Young Sheldon (TV Series 2017–2024) Poster

(2017–2024)

User Reviews

Review this title
498 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
9/10
Honestly I think the older brother and the twin sister steals the show
jessicadavis-2590921 January 2020
While I agree with the criticisms other reviewers have said about young Sheldon , I enjoy the supporting cast very much especially MeeMaw and Georgie . I'm guessing the creators couldn't manage to snag Laurie Metcalf for her iconic role as Mary Cooper , which makes for the very big shoes to fill (her real life daughter does however, do a good job) .... Anyway , good clean family viewing is very far and few in between so I'm grateful for this show .
146 out of 178 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
No Laugh Track.....
nowego26 October 2018
It took until episode 5 of season 2 for me to realise that this has no laugh track, yet it is much funner than the show it spins off from, The Big Bang Theory. Don't get me wrong I have been watching TBBT from day one and will continue to watch it, but Young Sheldon is much much funnier.

Like another reviewer stated, it must have been a huge chore trying to find a child to play Young Sheldon, but they have done a fantastic job. For me the whole cast does a brilliant job, but my favourite is Montana Jordan as Georgie, closely followed by Annie Potts as his Grandmother and Lance Barber as his dad.

Excellent show and one I look forward to watching each week.
124 out of 151 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Enjoyable
munchere-260-5987992 February 2018
I have a problem with the reviewers complaining about how Sheldon is such a brat and at the same time say they watch TBBT. If they watch that show then they must know Sheldon is a brat. In this show, though, we have a 9 year old version of a bratty Sheldon. In both cases he isn't bratty because he's spoiled or mean hearted. He's bratty because he's a genius and a social simpleton. That's the point. I Iiked the show right off but I can also say that it has improved as these brief, less than 30 minute, episodes are able to develop the characters and relationships more. One reviewer complained about the lack of character development after only watching the first show! I also think the actor playing young Sheldon is doing a great job. As with the adult Sheldon the young Sheldon is sincere, wants to be good, knows his own mind but also knows that he doesn't understand social norms and so listens to those close to him although he reserves the right to not accept those norms. I enjoy the family dynamic and the situations that arise because he's special. This family is much more realistic than the Malcom in the Middle family, a show one reviewer touted as being at a level this show couldn't come up to. The characters in MITM were ridiculously stupid. The characters in Young Sheldon each ha ve a unique personality and do things that you have seen others do or can imagine others doing, like Sheldon's brother trying chewing tobacco, repeatedly spitting it out in disgust then saying "I must be doing something wrong". The writing warms the heart as we watch a family moving past disagreements and difficulties caused by their special Sheldon - all realizing that they love him and he's family which is more important than those disagreements and difficulties.
158 out of 207 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Far surpasses the original
briancham199431 May 2020
This is a rare spin-off that far surpasses the original. Sheldon is surrounded by a cast of believable, fleshed out and funny characters rather than the shallow stereotypes in The Big Bang Theory. His antics, trials and passions were very relatable and nostalgic to me. This show has humour (actual humour, not the canned iCarly level "humour" of the original show) and, most importantly, heart. Kudos to the actors especially!
97 out of 126 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Delightful show - highly recommended
bosporan16 April 2022
Sitcoms give me ulcers, yet TBBT is enjoyable despite the detestable canned laughter, hence Young Sheldon is an immediate improvement, though the beauty is more than skin deep. Initially it rides in tandem with its elder sibling, but has blossomed beyond its roots into an independent exploration of family dynamics, tackling everyday issues with empathy and humour.

Iain Armitage and especially Reagan Revord as twins Sheldon & Missy, are fabulous offering sensitivity, scope for growth and comedic opportunity not possible in TBBT.
63 out of 80 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Love it
aledrien2 October 2017
Not sure how people are crapping on this show,.. it is wholesome,charming and reminds me of a better version of Wonder Years..

how they made a better version of wonder years i have no idea,.. but here it is,..

maybe it's the influx of mindless remakes and zombie movies since early 2000s that have made people forget what good programming / writing and Casting look like!?
210 out of 285 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
What a pleasant surprise
dino-14123 March 2018
When I first read about plans for a TBBT spinoff, I did not think that it would work in a million years. Maybe the reason so many people are disappointed is the huge difference in tone - and the fact that young Sheldon is way too cute. While TBBT is more or less a nerdy version of Friends, Young Sheldon is more like a classic family comedy with typical family problems and the special task of raising an Asperger genius. The key ingredients are the same as in TBBT though - fresh humor, well defined characters and a brilliant cast. For me the best new show of the season.
126 out of 170 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Sheldon is not funny anymore
Greg_30005 May 2023
Young Sheldon is a show that initially captured the hearts of many viewers with its charming and innocent portrayal of the titular character. However, as Sheldon has grown up throughout the series, his once-endearing quirks have become grating and repetitive. This can make it difficult to enjoy the show, as it's hard to look past Sheldon's irritating behavior.

