Chuck Lorre gets candid on hits, flops and hard lessons in new memoir
'Sitcom'
[October 17, 2026]
By ALICIA RANCILIO
After creating TV hits like “The Big Bang Theory,”“Two and a Half Men,”
and “Young Sheldon,” legendary producer Chuck Lorre is looking back at
his milestones and missteps in a new memoir called “Sitcom.”
“I started out, I did not want to do this,” Lorre admits regarding the
decision to write his book. “I didn't see any reason to do it. A dear
friend kept pushing me that the story of this journey to where I am now
was worth telling.”
That nudge ultimately unlocked a deeply cathartic experience for the
showrunner. “Writing down your experiences gives you distance and
perspective,” Lorre said. “It allows you to laugh at your past and maybe
understand it a little better.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lorre opens up about the
personal introspection that led to “Sitcom,” and shares his thoughts on
where television comedy stands today, plus offers a pragmatic take on
the recent Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal.
Answers have been condensed for clarity and brevity.
AP: In “Sitcom,” you chose to include actual scripts at the end of the
book with your own handwritten notations. Why share those with readers?
LORRE: I thought it might be interesting to people reading the book to
see what a sitcom script actually looks like from the inside. The
handwritten notations were my effort to communicate how I felt about
those scripts when we were making them, as well as how I feel about them
looking back now. I wanted to provide a little real, behind-the-scenes
insight into the process of making these shows rather than just talking
about them in the abstract.
AP: Why do you think it has become so difficult for sitcoms to succeed
in today's television landscape?
LORRE: Before there is comedy or jokes, the audience must care about the
characters. It isn't even about making them “likable.” Danny DeVito in
“Taxi” or Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker played awful, angry people,
but you loved watching them. If the audience cares, then a character
falling down the stairs becomes hilarious because they were running
somewhere important. A great sitcom like “Cheers” or “The Big Bang
Theory” becomes a surrogate family where people gather around a table,
eat together, and bond. That emotional connection is much harder to
build today because getting people to sit down for a half-hour comedy in
a hyper-fragmented market is an immense challenge.
AP: You share some of your failed projects and pilots in the book. Do
you ever wish you could get a do-over?
LORRE: Looking back with regret is pointless, but I actually did get a
second chance with “The Big Bang Theory,” which was a miracle. We wrote
and produced an initial pilot that did not work, but Johnny Galecki and
Jim Parsons were in that pilot and had this extraordinary chemistry. We
got a second chance to retool it, and it worked beyond my wildest
dreams. With failed shows, you either learn from the failure or you
become cynical and bitter as a result. Learning from it is the better
option.
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Chuck Lorre poses for a portrait during the Summer Television
Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on July 13,
2024. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
 AP: Warner Bros. has undergone
massive corporate shifts, including its recent merger deal with
Skydance. Having had a longtime overall deal with Warner Bros.
Television, does this affect your work?
LORRE: None of these corporate shenanigans ever really filter down
to where I am. When I first came here, the company was merging with
AOL in 1999, then Time Warner, then AT&T, who wanted me to write
shows for cellphones, and I told them, “No, I don't write for
phones” — and then Discovery.
I met Mr. Ellison recently, and he seems like a decent fellow, but
basically, we have a “new daddy.” My job is to try to make something
that makes people laugh. It has nothing to do with corporate
superstructure or $80 billion in debt. There is no sitcom in the
world that's going to clear that.
AP: What do you watch when you go home at night?
LORRE: Strangely enough, I watch a lot of dramas rather than
comedies. I'm intrigued by watching things I don't know how to do
with incredible action sequences. Right now, I love “Slow Horses”
with Gary Oldman. He plays this completely despicable, horrible
human being, and yet you absolutely love watching him. When I unwind
at night, that's the kind of storytelling I'm looking for.
AP: What do you hope aspiring writers or fans take away from reading
your book?
LORRE: If you want to write, you have to read. Everything from Ray
Bradbury's “The Martian Chronicles” to “Moby Dick” shaped me as a
kid. Creation is always about standing on the shoulders of those who
came before you. The Rolling Stones don't exist without Chicago
blues, and comedy writers don't exist without the great shows that
preceded them.
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