Was Young Sheldon the Last Hit Network Sitcom?

Quick Links

• The History of Sitcom Domination

• The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon‘s Time to Shine

• The Dominance of Streaming

As someone who grew up glued to the television, I can tell you that the landscape of TV has certainly changed since my younger days. Back then, it was all about waiting for the next episode of “The Big Bang Theory” spin-off, “Young Sheldon,” eagerly anticipating those 10 million plus viewers tuning in every week. But times have moved on, and the days of such enormous ratings seem to be behind us.

Hard as it may seem to fathom now, there was an era when network television was so popular that tens of millions would tune in. During this pre-streaming period, the “Big 4” networks reigned supreme, and sitcoms often held the highest viewership numbers. In the ’80s, “Cheers” was the top show, followed by “Seinfeld” in the ’90s and “Frasier”. The 2000s saw “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” on the throne, with “Modern Family” and “Young Sheldon” taking over from the late 2010s to the present. For at least four decades, a comedy has been one of the most-watched programs on American television. However, this might soon change.

The Big Bang Theory was once a sitcom that consistently drew in 10, 15, and even 20 million viewers. However, as viewing habits evolved, so did the audience sizes. During its seven seasons on air, Young Sheldon was one of the most-watched network shows, but its average viewership of 6 to 7 million pales in comparison to the golden age of sitcoms. Now that Young Sheldon has concluded, could any comedy rise to the top and surpass these numbers? Or are we witnessing the end of the epoch of massive network sitcoms? Let’s examine some potential candidates to see what lies ahead.

The History of Sitcom Domination

For nearly as long as television networks have been around, sitcoms have been a regular fixture. One of the first and most successful was “I Love Lucy” in the 1950s. In an era when TV sets were less prevalent in homes, its highest-rated episodes attracted more than 40 million viewers. Given the population growth since then, that number would be even larger today. However, with audiences becoming more fragmented than ever before, it’s spread much thinner.

In the ’80s and ’90s, sitcoms reached their peak of popularity. The turning point was the series finale of M*A*S*H in 1983, which attracted an astonishing 106 million viewers, a record for American TV broadcasts until it was broken by the 2010 Super Bowl. Later in that decade, Cheers and Seinfeld rose as prominent examples of this sitcom boom.

In the mid-90s, “Friends” and “Frasier” made a significant entrance on NBC, essentially ruling the roost in the sitcom genre. Regularly pulling in around 25, 30, and 35 million viewers wasn’t unusual for this popular duo. However, NBC struggled to maintain this success with their subsequent shows. Shows like “30 Rock”, “The Office”, “Parks and Recreation”, and “Community” were all praised as hits individually, but they didn’t resonate with the audience in terms of ratings, typically garnering only about 5 million viewers on a good day.

The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon’s Time to Shine

Following the conclusion of Friends, CBS ascended to the throne of sitcom dominance. In 2007, they debuted The Big Bang Theory, which quickly rose to become the leader of the pack a few seasons into its run. This series managed to attract over 20 million viewers, a feat not seen in sitcoms for several years. After The Big Bang Theory ended, Young Sheldon assumed the position as the foremost comedy on network television. However, Young Sheldon was airing at the same time as the streaming revolution started to siphon off the last of linear TV viewers. Although it remained at the top, its viewership in the final seasons dropped to around 9 million, significantly less than the 20+ million it once had.

The anticipated contender for the throne of popular sitcoms is the upcoming spinoff of Young Sheldon, titled Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Its association with TBBT is likely to draw a massive audience initially. However, the question remains if it can maintain this success with new characters, plots, and without Sheldon Cooper. A potential drop in ratings is expected, but the extent of this decline is yet to be determined. Will it remain at the top, experiencing only a minimal dip, or will it become an ordinary spinoff? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, CBS could maintain its dominance with another show. Ghosts, currently ranked as TV’s second-best sitcom, has episodes that match or surpass those of Young Sheldon in viewership when not preceded by it. If Ghosts can maintain these numbers without the lead-in from YS, then it could take over as the leader in comedy.

Although several shows might follow “Young Sheldon“, it’s doubtful that any will replicate its viewership figures. As traditional television viewing declines, the threshold for what constitutes a hit also drops. It appears that times of 10 million or more viewers for comedies, or any network series in general, are now history.

The Dominance of Streaming

Let me clarify something, isn’t it more accurate to say that “Young Sheldon” is not the last successful sitcom? Take for instance ABC’s “Abbott Elementary”. In terms of critical acclaim and audience response, “Abbott” undeniably stands out. However, this positive reception doesn’t necessarily reflect in viewership numbers. “Abbott” typically attracts around 2 to 2.5 million weekly viewers, which is significantly less than the audience that “Young Sheldon” attracted. Yet, if you were to judge by online engagement, it would seem that “Abbott Elementary” dominates the conversation on Twitter almost every week.

In contrast to “Young Sheldon”, which seldom does (except for season finales and special instances), despite boasting three times as many viewers, this demonstrates a trend in audience preferences, often referred to as shifting demographics. Notably, the majority of “Abbott”‘s viewers fall within the advertiser-preferred age group of 18-49. This demographic is socially active with the show and predominantly streams it.

In my perspective as a supporter, it appears that most fans of “Young Sheldon” have moved on from the 18-49 demographic. The Gen X and Baby Boomer generations are far less likely to engage with social media during their television viewing. This preference for traditional TV over streaming platforms contributes significantly to the higher number of same-day viewers for “Young Sheldon.” However, when taking into account all viewing platforms, it’s plausible that “Abbott Elementary” surpasses “Young Sheldon” in terms of viewership and engagement.

It appears that the era of massive sitcom ratings on traditional television has come to an end. However, series such as “Abbott Elementary” might be the future. They receive positive reviews while garnering most of their audience from streaming platforms. Traditional networks should adapt to this shift and consider streaming viewership when calculating ratings. Although “Young Sheldon” may be the final major network comedy success, there are numerous other less-watched shows on both broadcast and streaming that deserve recognition too. By the way, “Young Sheldon” is available for streaming on Max and Netflix.

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2024-09-14 22:31