YMMV / Young Sheldon

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Paige in "A Second Prodigy and the Hottest Tips for Pouty Lips". Sheldon confesses that he has a crush on Paige and she says she feels the same way and has for a long time, but when they're about to kiss, she instead draws a mustache on him. Was she just messing with him the entire time, or was she being honest about liking Sheldon back and was too nervous to kiss him? Her confession seemed rather sincere and her actions in "A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth" imply that she still likes him in some way. If it was a prank, was Missy in on it? (Missy is the one who suggested Sheldon might have a crush on Paige, and it's possible, given their close friendship and mutual love of picking on Sheldon, that she and Paige were both working together to trick Sheldon.)
  • Sheldon's son being named Leonard Cooper. Is it merely a homage to one of his favorite actors, or is it also a way of honoring his best friend at the same time? Knowing Sheldon, it could be either.
  • Mary's casual prejudices don't seem as prominent in this show as in the parent show, where she's constantly dropping innocently prejudiced remarks regarding Howard and Raj. Is it because she became more prejudiced over time (perhaps due in part to all the grief her family suffers after George passes away), or is it simply because in this show, she is almost never seen interacting with anyone who isn't white and Christian?
• Aluminum Christmas Trees: The shortwave radio station that broadcasts the "time in Ottawa" in "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" is a real station with the call letters CHU, which has been on the air since 1923 (it actually transmits time announcements in English and French).
• And You Thought It Would Fail: While its parent show was one of the biggest shows on TV during the 2010's, it was also very polarizing, with Sheldon Cooper himself being a major Base-Breaking Character. This made many viewers hesitant to see a Sheldon-centric prequel series. While Young Sheldon didn't earn the same level of success as The Big Bang Theory, it managed to be one of the top rated series on its network and is slated to run for 7 seasons. In addition, those who saw it were pleasantly surprised to see that the show avoided many of TBBTs biggest flaws (such as its mean-spirited and oftentimes immature humour, Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists, and a persistent Studio Audience), with Sheldon himself being interpreted as naïve, but well-intentioned rather than, in Chuck Lorre's words; "bratty and annoying".
• Ascended Fanon: Fans, in order to preserve George's character, speculated for years that as opposed to cheating on Mary with Brenda Sparks, he and Mary hook up while she wears a blonde wig, and Sheldon sees that instead. The show uses that theory in the final season.
• Awesome Music: The short theme song, "Mighty Little Man" by Steve Burns.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Sheldon, much for the same reasons as in The Big Bang Theory (see here for more info.)
  • Mary, again for the same reasons as in The Big Bang Theory (minus her Innocent Bigot tendencies, which almost never show up in Young Sheldon).
  • Missy. Some people think that she's hilarious, adorably mischievous and a brilliant contrast to the calmer and more composed Sheldon, with a more vulnerable side that explains her bratty attitude at times. Others think of her as nothing more than a spoiled brat, who is constantly rude to her family, and who only ever thinks of herself. However, both sides often agree that Missy's actress is one of the best in the show, despite her young age.
  • Connie. Some fans think that she's a better parent than Mary or George to all three children, due to being the ideal balance between overbearing (Mary) and lax (George). Other fans think that she's an immature Dirty Old Woman who only cares about sticking it to Mary and George, especially since her other children never speak to her. Others think she's somewhere in the middle—which is to say, probably a better parent, but still nowhere near perfect. Both sides often compare her to what Penny would be like if she ever became a grandma; Penny, like all of the other main characters in the parent series, is a Base-Breaking Character herself.
  • President Hagemeyer. Some fans admire her ability to put up with Sheldon. Other fans point out that she only uses Sheldon to boost the University's funding, and doesn't actually care about his well-being. She also didn't win popularity for her rude behaviour to Mary on the phone "he didn't come to you complaining about me".
  • Mandy. Does the fact that Georgie (who is doing everything he can to support her and the baby) lied about his age and the stress she's under justify her rude behavior towards him?
