“Bob Hearts Abishola” will conclude with its upcoming fifth season at CBS.
The fifth season of the multi-cam comedy is due to premiere on Feb. 12, with the series finale now set for May 13.
The ending of “Bob Hearts Abishola” marks the potential end of an era at CBS. With the show ending, coupled with the previously announced ending of “Young Sheldon,” Chuck Lorre does not currently have any shows slated to be on the CBS schedule going into next fall. Unless the network picks up a new show from Lorre and his team between now and then, it will be the first time Lorre has not had at least one show on CBS since 2003.
Lorre’s run at CBS has been nothing short of historic. In the past 20 years he has co-created and executive produced shows for the network including long-running hits like “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and Half Men,” “Mom,” and “Young Sheldon.” He is currently prepping the series “Bookie” for Max.
“We are so proud to call ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’ a CBS comedy as it helped establish a new generation of programming at the Network,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “This series expertly showcased a family love story and workplace comedy about the immigrant experience with heartfelt humor and emotion while also authentically portraying Nigerian culture. It’s a testament to the incomparable Chuck Lorre, the amazing creative team led by Al Higgins, Gina Yashere and Matt Ross, and the talents of Billy Gardell, Folake Olowofoyeku and the entire cast for making this show and its characters come to life and resonate with viewers. We plan to celebrate it this spring and give fans the most amazing episodes to remember it by.”
The show is described as a love story about Bob (Billy Gardell), a middle-aged compression sock businessman from Detroit, who unexpectedly fell for his cardiac nurse, Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku), a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack.
“’Bob Hearts Abishola’ is about an unlikely love story, but also the premise that immigrants make America great,” said executive producers Gina Yashere, Matt Ross, and Lorre. “We’ve loved bringing these stories to life and are excited for fans to see the final chapter of these two families, and the incredible work of this talented cast and crew.”
Lorre, Al Higgins, Yashere, and Ross serve as executive producers. “Bob Hearts Abishola” is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Lorre is under an overall deal.
The ending of the show is not altogether unexpected. It was previously reported that, going into the fifth season, only Gardell and Olowofoyeku would retain their series regular status. All the other series regulars were reduced to recurring roles in an effort to cut the show’s budget.