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Series poster for Young Sheldon (2017)

Young Sheldon

“It all started with a big bang—or rather, in East Texas.”

2017–2024
Ended • 7 Seasons • 141 Episodes
TV-PG · English
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Overview

The early life of child genius Sheldon Cooper, later seen in The Big Bang Theory.

Seasons

8 listed
Status
Ended
Seasons
7 seasons
Episodes
141 episodes
First aired
Sep 25, 2017
Last aired
May 16, 2024
Network
CBS

Latest episode: S7 E14 Memoir (2) (May 16, 2024)

  1. Season 1 poster

    Season 1

    22 episodes Sep 25, 2017 7.1

    A brilliant yet awkward nine-year-old Sheldon Cooper lands in high school where his smarts leave everyone stumped in this "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff.

    1. 1 Pilot
    2. 2 Rockets, Communists, and the Dewey Decimal System
    3. 3 Poker, Faith, and Eggs
    4. 4 A Therapist, a Comic Book, and a Breakfast Sausage
    5. 5 A Solar Calculator, a Game Ball, and a Cheerleader's Bosom
    6. 6 A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac
    7. 7 A Brisket, Voodoo, and Cannonball Run
    8. 8 Cape Canaveral, Schrödinger's Cat, and Cyndi Lauper's Hair
    9. 9 Spock, Kirk, and Testicular Hernia
    10. 10 An Eagle Feather, a String Bean, and an Eskimo
    11. 11 Demons, Sunday School, and Prime Numbers
    12. 12 A Computer, a Plastic Pony, and a Case of Beer
    13. 13 A Sneeze, Detention, and Sissy Spacek
    14. 14 Potato Salad, a Broomstick, and Dad's Whiskey
    15. 15 Dolomite, Apple Slices, and a Mystery Woman
    16. 16 Killer Asteroids, Oklahoma, and a Frizzy Hair Machine
    17. 17 Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-hoo
    18. 18 A Mother, A Child, and a Blue Man's Backside
    19. 19 Gluons, Guacamole, and the Color Purple
    20. 20 A Dog, a Squirrel, and a Fish Named Fish
    21. 21 Summer Sausage, a Pocket Poncho, and Tony Danza
    22. 22 Vanilla Ice Cream, Gentleman Callers, and a Dinette Set
  2. Season 2 poster

    Season 2

    22 episodes Sep 24, 2018 7.3

    Life as a child genius continues to present more brain games for Sheldon as he tackles ambitious projects, social dilemmas and family crises.

    1. 1 A High-Pitched Buzz and Training Wheels
    2. 2 A Rival Prodigy and Sir Isaac Neutron
    3. 3 A Crisis of Faith and Octopus Aliens
    4. 4 A Financial Secret and Fish Sauce
    5. 5 A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries
    6. 6 Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan
    7. 7 Carbon Dating and a Stuffed Raccoon
    8. 8 An 8-Bit Princess and a Flat Tire Genius
    9. 9 Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero
    10. 10 A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts
    11. 11 A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf
    12. 12 A Tummy Ache and a Whale of a Metaphor
    13. 13 A Nuclear Reactor and a Boy Called Lovely
    14. 14 David, Goliath and a Yoo-hoo from the Back
    15. 15 A Math Emergency and Perky Palms
    16. 16 A Loaf of Bread and a Grand Old Flag
    17. 17 Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary
    18. 18 A Perfect Score and a Bunsen Burner Marshmallow
    19. 19 A Political Campaign and a Candy Land Cheater
    20. 20 A Proposal and a Popsicle Stick Cross
    21. 21 A Broken Heart and a Crock Monster
    22. 22 A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast
  3. Season 3 poster

    Season 3

    21 episodes Sep 26, 2019 6.8

    Sheldon must find new ways to stay academically challenged as he lands in an internet war, curbs an unhealthy obsession and prepares for the future.

