 2023 TV schedule is only the latest development, as news broke back in the spring that the cast of thirteen series regulars from Season 4 was being bumped down to just two for Season 5. Now, cast member Bayo Akinfemi has opened up about CBS cutting pay, hours, and episodes.
Stars Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku – a.k.a. the titular Bob and Abishola – are the only cast members who will retain series regular status, with the rest offered recurring roles for the 13-episode fifth season. Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Bayo Akinfemi, who has played Goodwin Aderibigbe Olayiwola since Season 1, spoke to The New York Times about the situation, saying:
It was a bit surprising, for all of 10 seconds. We are disappointed, but we also understand at the end of the day it’s a business.
The changes mean that Bayo Akinfemi and the rest of his castmates who have been bumped down from series regular status will still be paid the same amount per episode, but it won't be for every episode of the fifth season regardless of whether or not they appear. They will be paid for each episode that they appear in, and are guaranteed only five of the 13 episodes. No matter how Bob Hearts Abishola resolves the Season 4 finale cliffhanger, the sitcom is entering a new era.
In addition to Bayo Akinfemi, Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Vernee Watson, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe Jr., Bayo Akinfemi, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, and Gina Yashere were all reduced from series regular to recurring roles. Bob Hearts Abishola also isn't the only CBS show significantly affected by budget cuts.
Blue Bloods was renewed for Season 14 with the expectation of a lower budget, which included stars like Donnie Wahlberg agreeing to take a pay cut. Bob Hearts Abishola and Blue Bloods otherwise don't have much in common, but both show that CBS was taking measures to lower costs even before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes began.
This also isn't an issue only affecting CBS shows. Elsewhere on the small screen, Superman & Lois' renewal for Season 4 came with a reduction down to ten episodes, with just five actors expected to remain on board as series regulars. The rest may appear as guest stars or recurring roles, but that has not yet been confirmed.
On the NBC front, the network handed down the expected renewals for the hit One Chicago and Law & Order shows, but with the unfortunate news that series regulars will appear in fewer episodes of the 2023-2024 season. That doesn't mean that they'll only be recurring (or that Chicago P.D.'s cliffhanger will result in an early Season 11 death for one character), and SVU was missing stars from episodes throughout the 24th season, but change is on the way.
Of course, it may be some time before fans see all of these changes. The strikes mean that most scripted shows won't be able to return in the Fall 2023 TV schedule with new episodes, with the exceptions of series like NBC's Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I., both of which already had episodes completed prior to the beginning of the strikes. Magnum was originally expected to return in midseason 2024.
As for Bob Hearts Abishola... well, it could be months before any more news about what the fifth season will look like with such a reduced cast of regulars. In the meantime, you can revisit the fourth season streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
