Chuck Lorre says 'f--- 'em' to TV industry for not being interested in sitcoms
"What the industry perceives of as viable is not — that's none of my business, actually," Lorre said of continuing to produce sitcoms.
Chuck Lorre isn't known for pulling his punches, and when it comes to what the TV industry thinks of the sitcom genre, he's not holding back.
"F--- 'em," Lorre replied swiftly during the summer 2024 TCA Press Tour when asked about the current state of the entertainment industry and television executives seemingly uninterested in the sitcom as a genre.
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"You're asking me if I have a macro view of these things, I don't," Lorre continued. "I try and pursue things that I'm excited about that I think are wonderful, that working with people that I love and admire and telling stories that I think are great stories to tell, and the potential of making people laugh is a wonderful thing to do. When you come home at night, did you make people laugh? That's not a bad day."
Lorre is a prolific sitcom producer, having created or co-created shows such as Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, and Mom. He has had such a stellar success rate that he's often been dubbed the "King of Sitcoms." So one might assume that if anyone has their finger on the pulse of what the industry thinks of sitcoms, it would be him. But he says he actively tries to avoid that discourse and the ebbs and flows of what's trendy.
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"What the industry perceives of as viable is not -- that's none of my business, actually," he concluded. "I just I try and stay focused on doing stuff that I love and hoping people that — when I think something is wonderful, I hope people agree with me. I can't guarantee it, but that's the hope of it."
Lorre's latest is Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, a spinoff of Young Sheldon, which was spun off of The Big Bang Theory. The series, which premieres on CBS this fall, will follow Georgie Cooper, the older, decidedly less intelligent brother to Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). Both Montana Jordan and Emily Osment are returning to reprise their roles from Young Sheldon, as young parents Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister respectively.
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The series will follow the marriage of the two teenagers and all that follows. Though don't be waiting for a happy ending. The final season of The Big Bang Theory revealed that the grown-up Georgie, played by Jerry O'Connell, has been married and divorced twice. "Georgie's 19," Lorre quipped. "He dropped out of high school. How smooth do you think this marriage is going to go? There's some pessimism in the word 'first,' but there's hope as well if you're patient with us."
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage premieres Oct. 17 on CBS.
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