    1. 1 Quirky Eggheads and Texas Snow Globes
    2. 2 A Broom Closet and Satan's Monopoly Board
    3. 3 An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom
    4. 4 Hobbitses, Physicses and a Ball with Zip
    5. 5 A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship
    6. 6 A Parasol and a Hell of an Arm
    7. 7 Pongo Pygmaeus and a Culture that Encourages Spitting
    8. 8 The Sin of Greed and a Chimichanga from Chi-chi's
    9. 9 A Party Invitation, Football Grapes and an Earth Chicken
    10. 10 Teenager Soup and a Little Ball of Fib
    11. 11 A Live Chicken, a Fried Chicken and Holy Matrimony
    12. 12 Body Glitter and a Mall Safety Kit
    13. 13 Contracts, Rules and a Little Bit of Pig Brains
    14. 14 A Slump, a Cross and Roadside Gravel
    15. 15 A Boyfriend's Ex-Wife and a Good Luck Head Rub
    16. 16 Pasadena
    17. 17 An Academic Crime and a More Romantic Taco Bell
    18. 18 A Couple Bruised Ribs and a Cereal Box Ghost Detector
    19. 19 A House for Sale and Serious Woman Stuff
    20. 20 A Baby Tooth and the Egyptian God of Knowledge
    21. 21 A Secret Letter and a Lowly Disc of Processed Meat
  4. Season 4 poster

    Season 4

    18 episodes Nov 5, 2020 7.2

    With high school in the rearview, Sheldon mentally prepares for college as an 11-year-old while the Cooper family deals with issues of their own.

    1. 1 Graduation
    2. 2 A Docent, A Little Lady and a Bouncer Named Dalton
    3. 3 Training Wheels and an Unleashed Chicken
    4. 4 Bible Camp and a Chariot of Love
    5. 5 A Musty Crypt and a Stick to Pee On
    6. 6 Freshman Orientation and the Inventor of The Zipper
    7. 7 A Philosophy Class and Worms That Can Chase You
    8. 8 An Existential Crisis and a Bear That Makes Bubbles
    9. 9 Crappy Frozen Ice Cream and an Organ Grinder's Monkey
    10. 10 Cowboy Aerobics and 473 Grease-Free Bolts
    11. 11 A Pager, a Club and a Cranky Bag of Wrinkles
    12. 12 A Box of Treasure and the Meemaw of Science
    13. 13 The Geezer Bus and a New Model for Education
    14. 14 Mitch's Son and the Unconditional Approval of a Government Agency
    15. 15 A Virus, Heartbreak and a World of Possibilities
    16. 16 A Second Prodigy and the Hottest Tips for Pouty Lips
    17. 17 A Black Hole
    18. 18 The Wild and Woolly World of Nonlinear Dynamics
  5. Season 5 poster

    Season 5

    22 episodes Oct 7, 2021 7.2

    As tween Sheldon settles into his first year of college, the Coopers face relationship struggles — and a family secret is revealed.

    1. 1 One Bad Night and Chaos of Selfish Desires
    2. 2 Snoopin' Around and the Wonder Twins of Atheism
    3. 3 Potential Energy and Hooch on a Park Bench
    4. 4 Pish Posh and a Secret Back Room
    5. 5 Stuffed Animals and a Sweet Southern Syzygy
    6. 6 Money Laundering and a Cascade of Hormones
    7. 7 An Introduction to Engineering and a Glob of Hair Gel
    8. 8 The Grand Chancellor and a Den of Sin
    9. 9 The Yips and an Oddly Hypnotic Bohemian
    10. 10 An Expensive Glitch and a Goof-Off Room
    11. 11 A Lock-In, a Weather Girl and a Disgusting Habit
    12. 12 A Pink Cadillac and a Glorious Tribal Dance
    13. 13 A Lot of Band-Aids and the Cooper Surrender
    14. 14 A Free Scratcher and Feminine Wiles
    15. 15 A Lobster, an Armadillo and a Way Bigger Number
    16. 16 A Suitcase Full of Cash and a Yellow Clown Car
    17. 17 A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth
    18. 18 Babies, Lies and a Resplendent Cannoli
    19. 19 A God-Fearin' Baptist and a Hot Trophy Husband
    20. 20 Uncle Sheldon and a Hormonal Firecracker
    21. 21 White Trash, Holy Rollers and Punching People
    22. 22 Clogged Pore, a Little Spanish and the Future
  6. Season 6 poster

    Season 6

    22 episodes Sep 29, 2022 7.4

    Sheldon takes on a new role as a dorm resident advisor at college, while his family back home experiences significant changes, including Meemaw and Dale making a potentially risky business deal and Mary and George Sr. rekindling their romance, leading to a season filled with both academic challenges for Sheldon and family dynamics navigating new situations.

