A Young Sheldon Star Was Shocked By The Show's Cancelation

In the age of streaming, it can feel like a difficult task for a show to find its footing. Netflix and other big streaming platforms regularly cancel shows after just a season or two, long before they hit their stride. Some of that has to do with the sheer expense of producing a potential hit show. A lot of it has to do with the endless sea of options viewers have these days. That's what makes "Young Sheldon" feel like a relic of a bygone era. "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off had a remarkable run on CBS, lasting for seven seasons. Even on network TV though, good things come to an end.

"Young Sheldon" season 7 proved to be the show's last hurrah, with the series finale airing in May 2024. Iain Armitage's run as Sheldon Cooper is over. CBS opted to cancel the show, mostly because it felt like the right time for the show to end, creatively speaking. Even so, the cancellation caught at least one cast member by surprise. Namely, Annie Potts, who played Connie "Meemaw" Tucker on all seven seasons of the show. In an April 2024 interview with Variety, Potts did not hold back her feelings on the network's decision.

"This one was especially hard because I was completely unprepared. I was shocked. I mean, the No. 1 show on network TV, No. 1 on Netflix. We're, I think, all that people watch on TikTok besides a couple of recipes for pasta. It just seemed like such a stupid business move. Forgive me, but I don't know. If a show is starting to drag or lag or have a lack of stories or whatever, then you kind of see it coming. We were totally ambushed by this. I was, anyway."

Potts, who is probably known best for her work as Janine Melnitz in the "Ghostbusters" movies, is no stranger to being part of a show's conclusion. Potts played Mary Jo in "Designing Women," also on CBS and also a show that lasted seven seasons. But this one was a tough pill for her to swallow.

"It's been half of Ian's life, and it's been a 10th of mine, but at 70, that feels significant," Potts added in the same interview. "It's a little village that we have, and we've all taken care of each other and raised each other up. There will be a grievous hole in my life. There's no question about it. It'll get easier. Grief does, loss does."

"The Big Bang Theory" was saved from cancellation along the way, and it eventually became the biggest show on TV. It also gave way to this show, which was similarly big. Not to mention beloved by its viewers. For Potts, it was tough to understand why CBS would end a show that seemed to still have a strong viewership base. Armitage, for his part, understood where she was coming from. As the show's star explained in that interview:

"I totally get what Annie means. It's also just hard in a really weird way that I can only really see if I step back and try and take a global view, which is hard. I mean, I'm not going to get to see Annie Potts every day. This is a real loss for me. More than anyone. I definitely think we could have done a lot more."

Fortunately, these characters now live on. CBS recently began airing "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," which focuses on Montana Jordan's Georgie and Emily Osment's Mandy. For Potts, it also means that she gets to return as Meemaw in the second "Big Bang Theory" spin-off to make it to air. So, even though one show ended, it gave way to something else. These characters live on.

"Young Sheldon" is streaming on Max, or you can grab the complete series on Blu-ray via Amazon.