When Young Sheldon was first announced, I remember the reaction of my closest friends: disgust, terror, confusion. The Big Bang Theory is a tired and bad old sitcom about a herd of nerds who suddenly meet a hot girlfriend. The breakout protagonist, Sheldon Cooper, is an obnoxious know-it-all, and the last thing I expected to enjoy is an origin story for the character. Years later, my social media feeds are full of Young Sheldon clips and content, enough to make me want to watch the show out of morbid curiosity, only to find out: it’s actually pretty good. Now I understand why that is so a second spin-off related to the deep lore of the Cooper family. I understand why the fans are calling for an Old Sheldon series starring Michael Keaton. Young Sheldon is downright heartwarming, and one of the few sitcoms I love.
Young Sheldon revolves around the childhood of Sheldon Cooper, who skips grade school and attends high school before entering college at age 11. Although Sheldon is intellectually gifted, he struggles with even basic social cues. The main challenge is that Young Sheldon faces is that Sheldon himself is absolutely unlikable, and we’re sure he can never have any real character growth because he has to end up as the character he is throughout. The Big Bang Theory. But Young Sheldon has two ways around Sheldon’s self-centeredness, aggressive refusal to say no, and other unpleasant traits.
It helps that everyone else on the show hates Sheldon, and we know he’s constantly punished with everything from low-level bullying to sophisticated networks of deception developed by professors and college presidents. Sheldon still sucks, and while actor Iain Armitage does an admirable job of imitating Jim Parsons’ original portrayal of Sheldon, the show doesn’t try to forgive his shortcomings.
Image: CBS
Instead, the best moments and storyline come from the people around Sheldon. Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry), Sheldon’s mother, is a wonderfully neurotic character who strikes a funny balance between a sympathetic figure and an incredulous sputtering scold. Mary’s mother, Connie Tucker, is my favorite character on the show; Connie, also known as Meemaw, is beautifully portrayed by Annie Potts as a drinking, smoking gambler with a mean streak and a secret heart of gold. Sheldon’s father, brother and cheeky fraternal twins – George Cooper (Lance Barber), George Jr. (Montana Jordan) and Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord) – often have the most likable and interesting storylines; Sheldon makes their lives more difficult, and it’s strange to see them face these challenges with grace.
In The Big Bang Theorywere these characters used as backdrop for Sheldon; they existed to orbit him. His main character syndrome felt much more justified, because he was literally the main character, and sitcom logic would bend to what worked for him and his goals. In Young Sheldon, they’re given time to breathe on their own — like when Sheldon goes to college and becomes isolated from the rest of the cast for much of the time. Simply put, as a nice treat, the supporting cast is absolutely stacked with monster talent: Jason Alexander, Wallace Shawn, Craig T. Nelson, Wendie Malick, and Lance Reddick portray some of the show’s best characters.
The next spin-off in the Sheldon Cinematic Universe is one starring George Jr., his partner Mandy and their daughter Cece. I’m not sure this will excite me in the same way that that does Young Sheldon I did, but I see the merit in that story. These are interesting looking people with suggestive faces; I just enjoy watching them navigate through trials and tribulations. It’s an impressive achievement Young Sheldon has won me over, given my deep hostility and hatred towards me The Big Bang Theory. This is Sheldon Cooper’s world, and we’re all just living in it.