    1. 1 Four Hundred Cartons of Undeclared Cigarettes and a Niblingo
    2. 2 Future Worf and the Margarita of the South Pacific
    3. 3 Passion's Harvest and a Sheldocracy
    4. 4 Blonde Ambition and the Concept of Zero
    5. 5 A Resident Advisor and the Word 'Sketchy'
    6. 6 An Ugly Car, an Affair and Some Kickass Football
    7. 7 A Tougher Nut and a Note on File
    8. 8 Legalese and a Whole Hoo-Ha
    9. 9 College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle
    10. 10 Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting
    11. 11 Ruthless, Toothless and a Week of Bed Rest
    12. 12 A Baby Shower and a Testosterone-Rich Banter
    13. 13 A Frat Party, a Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters
    14. 14 A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being
    15. 15 Teen Angst and a Smart-Boy Walk of Shame
    16. 16 A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam
    17. 17 A German Folk Song and an Actual Adult
    18. 18 Little Green Men and a Fella's Marriage Proposal
    19. 19 A New Weather Girl and a Stay-at-Home Coddler
    20. 20 German for Beginners and a Crazy Old Man with a Bat
    21. 21 A Romantic Getaway and a Germanic Meat-Based Diet
    22. 22 A Tornado, a 10-Hour Flight and a Darn Fine Ring
  7. Season 7 poster

    Season 7

    14 episodes Feb 15, 2024 7.8

    Season 7 of Young Sheldon follows the Cooper family as they deal with loss, tragedy and new beginnings.

    1. 1 A Wiener Schnitzel and Underwear in a Tree
    2. 2 A Roulette Wheel and a Piano Playing Dog
    3. 3 A Strudel and a Hot American Boy Toy
    4. 4 Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker
    5. 5 A Frankenstein's Monster and a Crazy Church Guy
    6. 6 Baptists, Catholics and an Attempted Drowning
    7. 7 A Proper Wedding and Skeletons in the Closet
    8. 8 An Ankle Monitor and a Big Plastic Crap House
    9. 9 A Fancy Article and a Scholarship for a Baby
    10. 10 Community Service and the Key to a Happy Marriage
    11. 11 A Little Snip and Teaching Old Dogs
    12. 12 A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture
    13. 13 Funeral (1)
    14. 14 Memoir (2)
  8. Specials poster

    Specials

    6 episodes May 28, 2017
    1. 1 An Origin Story
    2. 2 Sibling Revelry
    3. 3 The Coopers, East Texas, and the 80's
    4. 4 Time Flies When You're Having Fun: Young Sheldon at 100
    5. 5 Sheldon's Secret Origins and Easter Eggs
    6. 6 Cooped Up with the Coopers

Cast

8 people

Reviews

3 min read

The Math of Growing Up

I went into Young Sheldon with a lot of skepticism. Spin-offs usually smell like corporate homework, and the idea of peeling the breakout character off The Big Bang Theory—a show built on big multi-cam beats—and dropping him into a single-camera period piece set in 1980s Texas sounded exhausting. latestnetflix.com's take is that instead, Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro made something gentler and stranger.

It's a quiet show about what it feels like to be the smartest person in the room when the room is your own family. (Legend has it the whole idea clicked after Jim Parsons showed Lorre a video of his wildly intelligent ten-year-old nephew. That curiosity about childhood eccentricity really does seem stitched into the show.)

A young Sheldon standing in his living room

Without a laugh track telling you when to relax, Young Sheldon has to let awkwardness sit there. And it does. Over and over, the show drops a painfully bright kid (Iain Armitage) into situations driven by feelings he can't measure or solve.

Armitage has a tricky assignment: he needs some of the clipped, superior cadence Jim Parsons made famous, but he also has to let a child's vulnerability leak through it. When he locks his jaw or folds those narrow arms across his chest, it doesn't read like a cute quirk. It reads like self-defense.

Audience Opinions

Audience 8.1/10
"A warm, character-driven family comedy that turns Sheldon's childhood into a surprisingly emotional ensemble story."

The Cooper family as a whole, especially George, Mary, Missy, Georgie, and Meemaw, is the real heart of the show, balancing sharp humor with touching moments. Some viewers grow tired of Sheldon's self-centered behavior, episodic repetition, and continuity issues with his adult storyline, but the mix of wit, family drama, and nostalgic small-town detail makes it comforting, easy-to-binge television.

