‘Bob ♥ Abishola’ To End With Season 5 On CBS; Series Finale Date Set

Nellie Andreeva
·3 min read
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It’s official: the upcoming fifth season of CBS’ comedy series Bob ❤ Abishola will be its last. The series finale will air Monday, May 13, the network said Wednesday. As previously announced, the fifth season of Bob ❤ Abishola is set to premiere on Monday, February 12.

The news is not surprising. As Deadline reported exclusively in April, of the 13-member series-regular cast of the show, only the two leads, Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku, had their Season 5 series-regular options exercised to remain on the multi-camera comedy full time. As part of the cost-cutting move to secure a renewal, the rest were offered to continue as recurring with a five-episode guarantee.

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Sources indicated to Deadline at the time that there was an expectation for Bob ❤ Abishola to end with a 13-episode fifth season. Coming out of a double strike, the comedy, from executive producers Chuck Lorre, Al Higgins, Gina Yashere and Matt Ross, will still produce 13 episodes in its final season.

“We are so proud to call Bob ❤ Abishola a CBS comedy as it helped establish a new generation of programming at the network,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “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.”

Bob ❤ Abishola is the third established CBS scripted series slated to end this season, alongside flagship comedy Young Sheldon and venerable drama Blue Bloods. Bob ❤ Abishola and Young Sheldon both come from Lorre, leaving him without a presence on CBS as of end of this season for the first time in many years.

Like the other two, Bob ❤ Abishola has been a solid ratings performer for CBS. It premiered as the No. 1 new comedy of the 2019-20 television season. Since its second season, no comedy on NBC, ABC or Fox has delivered more viewers, and, along with its Monday time slot mate The Neighborhood, they were the top two comedies during the 2022-23 season among African American viewers.

From Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Bob ❤ Abishola is about Bob (Gardell), a middle-aged compression sock businessman from Detroit who unexpectedly fell for his cardiac nurse, Abishola (Olowofoyeku), a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack, and set his sights on winning her over. Undaunted by Abishola’s lack of initial interest or the vast differences in their backgrounds, Bob was determined to win her heart, and eventually married her, in the comedic examination of immigrant life in America.

“Bob ❤ Abishola is about an unlikely love story, but also the premise that immigrants make America great,” said executive producers Yashere, Ross and Lorre. “We’ve loved bringing these stories to life and are excited for fans to see the final chapter of these two families, and the incredible work of this talented cast and crew.”

The series airs Mondays on CBS and streams live and on-demand on Paramount+.

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