Should ‘The Big Bang Theory’ ever get a spin-off? We pitch four ideas

We are living in the age of spin-offs right now. “NCIS,” “CSI,” “Arrow,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Chicago Fire” all are shows that have some sort of spin-off series as a part of this TV season. “NCIS” has two, and “Criminal Minds” may have one going into the new season.

With this in mind, we’re almost surprised that nobody has tried to take a crack at a “Big Bang Theory” spin-off yet. Maybe this is a choice of Chuck Lorre, given that none of his shows over the past decade have really made an effort to produce spin-offs. However, we still think that this is a fun idea to think about. While this show does not necessarily have a large array of recurring characters (due in part to there being a seven-person cast, which is pretty big for a sitcom), we tried to put ourselves in the position today of producer, trying to come up with ways to expand the franchise and give CBS a new comedy hit that it has not had in a while.

“Comic Shop” – an easy premise to think about here: Stuart decides that he wants to move away from California, and he opens up a new comic-book shop elsewhere. This show revolves around his adventures to get a new shop, and his life, off the ground. Probably unlikely to happen given that he is just about to re-open his comic shop, but a fun possibility still.

“Wheaton” – The misadventures of a satirized Wil Wheaton. Think of it as “Episodes” with an adder layer of “Star Trek.” Also, bring on LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner.

“Lucy and Emily” – In the event that Raj and Emily break up, a new female “odd couple” could form with the shared history of dating the same guy. The sad thing about Kate Micucci and Laura Spencer’s roles is simply that you can really only have one of them or the other as a fixture on the flagship show, but that wouldn’t be the case here!

“The Untitled Christine Baranski Project” – We really tried to come up with a name, but a show about Leonard’s mom opening a new psychiatry practice could be fun, especially when surrounded by some quirky characters. Find a way to shoehorn Kripke in here somewhere; we couldn’t take his voice in a leading role, but he has to be involved somewhere! Sure, Baranski’s busy on “The Good Wife” for now; just set this up for when that series ends.

Now, put yourself in this position: What spin-off idea would you want to see explored? Let us know in the comments, or head over here to get some further updates on everything we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)