What viewers praise
  • Ensemble cast standouts Performances by Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Raegan Revord, Montana Jordan, and Annie Potts are often more engaging than Sheldon himself.
  • Engaging family dynamics The Cooper family relationships, especially the sibling bond between Sheldon and Missy and the interactions with Meemaw, are believable, funny, and touching.
  • Humor with emotional depth Comedy is laced with sincere moments about parenting, growing up gifted, and small-town struggles, and several episodes are genuine tear-jerkers.
  • Nostalgic setting and tone The late-1980s Texas backdrop, period details, and narration give the show a cozy, nostalgic feel distinct from its parent series.
  • Accessible even without TBBT Viewers who never finished or never liked The Big Bang Theory still report enjoying this as a standalone coming-of-age family story.
Common complaints
  • Sheldon’s grating behavior Sheldon’s arrogance, lack of empathy, and constant need to be right grow irritating, especially on rewatches or in later seasons.
  • Repetitive sitcom formulas Plots and character beats can feel recycled, with family conflicts and school problems following familiar loops.
  • Canon and realism issues Inconsistencies with previously established details about Sheldon's life and loose portrayals of academic and university settings bother more detail-focused viewers.
  • Occasional tonal schmaltz Sentimental scenes and moral wrap-ups sometimes come across as overly sugary or heavy-handed compared to the show’s sharper moments.
  • Uneven handling of sensitive humor A few gags, including body-shaming jokes and dated attitudes, are uncomfortable or out-of-step with current sensibilities.
Recommended for
Big Bang Theory devotees Wholesome family comedy fans Character-focused sitcom watchers Light drama comfort-viewing 1980s small-town nostalgia lovers Jim Parsons character backstory fans

Buzz & Rumors

Public reports

They found him on a phone in his grandparents' house.

Iain Armitage was nine. The tape was shot on a cell phone over Christmas break. Steve Holland, one of the Young Sheldon bosses, later told CBS Sunday Morning that doing what Jim Parsons does on The Big Bang Theory is "a one-in-a-million shot," because Sheldon can read as grating, and Parsons has a sweetness that cuts through. "And you're like, 'Well, is it possible that there's a kid who's eight who can do that?'" The kid on the tape could. CBS put Young Sheldon on after Big Bang, with a special preview on September 25, 2017, then the Thursday slot on November 2. The upfront trailer, CBS said, had already been viewed more than 22 million times across Facebook, latestnetflix.com contends, Twitter, and YouTube. Jim Parsons narrated. Zoe Perry played the mother her own mother, Laurie Metcalf, had played on the parent show.,,

The dad had to die, so the hit had to end.

Seven seasons later the show was still a CBS comedy people actually watched, and they killed it anyway. The Big Bang Theory had already locked the ending. Adult Sheldon starts Caltech at 14, the same year his father dies. After the writers' strike, Holland, Steve Molaro, and Chuck Lorre decided Season 7 was the collision point. On CBS, Molaro said they never expected a hit at this scale. "We would never dare to assume we know what we're doing at that level." He was "literally crying" in the edit. Armitage, 15 by then, said, "I have to really constantly remind myself that if I'm ever sad about this ending, I can only be sad because it's been so incredible and so wonderful." Parsons noted that a lot of kids watching Young Sheldon do not even know Big Bang exists.,

George Cooper Sr. Died off camera of a heart attack in Season 7, Episode 12. Lance Barber's two best friends on the show delivered the news. Holland told Deadline it was always going to be off screen. "We didn't want to witness that moment of his death." They put it in episode 12, not even the penultimate, because viewers were waiting for the finale. "Because we're mean!" he said, then explained they also wanted to give George a win, the head-coach job, right before they took it away. Early talk had the funeral as the last episode. Lorre pushed back. Holland recalled him saying the show had been a positive family comedy and they should not "leave the audience wallowing in grief." The two-part series finale on May 16, 2024, moved past the funeral, sent Sheldon to Caltech, and cut to Parsons and Mayim Bialik as adult Sheldon and Amy, with older Sheldon writing a memoir. CBS ordered Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, with Montana Jordan and Emily Osment, for the fall. The prequel ended because the parent show had already written the funeral.,,

Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.

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