Young Sheldon: Series Review

Young Sheldon (2017-2024) is a prequel to The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019). The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom that begins with four male scientists – three of the four male leads are physicists, the fourth is an engineer – and the pretty waitress who moves in across the hall. Young Sheldon focuses on the young version of Sheldon Cooper, the most gifted and most eccentric of the scientists.

Young Sheldon is a wholesome family sitcom/drama based in East Texas, with conflict provided by Sheldon’s being such a misfit with respect to his family. Despite it being a prequel, it can stand alone. A friend of mine – in his nineties – was telling our reading group about this great new sitcom he had just discovered: Young Sheldon! My nonagenarian friend was a little disappointed to learn that the rest of us already knew about the show.

Before you continue, let me warn the following paragraphs contain a few spoilers. However, Young Sheldon is not really about dramatic plot twists. It is about making you laugh or touching your heart or making you think, so reading this review should not harm your enjoyment of the show. Many, coming from The Big Bang Theory, already know where the show has to be headed.

The Characters

Sheldon Lee Cooper is the title character and the star. The young version is played by Iain Armitage. Armitage does a good job with simulating the mannerisms that Jim Parsons brought to The Big Bang Theory. Iain is an amazingly gifted actor with a huge range of abilities, so much so that they have a couple of episodes where Armitage takes a drama class and displays his singing and dancing abilities. Armitage does a great job with the Sheldon role, with all the science and the awkward attitude that we see in The Big Bang Theory.

Note Jim Parsons, Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, does voice over bits, putting events in perspective.

Mary Cooper is Sheldon’s mother and is the other character with a significant role in The Big Bang Theory (recurring, however, not starring). The younger version is played by Zoe Perry, who is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays the older Mary Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Mary Cooper adores all her children but has a special bond with Sheldon. Because he’s so unusual, he doesn't always fit in, which makes him need her more.

George Cooper, Senior, is Sheldon’s father. As this character was dead throughout The Big Bang Theory, there was no older version to emulate, so Lance Barber makes it his own. He manages to bring a lot of warmth and tolerance to the role of father and high school football coach as he deals with a religious wife – Mary was not like that when they married, but became more devout later – and the inexplicably brilliant son and the two more ordinary kids. He’s there for everyone, but it takes its toll, and he indulges in beer and food as his escape.

Mee-Maw, Sheldon’s grandmother, is played by Annie Potts. Mee-Maw had only one appearance in The Big Bang Theory, so Annie Potts could make the character her own. Mee-Maw is practical and fun and not a religious goody-goody like her daughter. She’s a widow, and there are hints that her husband may be the source of Sheldon’s brilliance. Moreover, she lives across the street from the Coopers, which makes it easy to have her around all the time. She enjoys gambling, and is such an attractive older woman that she gets plenty of offers from several older men.

George Cooper, Junior, called Georgie, is Sheldon’s older brother, played by Montana Jordan. The character has only a couple of appearances in The Big Bang Theory, but Montana Jordan is close enough in mannerisms and deeds, although the Young Sheldon version of Georgie is a bit softer than The Big Bang Theory version. Georgie is hard working but not interested in school and he drops out – in many ways he’s the exact opposite of Sheldon. He also gets a woman pregnant and becomes a dad at eighteen.

Missy Cooper, Sheldon’s twin sister, is played by Raegan Revord. Again, Missy Cooper had only a couple of appearances in The Big Bang Theory. Raegan Revord makes the character her own, and Sheldon and Missy are closer in Young Sheldon than they are in The Big Bang Theory. For example, Sheldon and Missy share a room for the first few seasons, something to which I related. Even though my twin brother and I had our own rooms from age eight on, we still slept in the same room so we could talk at night, until we were 11 and moved to a different house. It’s just what many twins do.

Pluses

Young Sheldon deals with the conflict of a fundamentalist Christian versus a scientific atheist. Mary Cooper’s faith is important to the character, but it is ridiculed less in Young Sheldon than it was in The Big Bang Theory. Although she’s as devout as ever, in Young Sheldon, there’s more nuance. Sometimes her faith is a source of strength; sometimes a source of community; sometimes a source of condemnation. And sometimes it is a source of income.

