NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘Big Bang Theory’ has season-high ratings

NEW YORK

As the time approaches to say goodbye to Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, Penny and the gang, the CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory” hit a season high in popularity last week.

The 14.2 million viewers who tuned in to Thursday’s episode will surely be topped, since television’s most popular comedy calls it quits after 12 seasons this spring.

Not everyone gets to go out on top, and the cast and crew of “The Big Bang Theory” gathered last week for a celebratory ceremony. The Burbank, Calif., studio on the Warner Bros. lot where the show is filmed was dedicated to the comedy. While there for a champagne toast, creator Chuck Lorre credited the crew for never “mailing it in” during 12 years.

The affection underlying all of the characters’ relationships, even if they aren’t very good at expressing it, is something that viewers can sense, Lorre said.

“They’re not blood relatives, but they behave like a family,” he said. “That’s aspirational. That’s what we all want.”

The Lorre-created spinoff, “Young Sheldon,” was the second most-watched comedy of last week, also with a season high in viewers, the Nielsen company said. So that bodes well for the character popularized by Jim Parsons to continue long after Parsons has stopped portraying him.

For the week of Feb. 4-10, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “The Grammy Awards,” CBS, 19.88 million; “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.16 million; “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 12.14 million; “State of the Union,” Fox News, 11.29 million; “State of the Union Analysis” (10:30 to 10:38 p.m.), Fox News, 10.72 million; “America’s Got Talent Champions,” NBC, 9.83 million; “State of the Union Intro” (9 to 9:06 p.m.), Fox News, 9.44 million; “Chicago Med,” NBC, 9.38 million; “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 8.8 million; “State of the Union Response,” Fox News, 7.9 million.

Cardi B deactivates Instagram account after Grammy criticism

NEW YORK

Cardi B has deactivated her Instagram account after social media criticism of her winning a Grammy for best rap album.

Some people said the 26-year-old rapper didn’t deserve the Grammy over other nominees. The criticism was amplified by a now-deleted BET tweet that pitted Cardi B against her longtime rival Nicki Minaj.

Cardi B shared an expletive-laden video before deleting her account saying it’s not her style “for people to put other people down to uplift somebody else.” She then pointed out how people said she was snubbed when she didn’t win for her debut single, “Bodak Yellow,” last year despite two nominations.

The rapper said she worked hard and throughout her pregnancy on her first album, “Invasion of Privacy.” Her Grammy win made her the first solo female artist to win the award for best rap album.

Associated Press