That being said, there are still plenty of reasons to watch "Young Sheldon." The other characters in the show have grown and developed in interesting ways, and it's enjoyable to see their stories unfold. Additionally, the show is set in a unique time period and setting, which adds an extra layer of interest.

Despite the fact that Sheldon can be annoying, there are still moments when he is able to elicit genuine laughs from viewers. It's just a shame that these moments are becoming increasingly rare as the series progresses.

Overall, "Young Sheldon" is a mixed bag. While it's still worth watching for the development of other characters and the unique setting, Sheldon's behavior can be frustrating and detract from the overall experience.
23 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Loved it!
heatherc69213 October 2017
I don't know what everyone else's problem is, but my husband and I watched the opener and loved it. It was cute and funny and I personally love the fact that Jim Parsons is narrating. We are both huge BBT fans and are especially fond of Sheldon, and we thought this was a great episode and can't wait to see more. The only thing I'm irritated with is that they're waiting a whole month to air the next episode. That is just ridiculous to me!
208 out of 297 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Season 6 Better without young Sheldon.
mindspanker31 March 2023
The cuteness is gone and what remains is stiff and boring. YS has lost his charm but the stories about other family members are carrying the show. The less YS is in the show the better.

Georgie's impending fatherhood, problems in the Cooper marriage and Missy's problems being recognized by her own family carry the narrative while YS walks in drops a boring fact and leaves.

I will watch it out of need to see what happens when the end comes. Georgie and Missy can carry the kids part of the show and the parents and me-maw are still holding their own. If they keep YS to the sidelines this show still can still be entertaining.
13 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
ONE OF THE BEST CAST SITCOMS OF ALL TIME
steve-667-1019024 March 2018
There's process and then there's chemistry. When the process is right, that's good but it's no guarantee of anything beyond the generic. That's where chemistry comes in. The cast of Young Sheldon has chemistry. Much of the negative criticism in this forum is unwarranted I think. Viewers have been conditioned to mindless action, filth and gore to the extent where they can't see subtlety or appreciate an aside anymore. Look at how Two and a Half Men degenerated season after season from suggestivity (an art form) to near depravity. This happens due to a never ending demand to push the barriers of whatever the premise originally mandated to ensure ever increasing laughs or scares or rushes of adrenaline. Same thing happened to American Horror Story. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Young Sheldon but by virtue of the nature of a prequel, it's future is probably our present. This is where the writing, directing and interpretation of the characters needs to tread carefully. Too many reviews in this forum were done after just episode 1. It's a great show with some old fashioned values. The chemistry between Sheldon and Missy is magic. Reagan (Missy) nearly steals the show. Zoe Perry deserves an Emmy. She nails the Mary role. As does Annie Potts with Meemaw. Let's face it, the "fish out of water"premise has sustained comedy since there was comedy. The Three Stooges and the Marx brothers in high society. Check out Hoi Polloi and Night at the Opera as examples that typify the notion. Without ill fitting tuxes though, the Stooges would've worn thin. Without Margaret Dumont, the Marxes would've become tired quickly. Penny is the Big Bang's Dumont. Now in Young Sheldon, he himself is the Dumont amongst a horde of red necks, dummies and well intended warm working class folk. That's why it works for me. I sincerely hope the producers respect the short shelf life that this series has and resists any temptation to move away from the excellent formula the first season has created. It's a series that I thought Hollywood had forgotten how to do. Young Georgie is just as appealing as Sheldon. He's a brat but warm hearted enough not to dislike him. Missy is feisty without being precocious. Meemaw is earthy without being a lush. George likes his booze and BBQ's without being a loser. And Mary is the glue. Forget the millenials who's short attention spans have cheapened their taste. It's a great show. I can't get enough.
61 out of 82 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Genesis of a Sheldon
Rashazemun13 October 2017
Will be interesting to watch and to enjoy. That said, i have to mention other reviews that tells me more about people these days. So, basic human reaction according to these people on IMDb commenting this show is when you see someone smarter than you, is to kick him, shut him up, make him stop, tell him he is weird, etc. It scares them and makes them angry at the same time, even though it's an imaginary kid on a TV show. What did this world come to?
69 out of 131 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Started strong, but really faltering after the first couple of seasons
societyliver15 March 2023
It's interesting and fun to watch Sheldon get into unique situations, and explore various problems with growing up. I especially enjoyed watching him learn how to make friends with older people and engage with them as colleagues. His social unawareness could lead to quite funny situations and it was interesting to get a glimpse into life during the late 80s and early 90s.

