Bringing Young Sheldon stars back for the second The Big Bang Theory spin-off involved a behind-the-scenes battle over fair pay.
Showrunner Steve Holland revealed that he had to push CBS for a budget that would fairly compensate returning cast members. The negotiations also complicated communication with the cast as the original sitcom was preparing to conclude its seven-season run.
The dispute arose during the development of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Holland discussed the behind-the-scenes tensions in Jessica Radloff’s book, Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy.
He said the returning actors deserved proper compensation, even if they would no longer receive their regular series salaries. Holland also acknowledged that the team struggled to manage the situation while the show’s future remained uncertain.
The showrunner explained, “We were also still fighting to work out a budget that allowed us to bring in Young Sheldon cast members and have them be paid something fair to what they had been getting.” He added, “And that was another fight.”
How Montana Jordan & Emily Osment learned about their spinoff plans
According to Entertainment Weekly, the Young Sheldon cast learned during a 2023 Zoom meeting with Holland and fellow co-creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro that the sitcom would end with its seventh season. About 10 minutes later, Montana Jordan and Emily Osment received a separate call from Lorre about the spin-off.
Other members of the ensemble, however, were left in the dark and only found out about the spin-off through industry gossip after returning to the set to film the final season. Holland admitted that the prolonged budget negotiations made it difficult to communicate clearly with the rest of the cast about potential guest appearances.
Holland also admitted that the team could have handled the situation better. He said, “Some of it probably could have been handled better on our end, and some of it I’m not sure how we would have handled better.”
Annie Potts, who plays Meemaw Connie, particularly disliked the show’s ending and the way the team informed her about the spin-off. She described the suggestion that members of the Cooper family could appear occasionally as “not a real or generous invitation.”
Despite the behind-the-scenes friction, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage moved forward with Jordan and Osment, while other Young Sheldon stars could return as potential guest appearances.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