  • Paige. There are fans who like her and sympathize with her struggles in spite of her bratty, rebellious attitude and consider her to be a great foil to Sheldon. There are also those who don't like her and find her too obnoxious to be sympathetic.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: Mandy's pregnancy in "A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth". The episode showed Georgie and Mandy having sex, Adult Sheldon was just talking about how hard it is to raise children, and there was really no other possible twist that could keep the Georgie/Mandy storyline going.^note In fact, in "Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting", Mandy straight-up says that "if it weren't for the baby, I never would have seen him again." However, some were thrown off since Georgie's appearances on The Big Bang Theory suggested that he didn't have any kids, though it was never outright stated that he didn't have kids either.
• Continuity Lockout: If you manage to stumble onto Young Sheldon without having watched The Big Bang Theory then you'll most likely be wondering why they decided to show a bunch of random little kids at the end of "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast". The episode ends by showing young versions of all the characters from Big Bang with little explanation as to who they are or why we're seeing them.
• Fandom Rivalry: While it does have a better reception than its parent show, it still has a bit of a rivalry with The Goldbergs with fans of the latter accusing the show of being a rip-off to cash in on the show and The Big Bang Theory ending.
• Fanon Discontinuity: Due to the numerous contradictions between the events depicted in this show and what Sheldon's childhood was said to be like on The Big Bang Theory, a number of fans like to think of Young Sheldon as being set in an Alternate Continuity. A lot of it is wishful thinking, since many are hoping that George's impending death and/or infidelity (both of which are alluded to multiple times in The Big Bang Theory) will be retconned away.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • "Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary" has Pastor Jeff jokingly ask Mary if she's sure her baby is George's. Given how George later cheats on her, the possibility of Sheldon having a half-sibling is actually not entirely unreasonable further down the line.
  • This exchange in "An Eagle Feather, a String Bean, and an Eskimo", after Georgie drops out of school in Season 5.
    Georgie: As soon as I graduate high school, I'm gonna be a professional male model.
    Connie: That is hilarious.
    Georgie: What? I'm good looking.
    Connie: No, that you think you'll graduate high school.
  • In "Quirky Eggheads and Texas Snow Globes", Georgie reminds everyone about the time that there was snow in Texas, in order to sell snow globes. Less than two years after this episode aired, there was indeed snow in Texas, only it led to the worst power outage in state history, causing hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
  • In "A Clogged Pore, a Little Spanish and the Future", Sheldon brings up monkeypox to the doctor who is checking out his pimple, and assures the doctor that it may not sound real, but it is. Following this episode's production was a real-life outbreak of monkeypox in the UK, which quickly spread around the world.
  • We know from the parent show, George's impending death takes place as Sheldon and Missy are hitting their teenage years. This is a time ripe for rebellion as a result many of the things they say to George such as Missy telling George to stay out of her life after he tried to help Billy about dating her is going to become very harsh in retrospect. Granted Missy meant to stay out of her love life, but that no doubt will add to a feeling of guilt when when George is out of her life permanently. Older Sheldon in fact has admitted as much.
• Just Here for Godzilla: A lot of fans don't care about the Sheldon-centric plotlines, and instead only watch the show for the rest of the Cooper family.
• Like You Would Really Do It: While the scene of the Earth being devoured by a black hole is genuinely unsettling and nerve-wracking, very few people thought that the show would actually go that route, for obvious reasons.
• Nightmare Fuel: Young Sheldon is a generally light-hearted show, but it has its scary moments.
  • In "Poker, Faith and Eggs", Sheldon walks in on his father being treated. Seeing the doctors frantically trying to revive him, George unconscious and covered in wires and tubes, and Mary in tears praying, it's easy to understand why adult Sheldon is afraid of hospitals in The Big Bang Theory.
  • In "A Therapist, a Comic Book, and a Breakfast Sausage", Sheldon nearly chokes to death on a breakfast sausage. Mary, George, and Missy are appropriately terrified and Sheldon develops a phobia of eating solid food for the rest of the episode.
  • In "A Mother, A Child, and a Blue Man's Backside", The tornado during the last few minutes of the episode has the entire family terrified and huddling together in the bathroom, not knowing if they're going to survive the night. Sheldon has it the worst of all because he spent most of the episode angry at his mother, but when it comes down to it he's just a little kid who very much needs her. Luckily they get out of it without any real damage, but the entire scene is portrayed as deadly serious (complete with a sudden cut to black).
