After starring in the popular CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2007 to 2019, Cuoco has continued having a successful career on television, starring in HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant (2020–2022), which earned her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Peacock’s Based on a True Story (2023–2024), both of which ended after two seasons.
Now, Kaley Cuoco’s new HBO Max series, How To Survive Without Me, has earned a $21 million tax credit from the California Tax Commission, per Deadline. The drama pilot was already a strong contender for a full series order, though its chances of being picked up by Warner Bros. Television have now increased after receiving the tax credit.
Additionally, a potential second season of HBO’s new comedy series Rooster, which premiered on March 8, has also received a $21 million tax credit, which increases its chances of being renewed for a second season. These credits will take effect if and when the seasons are officially greenlit.
Created by Greg Berlanti and Bash Doran, How To Survive Without Me follows a group of adult siblings and their father as they deal with grief, love, and their lives in Los Angeles. Other than Kaley Cuoco, the cast includes Julia Schlaepfer (1923), Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek), and three-time Emmy winner Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond).
Cuoco will play the family’s eldest daughter, “who inherited her mother’s perfectionism, elegance, and organizational prowess,” and is balancing her own family and career when she is forced to confront old wounds.
Greg Berlanti previously served as an executive producer on The Flight Attendant.
How To Survive Without Me has been a strong contender for a series order since the script pages. Its chances were further strengthened by the casting of Ray Romano, Joshua Jackson, and Kaley Cuoco in key roles. The pilot is now preparing to begin production in Los Angeles.
Rooster and How To Survive Without Me‘s $21 million tax credits represent different levels of actual reimbursement, since the former features 10 half-hour episodes per season, while the latter follows The Pitt‘s model of 15 hour-long episodes.
Notably, How To Survive Without Me‘s $21 million far exceeds the $12.3 million that HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television’s The Pitt received for its 15-episode first season, highlighting how much California’s tax incentives have grown over the past two years. The Pitt season 3 has been granted $24.2 million in this latest round of California tax credits.