CBS Is in Talks to Renew The Big Bang Theory, Which Is News to Bill Prady

For fans of The Big Bang Theory, acceptance that the comedy's next season -- its twelfth -- is probably going to be its last is something that's been hard to swallow. The thought is that the cast's ballooning salaries and desires to do something else will spell an end to broadcast's biggest show over the last decade or so, and star Johnny Galecki pretty much said so earlier this year: "I think at this point everyone's very comfortable with 12 seasons being a good time to go home and see our families."

But CBS has other ideas. Speaking to reporters at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, CBS President of Entertainment Kelly Kahl said, regarding The Big Bang Theory, "We don't believe it's the final year, we're in preliminary discussions to renew the show with Warner Bros. the studio."

That actually falls in line with what CBS said in May, when Thom Sherman, the senior EVP of programming, said, "As long as [co-creator] Chuck [Lorre] and his team think they have stories tell, we're on board. We hope to get at least two more years out of them. [The Big Bang Theory] is not slowing down anytime soon."

But you'd think that executive producer and former showrunner Bill Prady would be privy to all of this.

The Big Bang Theory has been renewed through Season 12, which premieres Monday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on CBS.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)