The 2024 TV season is quickly approaching, with plenty of new content on the way thanks to the ends of the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. Unfortunately for fans of Bob Hearts Abishola, the upcoming fifth season premiere will also be the last for the sitcom. CBS broke the news that the Billy Gardell- and Folake Olowofoyeku-led series will wrap after a 13-episode Season 5. Creator Chuck Lorre has shared his thoughts on the cancellation, and I'm 100% on board.
Bob Hearts Abishola is one of two projects from Chuck Lorre that were cancelled this fall, although Young Sheldon – set to end in 2024 as well – was rumored to be concluding with a seventh season before the strikes even began. The other CBS show seems unlikely to come to quite as natural an end as Young Sheldon can, and the creator opened up about Bob Hearts Abishola getting the axe on THR's TV's Top 5 podcast. Lorre said:
I think there's so many more stories to tell. The initial motivation for that [show] was a romance wrapped around a story of immigrants who make America great — that extraordinary, courageous effort that is made by millions of people every year to find their way in this country. I don’t necessarily feel like we were done, but that was not my call.
I can't disagree with Chuck Lorre about Bob Hearts Abishola having more stories to tell beyond the thirteen episodes of the final season! In fact, the Season 4 finale back in the spring ended on a major cliffhanger that seemed to indicate a soft reboot was on the way, with a new place and new life for Bob and Abishola. Of course, part of that was due to the massive changes to the cast, but giving the main characters a bit of a reset after four full seasons opened the show up to plenty of fresh new stories... if not for the cancellation.
The cast changes were announced back before the Season 4 finale aired, with the news that the number of series regulars was going to be cut from thirteen down to just two: Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku. The remaining cast members were said to be offered recurring roles in the fifth season, with actor Bayo Akinfemi reacting to the news. Chuck Lorre addressed the major cuts to the cast, clarifying:
It wasn't a demotion. There was fiscal restraints imposed on the show. In order to continue making the show, the cost of making it had to be reined in, and that was the only way to do that... It’s not my call. I’m really grateful that we've had the run that we’ve had. Five years has been terrific.
It's certainly true that most shows don't necessarily run for five seasons on broadcast television, even accounting for the shorter episode count than usual. With the exception of Season 2, which was produced under COVID restrictions, every season ran for at least 20 episodes. Bob Hearts Abishola ending on a 13-episode final season means that the sitcom will have to move pretty quickly with the story.
The sitcom also wasn't the only series expected to cut cast member episodes for the 2023-2024 TV season; the One Chicago and Law & Order shows on NBC were reportedly set to feature less of the series regulars to cut costs. Whether that remains true in light of the shortened TV season remains to be seen.
Bob Hearts Abishola returns for the fifth and final season on Monday, February 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS, between Season 6 of The Neighborhood and the premiere of NCIS Season 21. You can also revisit every episode so far of the Chuck Lorre show streaming with a Paramount+ subscription now.