However in later seasons - as he's growing up - things that were 'cute' about his character now come off as immature and often downright rude, which starts to make it hard to sympathize with him. He often treats people with open arrogance and disregard in a way that adult Sheldon doesn't (outside of friendly teasing or obvious social unawareness). Although I understand that he's autistic-coded, he treats Paige with a total disregard and nobody at any point indicates to him that he should improve his behavior to redeem him, in fact they continually indulge and reward it. Other characters become similarly unlikable as the show goes on, being continually two-faced, bullying, and outright lying to Sheldon.

Furthermore the attitude the show has to religion changes later on from an earnest expression of the moral dilemmas people grapple with and the dialectic between theism and atheism, to a fedora-tipping caricature of hypocritical religious people and atheistic power fantasy that feels like one of the writers watched too many Richard Dawkins compilations. It becomes quite cringe-worthy when you spot it.
10 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
This Show Has No Right To Be This Good
breneff4 October 2023
After the finale of this previous season, I finally have come to the realization that this is one of the better sitcoms I have seen in a very, very, very long time. Let me just start off by saying that I never got into big bang theory. I had friends who were really into it, but whenever I watched it I just saw it as cringe nerd humor by people who weren't actually nerds... Or that's what I thought at the time. As time has gone on, I realize that there's a lot more inside jokes, and deeper moments in that show... and the reason why I've come around to it is 100% because of a Young Sheldon. It takes the best parts of Big Bang Theory and gets rid of the cringey laugh track style comedy for a more dry and intelligent sense of humor and extremely funny witty characters while also ironically being a more mature show about the interpersonal relationships of a family on the verge of collapsing. It's funny, it's super heartwarming, it's sad, and it's also extremely smart with how it handles its characters. I had zero expectations going into the show when I first started watching it but as the years went on, it's become one of my favorite sitcoms out right now. I love the fact that it's not afraid to pull back the comedic punches and delve into more dramatic, mature themes. I think once the show ends people are going to look back and realize how surprisingly high of quality the writing is in the show and it's going to go down as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. A+
24 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Sweet and funny
cherold27 September 2017
I was surprised how many people dislike the pilot. I thought it was an interesting idea done well. And now that I've watched six episodes, I feel fully justified in saying this is terrific television.

The show centers on the childhood of The Big Bang Theory's high- functioning autistic genius Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon is a quirky savant in a very ordinary family with a religious mom and a puzzled dad. Too smart for his peers, the 9-year-old Sheldon is boosted to high school, where he promptly alienates everyone.

Some people complain that Sheldon is too annoying, but why would you want a series about a young Sheldon if you didn't want to see someone annoying? I find the kid version less irritating, primarily because he is powerless and thus is not, like his adult counterpart, bullying and browbeating and insulting his friends to get his way. Young Sheldon is just trying to survive and, more importantly, learn.

In fact, my main concern is that Sheldon seems a little too normal. He's got some funny habits and is a bit obsessive, but I would have expected someone far *more* obnoxious and weird. He really just seems precocious and socially clueless.

I wasn't surprised that Sheldon is socially inept or sometimes rude - if you are, then once again I have to ask why on earth you watched this show. I was surprised at the sweetness of the series. Sheldon's mom is wonderfully understanding and supportive, and even his dad has occasional moments of rough, loving insight.

Some people have said there aren't any jokes in this series, but it's actually very funny. No, there aren't any Catskills comics material, but if you think there are no jokes I think you just need the BBT's laugh track.
106 out of 164 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
It's incredible
victorlk-0763613 February 2018
I like the original TBBT series, but Young Sheldon is a huge step forward from a comedy to a realistic documentally description of Sheldon's life, naturalistic pages of americans life in 80-th. One of the best series ever created. My congratulations to director and other guys which are involved in these series creation.
69 out of 107 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Thought it was brilliant! Not sure what some people here are on about...
chrisalgar16 October 2017
I thought it was a great first episode and a brilliant idea. There's so many ways this show can go if done correctly. Taken a character already loved and showing us all the bits we hear pieces from on The Big Bang Theory. I think it was a bit reckless using an actor from The Big Bang Theory to star in a different role in this spin off but can put that down to me being picky.