  • In the Season 4 finale "A Black Hole", Sturgis explains the remote possibility of a black hole powerful enough to devour the Earth forming at the Waxahachie super collider. George imagines that the black hole is forming outside the house, with everyone scared and huddled together to pray against all hope of surviving. The scene is played almost entirely for horror, and the fact that it's presented as a Daydream Surprise makes it all the more unsettling.
  • The tornado in "A Tornado, a 10-Hour Flight and a Darn Fine Ring" is much worse than the earlier one above. George and Missy are caught near it and likely would've been killed had they stayed in the car, and Connie's house is completely destroyed. She also points out how easily any of them could have been there, particularly Georgie, Mandy and CeeCee.
• Older Than They Think: This isn't the first time that Zoe Perry (Laurie Metcalf's daughter) is playing the younger version of Metcalf's character, as Perry played a younger Jackie, whom Metcalf portrayed in Roseanne.
• The Scrappy:
  • Jana is the least liked out of all of Georgie's love interests. She has far less character depth than Veronica, Mandy and even Amber, who only appeared in a couple episodes. Her Clingy Jealous Girl tendencies don't exactly make her endearing either, nor does her dumping Georgie after he drops out of high school, even though it wasn't entirely unjustified.
  • Pastor Jeff, while initially tolerable, began to embody the negative stereotypes of Christianity more and more as the show progressed. The last straw for many viewers was him firing Mary from her bookkeeping job at the church due to Georgie getting Mandy pregnant, and more or less shunning the entire family afterward.
  • Dale falls here as well due to being a misogynistic asshole who's too set in his ways to change. His relationship with Connie isn't very well-received, with many fans unable to see why Connie stays with him. He's also a horrible role model for Georgie (it was he who encouraged Georgie to drop out of school and keep seeing Mandy). Additionally, in Seasons 6–7, most of his appearances are for no reason other than the episode needing a B- or C-plot, and so that Connie can appear in the episode.
• Signature Scene: The Season 2 finale, which shows The rest of the Big Bang Gang as kids, is considered to be the highlight of the series, as a glimmer of optimism in an otherwise depressing episode. It helps that this episode aired immediately after its parent show's Grand Finale.
• Spiritual Successor: The premise of a child genius dealing with his dysfunctional family makes this one for Malcolm in the Middle.
• Surprisingly Improved Prequel: Reception for Young Sheldon is miles more positive than its parent show. Due to the differences in formatting and jokes (dramedy angle, plots based on family, single-camera Mockumentary style), it's seen as more accessible to viewers that either have never heard of Big Bang (thus making it easier to get into) or don't care for it and its comedy style.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Sheldon in "A Pager, a Club and a Cranky Bag of Wrinkles", when he doesn't want to join the chess club because they regularly meet outside. This is Played for Laughs, but those on the autism spectrum who regularly experience sensory overload understand exactly why Sheldon would be bothered by this.
  • In "Ants On A Log And A Cheating Winkler" Sheldon is seen as being difficult about the situation about having his bedroom taken over, but he's been established to not do well with change (if he's on the spectrum like most people who watched the show have theorized, this is 100 percent understandable) Not to mention NO ONE in the family bothered to tell Sheldon about this until the very last minute when he stepped into the house.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • George Sr. in "Body Glitter and a Mall Safety Kit", after he makes Georgie get out of the car and walk home. The episode portrays this decision as justified; Connie (who normally can't stand George Sr.), upon seeing Georgie return home, immediately assumes that he was the one who "did something dumb". However, George Sr.'s actions can come across as a severe case of Disproportionate Retribution, as Georgie's actions were merely verbal, and George Sr. didn't give him any kind of warning before kicking him out of the car.
  • Missy in "A Romantic Getaway and a Germanic Meat-Based Diet" While, yes, Sheldon can be annoying and ratted her out getting her grounded for the summer, he did it out of concern for her because he wouldn't be able to live with something terrible happening to her if he'd kept his mouth shut. Her declaring she hates him and slamming the door in his face after he delivered a heartfelt apology makes her come off as an Ungrateful Bitch.
  • Missy (again) in "A Strudel And A Hot American Boy Toy". While it's understandable she would still be mad at him for getting her grounded, putting Sheldon on hold to talk to her friend while he's asking for help lost and alone in a foreign country is pretty cold. Although to her credit she does call their mother telling her what happened.
• The Woobie: Has its own page.

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