Paramount has unveiled that “The Big Bang Theory” will join its Nick at Nite and MTV lineups.
Starting Dec. 24, the Nickelodeon late-night block will host a two-day marathon of holiday-themed “Big Bang” episodes. On Dec. 27, the network will begin airing the series from 12-2 a.m. every night, starting with Season 4.
On Jan. 1, MTV will host “MTV’s New Year with a Bang,” a non-stop New Year’s marathon of Season 3. Episodes will then air regularly on MTV every Saturday and Sunday starting Jan. 4.
“We are thrilled to welcome ‘The Big Bang Theory’ back into the Paramount family, bolstering the comedy lineup for both Nick at Nite and MTV,” said Laurel Weir, EVP and head of programming at Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks. “Bringing engaging and culturally resonant content to fans is our priority, and the addition of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to our robust comedy slate across both networks brings our audience some of the best comedies in television history.”
The licensing agreement for the series, which was negotiated on behalf of Paramount Global by chief programming acquisitions officer Barbara Zaneri, is by no means exclusive. “Big Bang” is still under a streaming deal with Max worth $600 million and continues to air on TBS.
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The 10-time Emmy winner ran for 279 episodes across 12 seasons and originally aired on CBS from September 2007 to May 2019. Despite the linear run of “Big Bang” ending just before Paramount merged with CBS in December 2019, the entrance of the show into Paramount’s programming is still being advertised as a return to the network.
“The Big Bang Theory” follows aspiring actress Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who moves into a Los Angeles apartment and forms an unlikely friendship with her neighbors, the brilliant but hopelessly awkward physicists Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki). Other cast members include Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik.
“The Big Bang Theory” was created and written by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. Executive producers include Lorre, Prady, David Goetsch, Steven Molaro, Eric Kaplan, Steve Holland, Maria Ferrari, Jim Reynolds and Lee Aronsohn.