Bob Hearts Abishola has started its final season run. Fans of the CBS comedy can expect the fifth season to span 13 episodes and it'll finale on May 13. But a big question on viewers' minds is why the show was canceled.
It was obvious the series was on shaky ground after it was announced that only the two leads Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku would remain as the main cast and their co-stars would be bumped to recurring status. However that doesn't mean it wasn't disappointing to learn that it would be entering its farewell season come 2024.
In December 2023, TVLine reported that series co-creator Chuck Lorre revealed in an interview with TV's Top 5 podcast that season 5 wasn't Bob Hearts Abishola's planned ending.
"I think there are so many more stories to tell. The initial motivation for that [show] was a romance wrapped around a story of immigrants who make America great — that extraordinary, courageous effort that is made by millions of people every year who find their way in this country. I don’t necessarily feel like we were done, but that was not my call."
So if the team behind the comedy weren't finished with the show, why was it canceled? Part of it comes down to money. The series went through major budget cuts. That's the reason for the extremely reduced main cast, and the now recurring actors being featured in five episodes each in the last season.
But there's also an implication that CBS thought the series had run its course. When asked about how much financial constraints impact development and shows ending sooner, particularly in the case of Bob Hearts Abishola, CBS President of Entertainment Amy Reisenbach had the following to say:
"Financial aspects are always going to be a part of the equation but it’s not the whole equation. There are so many different factors that go into when and why a show will end but at the end of the day, our goal is to make sure that they get as much of a runway as possible.
We knew for quite a while that Bob was going to be ending and we had conversations with Chuck [Lorre] where he really appreciated that he had the time. He knew in advance that the show was going to end so he and the team could write to it. That’s the kind of ending that when shows end we want to give them. "
Reisenbach's interview with Deadline also touched on the network's desire to provide long running programs the ability to end in a way that honors the story that fans have fallen in love with over the years. For Bob Hearts Abishola that included making sure the team behind the show had enough time to write a satisfactory final season.
The series will be missed in CBS' line-up come the 2024-2025 season but it does appear that fans can rest assure that its ending won't be rushed or tacked on. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more TV news and coverage.