Overall I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing where the series goes!
115 out of 188 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
So far - Unexpectedly Brilliant!
fung012 November 2017
Anyone expecting 'more Big Bang' will be sorely disappointed by Young Sheldon. This is a very different kind of show - and a far, far better show than we had any right to expect. Young Sheldon could have been a quick cash-in on the huge popularity of Big Bang Theory. But it turns out to be a whole new thing, only loosely connected to the previous show.

True, Young Sheldon does pick up the backstory established for the Sheldon of Big Bang. But the writing takes off in a whole new direction. Gone are the zippy one-liners, the exaggerated characters, the zaniness, What we get instead is something no one could have predicted: heart.

It's a huge mistake to think of Young Sheldon as a prequel to Big Bang. Think of it, instead, as a 21st Century reboot of Leave It to Beaver. This is a slice-of-life story of growing up in Texas. Instead of being set-bound like Big Bang, Young Sheldon is shot largely on locations. Instead of being stylized, it's realistic. Instead of being glib, it's thoughtful. There's plenty of humor, but it's gentler and more complex.

The third episode, for example, deals with a child coming to grip with the possible death of a parent, and with the role of faith in his very logical universe. The script doesn't judge, and it doesn't forget to be, at times, hilariously funny. (The last line had us in stitches.)

The acting is uniformly superb. Sheldon's mom perfectly evokes Laurie Metcalf's older version from Big Bang. Annie Potts playing Sheldon's 'Meemaw' is as brilliant as she's ever been (and that's saying quite a lot.) And then there's Iaian Armitage in the title role. He doesn't mimic the older Sheldon, but he does ring absolutely true as a precocious yet naive kid, totally out of step with his surroundings. After watching him for a half-hour, I no longer cared whether he was supposed to be a younger version of some other character. He's a totally memorable character in his own right.

Chuck Lorre has taken a huge risk, defying audience expectations with Young Sheldon. Let's hope he and Steven Molaro (who've co-written the early episodes) can keep the series going as powerfully as it has begun. And hope also that audiences can shake off their addiction to Big Bang Theory long enough to appreciate something that's as fresh and ground-breaking today as Big Bang was eleven years ago.
57 out of 91 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Entertaining! In some ways even better than "Big Bang Theory."
TxMike31 March 2022
This is a spin-off. In "Big Bang Theory" Sheldon Cooper is from East Texas. In fact the actor, Jim Parsons, born in 1973, is the same age as my son and grew up and went to high school just down the road from us roughly 20 miles NW of downtown Houston.

So this series, "Young Sheldon", depicts Sheldon's formative years in East Texas (filmed in California) starting from about the age of 7 or 8. Ever faithful to the main "BBT" story he has a twin, a sister, who is much more ordinary and an older brother who is practically impossible to parent. His dad is a football coach and his mother is a strict Baptist.

When this series first hit the TV waves I didn't pay too much attention to it, being in a half-hour time slot with way too many commercials. So I rarely watched any. However more recently I have watched a few u-tube clips of two to three minutes each and gradually got more interested.

Now I found that my public library has DVD sets of each of the first four seasons and recently finished season three, where Sheldon is in high school, and season four where Sheldon is enrolled in college. Other than simply watching whenever I want, another even greater benefit is seeing each episode, roughly 18 minutes long, uninterrupted by commercials. The picture is great and the discs have Dolby surround sound.

I was very reluctant at first but now "Young Sheldon" is my favorite time-killer, all the characters are interesting and the writing is always excellent.

I saw a clip recently anticipating their 100th episode and all the main cast are excited and marvel at how long their run has been.

FEB 2023 edit: I quit watching after the 4th season. As the kids get older and stories venture into sexual experimentation and pregnancy I lost interest. The show lost its charm of earlier years, maybe a bit past time to call it quite.

FEB 2024 edit: This appears to be the last season so I decided to watch an episode where Sheldon is studying in Germany and quickly finds out he is NOT the smartest person in his Physics class. I quickly remembered why I seldom watch a TV series, COMMERCIALS! Back in the hey-day of 1970s half-hour TV series the episodes ran 25 or 26 minutes, which means they had 4 to 5 minutes of commercials. This series, like TBBT, episodes run 19 to 20 minutes, meaning 10 to 11 minutes of commercials. Twice as much as in former years. That's too much, way too much. I'll watch no more broadcast TV.
8 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Infinitely better than TBBT
chitra-badri22 December 2019
Young Sheldon is infinitely better than The Big Bang Theory. Despite being a comedy, it has it moments of seriousness. No annoying laugh tracks. None of the sexism that is rampant in TBBT. And ALL the actors are so incredible. In fact, each new season is better than the previous one, with all the other characters getting more nuanced and interesting.
9 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Warm-hearted, funny and so cute!
vincent-u1614 May 2019
Young Sheldon will make your heart melt. It will make you smile, laugh, cry, ... but most of all it will make you feel so warm and full of love.

