How Exactly the SAG & WAG Strikes Will Affect Young Sheldon Season 7
The sitcom won’t be back this fall because of the strikes.
Summer 2023 is almost over, heralding the arrival of a new fall season of TV. Normally, we would anticipate the return of our favourite shows and the premiere of several new projects. However, this year is different due to the ongoing WAG-SAG-AFTRA strike.
Hollywood's writers kicked off their strike in May, demanding fairer pay from streaming services. The actors' guild followed suit in July, causing many film and television projects to be put on hold. With no resolution yet in sight, the industry faces severe consequences. As a result, the new fall 2023 schedule CBS released a few weeks ago omits a whole bunch of its big-name projects, including the seventh season of the network's flagship sitcom, Young Sheldon.
The sole spin-off of CBS's incredibly popular comedy show, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon debuted in 2017 and ran concurrently with the original show for two seasons. After TBBT's conclusion in 2019, the prequel continued on its own. As of 2023, it has spanned six seasons and amassed a loyal fandom that extends beyond TBBT's fans.
Young Sheldon was renewed for a seventh season in 2021. Following the titular character and his family, it is expected to be the show's final instalment due to major changes in their lives that are supposed to happen as per the TBBT canon. Understandably, viewers are eager to see how YS's seventh season will play the hand it got dealt by the parent show. Regrettably, the sitcom's production has been put on hold due to the WAG-SAG-AFTRA strike.
On the one hand, the filming of season 7 may begin as soon as the strike is over so it can hit the screens in winter. That could result in a shorter season with condensed storylines for the main characters, with some of the secondary character arcs never getting proper closure.
The other solution would be to also start filming as soon as the strike is over but postpone the release of the season until next fall. That way, there will be enough time to make a full-length season without having to cram too many events into too few episodes while ensuring the young actors, Iain Armitage and Reagan Revord, don't look significantly older in season seven than they did in season six. The problem is that the long delay may cause the audience to lose interest in what is supposed to be the show's most crucial season.
Both options are less than ideal, but both are, actually, the best-case scenario as they are predicated on the strikes ending in the near future. The worst-case scenario is that the strikes continue indefinitely, and the seventh season never gets made at all.
Hopefully, the strike will reach a reasonable conclusion soon, and we'll be able to enjoy our beloved sitcom in no time.