Young Sheldon celebrates family. Although the characters are all different – and Sheldon, with his genius, is super different – they support each other. They often make sacrifices (Sheldon probably makes the least, but he does help out, such as doing his parents' taxes). Georgie gets a girl pregnant, and although their church snubs them, the Coopers end up adoring the little baby.

In the penultimate episode of the series, George Cooper dies, I really liked how this was handled. We had hints earlier that he could be in trouble – he has had heart attacks – but Young Sheldon has the sense not to show the actual death. Instead, George goes to work one ordinary morning and then later that day, the high school principal and the other football coach come to deliver the appalling news.

It's really entertaining and wholesome.

Minuses

Alas, Young Sheldon could not make the actors playing the Cooper siblings as tall as the actors in The Big Bang Theory.

The show is set in the late 20th century. Some of the humor is also retro, especially in the early seasons. George Cooper is overweight, and Mee-Maw does a lot of body shaming that is not considered appropriate today.

The writers took many liberties with respect to how universities actually function.

Quotes

Mary: All right, Tam. I decided I was gonna make you a real Texas dinner: bar-b-que chicken and brisket.
Tam: Thank you.
Mary: Well, I figured you were probably tired of stuff wigglin' around on your plate. OK, let's say Grace. Now, Tam, when I say 'Jesus', feel free to say the word 'Buddha' in your head.
Tam: I'm actually Catholic.
Mary: Oh. Well, that's too bad.

Pastor Jeff: Sometimes people say to me, "Pastor Jeff, how do you know there's a God?" And I say "It's simple math. God either exists or he doesn't." So let's be cynical. Worst-case scenario, there's a 50-50 chance, And I like those odds.
Sheldon: [raising his hand] That's wrong.
Mary: [sotto voce] Shelly, put your hand down.[to Pastor Jeff] Sorry, Please continue. …
Pastor Jeff: So, you were saying?
Sheldon: You've confused possibilities with probabilities. According to your analogy, when I go home I might find a million dollars on my bed or I might not. In what universe is that 50-50?

Sheldon: [Sheldon and Meemaw are playing poker] I bet a nickel.
Meemaw: Hang on there a minute, moon pie. I want to teach you somethin'. Look at your cards [holds up hand mirror] and then look in the mirror.
Sheldon: Hey, I'm smiling.
Meemaw: Uh-huh, and what does that tell me about your cards?
Sheldon: That I like them?
Meemaw: Attaboy. Now... look at my face. Tell me what you see.
Sheldon: That you're old.
Meemaw: It's a good thing I love you. I'm gonna look at my cards again. [Frowns]
Sheldon: You're unhappy.
Meemaw: Which means...
Sheldon: You don't have good cards.
Meemaw: So... I'm gonna see your nickel and raise you a quarter.
Sheldon: Quarter?
Meemaw: You can fold.
Sheldon: No, I have good cards, you have bad cards. I'm in. Nines and fives.
Meemaw: Mm, that's too bad. Three queens. You lose.
Sheldon: What? But you weren't happy.
Meemaw: I made you think I was unhappy.
Sheldon: But that's lying. You lied to your moon pie.
Meemaw: I bluffed my moon pie.
Sheldon: Do people know about this?
Meemaw: Sheldon, what's on a person's face is not always what's in their heart.
Sheldon: Well, this changes everything. How do you know who to trust?
Meemaw: You don't. That's what makes life interesting.
Sheldon: [v.o] Meemaw liked to teach me things that kept me awake at night.

Mary Cooper: What's going on?
Coach Wayne Wilkins: Mary, we got some bad news.
Mary Cooper: Where's George?
Principal Petersen: I'm so sorry. He had a heart attack.
Missy Cooper: He's okay, right?
Principal Petersen: He's gone.

Overall Rating

A wholesome family sitcom, worth a watch when you want to relax. I was able to catch the entire last season while on some long flights on Singapore Airlines, and it was just perfect for getting me through those hours. Three and a half out of four moon pies.

Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.