This show is so much more than a television series about the young version of Sheldon Cooper. This show is actually completely independent from The Big Bang Theory. It's so much more than the regular comedies.

If you haven't watched it yet, even if you have never seen The Big Bang, go watch this show right now and let yourself be overwhelmed with love.

10/10!!!
40 out of 62 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
This is honestly a fun and oddly wholesome series.
Imme-van-Gorp20 November 2022
Season Two: 7.5/10

Themes: Comedy, Family, Genius iQ, Texas, Socially Inept, High School, Dry Humour & Interpersonal Differences.

Review: I think it's important to realise that the Sheldon we know from The Big Bang Theory is entirely different from the Sheldon in this series, so you just have to accept that and move on. Obviously the series is about a genius little boy with a secretly sweet heart, and his family who struggles to understand him but still continues to try. I love seeing all the interactions between the different personalities and how they clash or mash together. It results in a humorous and familial show. I do have to admit that it all gets a little repetitive from time to time.

Top three characters: 1) George Cooper Sr., 2) Sheldon Cooper and 3) Missy Cooper.
17 out of 25 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Better than The Big Bang Theory
ItsJustSlater18 September 2022
As the title says I believe the show is better than The Big Bang Theory. In TBBT Sheldon gets incredibly annoying and I just want to kick his ass and take his lunch money. As a kid though I can tolerate his self-centered arrogance much better. Plus, I find Penny incredibly annoying so not having her is a big plus. Young Sheldon is a great cast of actors that fit well together and make a believable family. The supporting cast is great as well, I always enjoy seeing Wallace Shawn.

Sheldon's mom does a great job playing the typical die hard Christian who is actually a total hypocrite and more concerned with what people think of her than her actual faith. It's hilarious to see her eat crow again and again. She deserves every bit of it.
12 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Not the train wreck the trailers implied but still troublesome.
domonkos-horvath26 September 2017
After watching several trailers I wasn't very enthusiastic about watching this show, but I'm glad I did. Sort of...

Scenes that had no emotional effect on me whatsoever in the trailers worked very well in the context of the entire episode, scenes I've already seen gave me a couple good laughs. There are two things crucial to the entire substance of the show I don't like.

1. It's foreshadowing more drama than comedy. Don't get me wrong, I don't generally dislike dramas, but I can't get behind a drama as a prequel to a sitcom. I shouldn't have expected anything different, I already knew from The Big Bang Theory that Sheldon was constantly bullied, his father turned into an alcoholic etc., it's just that being confronted with this side of Sheldon head on makes me feel very ill at ease.

2. Sheldon's portrayal is wrong. Granted, Iain Armitage is a child actor and I can't expect the same level of acting skills from a child than an adult, but his portrayal of Sheldon is a complete failure. The actor's portrayal of Sheldon is way too wooden, older Sheldon is enthusiastic about everything he says, he prides himself on his knowledge and revels in imparting that knowledge, he's all giddy when he talks about his interests or pursues one of his hobbies etc. Iain Armitage's Sheldon is just a robot. There is no emotion, no conviction behind anything he says or does and that's just not Sheldon.

I'll have to watch more episodes to see where this is going before I can rate it but the pilot episode was a 6 at best, and with more episodes this show could easily turn into a 4.
54 out of 133 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Okay with Sheldon, Great without Him
adamgwilliams-775593 February 2023
Honestly if this show was called Keeping up With The Coopers or something like that it would work way better. Since Sheldon moved to college in S4 he's been so irrelevant to a lot of the storyline that it's hard to excuse. That's not a slight on Ian McArmitages performance: he does feel like a young Jim Parsons. But he really isn't as interesting as the rest of the family, and it's hard to see how Sheldon can be written into the eventual George Sr cheating scandal without it being extremely tedious. Hope that S6 and S7 can tie a bow nicely on this story without damaging it too much, while recapturing some of the spark that made S1-4 really enjoyable. That being said, Georgie, Missy, Meemaw, Mary and George Sr do stop this show from being actually bad, the actors put on a really good performance and just have great chemistry. All this show needs is a more engaging and likeable Sheldon again and it will be right up there with some of the earlier seasons as the story of the young genius comes to a close. Hoping for the best.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed