Chuck Lorre has had a famed television writing career, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s been a television writer for over 40 years, spanning dozens of television series. He has helped keep sitcoms relevant over the past 20 years, leading some of the biggest shows on television. His work, particularly for CBS, has generated copious award nominations, including 9 for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards.
The real question is whether fans realize that many of their favorite series have come from Lorre. His writing credits include CSI, Roseanne, Mike & Molly, B Positive, and United States of Al, but he has been the creator, co-creator, or showrunner for 13 series. Here are the 10 best of them.
10
‘Grace Under Fire’ (1993 – 1998)
After the first series Lorre created, Franny’s Turn, lasted only one season, he created Grace Under Fire. The show aired on ABC and starred comedian Brett Butler. Butler played Grace Kelly, a recovering alcoholic and single mother raising three kids in Missouri. The production company for the series was Carsey-Werner Productions, the same one that produced Roseanne.
The show was praised for its ability to mix comedy and drama while delving into difficult subject matters like alcoholism and domestic abuse. Butler earned rave reviews for her performance and garnered multiple award nominations. The series ran for five seasons and was one of ABC’s most-watched programs in its first few years.
9
‘Cybill’ (1995 – 1998)
The next series that Lorre created was Cybill, starring Cybill Shepherd. Incredibly famous during her run on Moonlighting in the 1980s, Shepherd pivoted back to television in 1995 by leading this sitcom for CBS. She played Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mom raising her kids while struggling to get work as an actress after the age of 40.
Shepherd, who never quite hit it big in the movies as much as she did in TV, played Sheridan with a lot of spark and the show had a cutting humor to it. She earned a Golden Globe Award for her performance. The show’s lone Emmy Award win came for Christine Baranski, who won an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award for her role as Maryann Thorpe, Cybill’s best friend.
8
‘Dharma & Greg’ (1997 – 2002)
What if two complete opposites married each other after their first date? That’s the premise of Dharma & Greg, a sitcom that ran on ABC from 1997-2002. Dharma, played by Jenna Elfman, was a yoga instructor who was raised by hippies. Greg, played by Thomas Gibson, was a conservative lawyer working as a San Francisco federal prosecutor. Elfman was a revelation in the role, earning three Golden Globe nominations and one win.
The show ran for five seasons and nearly 120 episodes. It was a ratings hit, especially during its third season, which had a lead-in from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? But after ABC reshuffled its programming lineup, it was placed around shows that were quickly cancelled and its ratings fizzled.
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7
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ (2024 – Present)
Lorre’s most recent series is Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which is a sequel to one of his biggest hits, Young Sheldon. The show is currently airing on CBS and expands on the characters of Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister, who were introduced in Young Sheldon. Georgie is 11 years younger than Mandy and works in an auto body shop owned by his father-in-law. The couple has a daughter, CeeCee, who is less than a year old at the beginning of the series.
For those who haven’t watched Young Sheldon, this series can be a bit of a tough sell, solely because you get a lot of the characters’ backstories from the previous series. Almost every character in this series had been announced previously. The series is not as outwardly funny as its predecessors, but it is a sweet series that was renewed for Season 2.
6
‘Bob Hearts Abishola’ (2019 – 2024)
Lorre’s shows tend to portray serious issues in a lighthearted way, and Bob Hearts Abishola is a unique one. The series stars Billy Gardell, who previously starred in the Lorre-written Mike & Molly, as a salesman who falls for his Nigerian nurse Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku) after he has a heart attack. The series follows Bob fumbling through trying to get Abishola to give him a chance with sweet gestures and funny antics.
The series highlights being an immigrant in America as well as interracial relationships. It ran for five seasons on CBS and was embraced for its actors but criticized a bit for relying on stereotypes for some of its comedy. The show also featured Christine Ebersol, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe, and Gina Yashere.
