Young Sheldon Episodes Getting Shorter: Another Sign Show's Almost Done?
In fact, there are several possible explanations.
Since it premiered in 2017, Young Sheldon has had a wonderful run. A prequel to The Big Bang Theory, the new sitcom did not disappoint fans, becoming almost as popular as the parent show.
So far, the spin-off has run for six seasons, with the last one currently airing on CBS. During these six seasons, the show has explored the childhood of TBBT's beloved nerd, Sheldon Cooper, and the lives of his family members who proved to be just as interesting as the titular character.
On one hand, the prequel has followed the canon adult Sheldon from the original show, featuring events that shaped him as a person. On the other hand, it has added a lot of new storylines and characters to spice up its plot. But in general, Young Sheldon has been pretty stable with the direction it's headed for story-wise.
Each season, with the exception of the fourth, which was filmed during the pandemic, had 21–22 episodes averaging 21 minutes in length. However, fans noticed that now Young Sheldon episodes seem to be getting shorter, and this may be a sign of the show coming to a close.
Apparently, April 27's episode 'Little Green Men and a Fella's Marriage Proposal' is only 18 minutes long. Naturally, there are speculations about Young Sheldon's writers skimping on the story to support another season of the show. As you may know, right now the Coopers are at the point where things are about to go awry and the family is falling apart, making it impossible for the spin-off to spin much further.
There is also another explanation for why Young Sheldon episodes are getting shorter, as CBS may be trying to fit more commercials during one episode's run, without extending its airtime.
Screen time during commercial breaks while such hit shows as Young Sheldon are airing cost tons of money, and the more time the network allows for commercials, the more money it will make. So in fact, shorter episode duration may be the downside of Young Sheldon's popularity.
Besides, we already know that Season 6 of Young Sheldon is going to have a grand one-hour finale. So, the writers may have trimmed some of the latest episodes in order to have enough material for the final one.
Whatever the real reason is, be sure to watch the show's next episode — it airs on May 4 on CBS.