CBS may have fallen out of love with Bob ♥ Abishola, but series co-creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer Gina Yashere hopes the sweetheart sitcom will be shopped to other networks. The comedy — about the love that blossoms between heart attack patient Bob (Billy Gardell) and his cardiac nurse Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku) — returned for its fifth and final season last week with a reduced cast, including Yashere (who plays Abishola's best friend, Kemi) in a recurring role. Bob Hearts Abishola will conclude with its series finale on May 13.
"I'm leaving that to Chuck [Lorre] because he's the boss. But we're hoping. There's nothing that can stop someone else picking up the show and continuing the legacy, and I'm all for it," Yashere told TheWrap at the Television Critics Association's 2024 winter tour. "I'll be here ready with my laptop, ready to take the show to whoever wants it next. Netflix, where are ya?"
Lorre — who also created the hit sitcoms Two and a Half Men, Mom, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon for the network — produces the series via his Chuck Lorre Productions banner with Warner Bros. Television. There's no word yet whether WBTV will shop the series to another network or a streamer like Netflix.
Yashere is "grateful" the cast and creators were informed season 5 would be the last, remarking that production has been "bittersweet."
"Some shows they end, they go into hiatus, and they don't know whether they're coming back or not. So you see shows that end, and you don't get the same amount of satisfaction because they didn't know," Yashere said. "We can tie up some loose ends, continue stories and do some stuff that we might have pushed back to the following season."
Last April, it was reported that Gardell and Olowofoyeku would be the only cast members returning as series regulars for the fifth and final season. The cost-cutting move saw the remaining cast — Christine Ebersole (Dottie), Matt Jones (Douglas), Maribeth Monroe (Christina), Vernee Watson (Gloria), Shola Adewusi (Auntie Olu), Barry Shabaka Henley (Uncle Tunde), Travis Wolfe Jr. (Dele), Bayo Akinfemi (Goodwin), Anthony Okungbowa (Kofo), Saidah Arrika Ekulona (Ebunoluwa), and Yashere (Kemi) — reduced to recurring roles.
"We are so proud to call Bob Hearts Abishola a CBS comedy as it helped establish a new generation of programming at the Network," Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said when announcing Bob Hearts Abishola's final season. "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."
New episodes of Bob Hearts Abishola season 5 air Mondays on CBS and are available to stream on Paramount+.
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