5
‘The Kominsky Method’ (2019 – 2021)
Taking his talents to Netflix, Lorre created The Kominsky Method, which premiered in 2019. It starred Michael Douglas, an actor who enjoyed brief success but has now turned to coaching other actors for the studio he co-runs with his daughter. It’s a true two-hander, with Douglas and Alan Arkin as the main stars. Arkin plays his best friend and agent, Norman.
Heavily mixing the comedy and the drama, this series took a more serious look at Hollywood and how aging professionals don’t want to feel displaced. It co-starred Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis, Paul Reiser, and Kathleen Turner. It won the Golden Globes for Best Comedy Series and Douglas won for Best Actor in its first season. The show ran for three seasons and was Arkin’s final TV role before his death.
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4
‘Mom’ (2013 – 2021)
A mother and a daughter, both who are struggling with addiction, decide to come together to tackle sobriety. Mom starred Anna Faris and Allison Janney and aired on CBS from 2013-2021. Set in Napa, the two main stars were estranged and struggling separately before making a pledge to each work on their sobriety. Faris’ character had two kids, which also added to the comedy any time they had to interact with Janney.
The show emphasized the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, as many of the characters were members of the leads’ support group. Mimi Kennedy played a memorable role in her second major role in a Lorre show, after she was in Dharma & Greg. Janney won two consecutive Emmy Awards for her role on the show. The show was cancelled after Faris left the show and the subsequent season didn’t hit home with audiences.
3
‘Young Sheldon’ (2017 – 2024)
Young Sheldon was a spinoff of one of the most popular series in history, The Big Bang Theory. It was a prequel that showed the early life of Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory and Iain Armitage in this series. Cooper is a boy genius, and his idiosyncrasies were well-documented in the original series. But Armitage encapsulates Sheldon, and the show builds out his backstory with Parsons serving as the narrator.
The show was a massive hit for CBS and critics praised it as well. The show mixed a lot of heart with the humor, showing what it was like for a young boy who was so smart to grow up in a location like East Texas. Lance Barber brought real depth to the role of George Cooper Sr., Sheldon’s dad. A fun bit of casting was used as Zoe Perry played Mary Cooper, Sheldon’s mother on Young Sheldon, while her real mother, Laurie Metcalf, played Mary on The Big Bang Theory. The show is looked at as one of the most successful sequels of the 2000s.
2
‘Two and a Half Men’ (2003 – 2015)
Depending on who you talk to, the final two shows on the list are the ones Lorre will be remembered for the most. Two and a Half Men was his first massive hit. It premiered in 2003 and starred Jon Cryer as Alan, a man whose marriage falls apart and he and his son (Angus T. Jones) move in with his brother, Charlie, played by Charlie Sheen. Charlie is a womanizing jingle writer who loves his bachelor lifestyle and Alan is much less successful, neurotic, and geeky. The crazy duo is tasked with raising Jake together.
It was one of the most-watched series while it was on and went on to win 15 Emmy Awards, including two for Cryer. The contrasting characters made the show’s hijinks land, as both were perfect for their roles. Sheen became the highest-paid TV actor ever while working on the show. But the series had to pivot in Season 9 when Sheen was fired and Ashton Kutcher took over as co-lead of the series. Kathy Bates won an Emmy for guest-starring as Charlie in an episode.
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1
‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2007 – 2019)
One of the most-watched sitcoms in history, The Big Bang Theory was Lorre’s biggest hit, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show starred Johnny Galecki as Leonard and Parsons as Sheldon, two scientists and roommates who meet their neighbor Penny from across the hall, played by Kaley Cuoco. The friendship between the three, along with Kumal Nayyar’s Raj and Simon Helberg’s Howard, changes the lives of all five characters. The mixture of Penny not understanding anything the four scientists are talking about, with them all being socially awkward, made for tremendous television.
As the series went on, Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette and Mayim Bialik’s Amy joined the show to balance out the cast. The dynamic between the friend group was immensely enjoyable to watch. Parsons won four Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role. The series is about to have its fourth spinoff with Stuart Fails to Save The Universe currently filming.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
