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'The Big Bang Theory': A mother-themed episode and where Chuck Lorre's series are now

Lorre co-created 'Theory,' one of TV's most successful programs, as well as 'Two and a Half Men,' and 'Mom,' the latter of which seems to be doing well on CBS. 

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Michael Yarish/CBS
'The Big Bang Theory' stars Christine Baranski (l.), Kaley Cuoco (center), and Melissa Rauch (r.).

The hugely successful CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" celebrated Mother's Day with its new episode, in which the mother of one of the main characters, Leonard (Johnny Galecki), arrived for a visit. 

Leonard's wife, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), attempted to become closer to Leonard's mother, Beverly (Christine Baranski), during the most recent episode. Instead, Beverly got along more with Penny's friends, Amy (Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch).

Penny and Beverly soon resolved their differences after Beverly told her that she was hurt she hadn't been invited to Leonard and Penny's wedding and Penny said she and her husband could have another ceremony. 

"Theory" has become one of broadcast TV's biggest hits, now one of the five highest-ranked broadcast programs for both viewers 18-49 and total viewers for the 2014-2015 TV season. It stars Mr. Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, Ms. Cuoco, Ms. Bialik, and Ms. Rauch as various scientists and their significant others. 

It was co-created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. 

Mr. Lorre, in particular has been responsible for bringing some of CBS's most successful comedies to TV. He also co-created the comedy "Two and a Half Men," which ran for 12 seasons, and is an executive producer for "Mike & Molly," which is concluding this year after six seasons.  

With "Two" having ended last year and "Mike" now ending, where do Lorre's shows stand?

"Theory" is likely the most dominant of his programs and shows no sign of ending anytime soon, having already been renewed for a 2016-2017 season. Cast members such as Mr. Parsons and Cuoco told the website TVLine that they want to do more seasons and believed their fellow cast members did, too.

"If everything keeps going the way it's been going, absolutely, [I'm up for more]," Steve Molaro, the program's showrunner, told TVLine. 

But what does Lorre have after "Theory"? He also co-created the CBS comedy "Mom," which stars Anna Faris and Allison Janney. "Mom" has already been renewed for a fourth season, alongside a host of other top-rated programs.

"Mom" has also attracted critical attention, with Ms. Janney winning the Emmy Award for best supporting actress in a comedy series in both 2014 and 2015.

[Editor's note: The original version of this article misstated Chuck Lorre's role on the show "Mike & Molly."] 

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