CBS Is Losing The Rights To Air The Big Bang Theory But Will Go Out With A ... Big Bang

the big bang theory series finale sheldon jim parsons cbs

The Big Bang Theory ended its twelve-season run on CBS back in the spring, and the finale was long-awaited by some but came too soon for others (including the CBS boss). It was a mainstay on the Eye Network for over a decade, and the comedy lineup will be missing its anchor when the fall TV season kicks off. As it turns out, CBS will soon lose the freedom to air even old episodes of Big Bang, but the network is sending the series off with a suitably big bang.

CBS is rebroadcasting the series finale of The Big Bang Theory on Monday, September 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET to say goodbye to the series before the rights go elsewhere for syndication. It will air for the last time in the same time slot as it aired its very first season, all the way back in 2007. TVMoJoe revealed that the series finale rebroadcast will be the last time The Big Bang Theory airs on its home network, short of a 2030 syndication deal that would bring it back or reunions/special events.

Hopefully this will lift the spirits of Big Bang Theory fans, because that's not the end of the bad news on the Big Bang front for CBS. TVMoJoe went on to say that the episodes (including the series finale) of The Big Bang Theory that can still be streamed on the CBS website and CBS All Access "will disappear on Sept. 22." CBS' rights to The Big Bang Theory will have expired by September 23, which is the official beginning of the 2019-2020 TV season.

Hey, maybe The Big Bang Theory will win an Emmy during the awards broadcast on September 22 to soothe the sting! The show isn't up for nearly as many trophies as in years past, and the CBS head honcho has stated that Big Bang deserved more "respect" from the Emmys for its final season. That said, Big Bang will be honored along shows like Game of Thrones that also came to an end in the 2018-2019 TV season. There will be more time for such honors due to the Emmys happening without a host this year.

Will CBS get The Big Bang Theory back with a new syndication deal in 2030? Syndication is quite lucrative when it comes to The Big Bang Theory, and 2030 is a long time off. Will there even be anything left on broadcast television by that point, or will everything be streaming? There's no shortage of streaming services already, and high profile streamers like Disney+ and Apple TV+ will launch in the not-too-distant future.

Only time will tell what the far-off future holds for The Big Bang Theory, but we can say for sure that fans will have to make the time for The Big Bang Theory on Monday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET if they want to see the show's last hurrah on CBS. The Eye Network is launching a whole bunch of new sitcoms that could become the next Big Bang Theory if another spinoff never happens, and there's always Young Sheldon.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).