Big Bang gets rare three-year deal

NEW YORK — CBS is renewing its hit comedy The Big Bang Theory for three more years.

The extraordinary threeyear deal would carry TV’s most-watched sitcom through the 2016-2017 season, the series’ 10th on the air.

Created by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady, The Big Bang Theory premiered in September 2007 and has been a ratings smash for nearly its entire run. In U.S. ratings it has averaged nearly 20 million viewers each week this season. The sitcom is also among the top-ranking shows in Canada, with viewership peaking above 3.5 million and usually averaging more than a million each week throughout the season.

A comedy about science nerds and the people who love them, its stars include three-time Emmy-winner Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco.

In Canada the sitcom airs on CTV and in syndication on the Comedy Network.