Since The Big Bang Theory‘s end in 2019, however, Young Sheldon has been standing independently. It took a while for the CBS series to find its own footing, especially since it has been hampered by its constant creation of plot inconsistencies, but now, Young Sheldon has established itself as CBS’ new premier comedy. Young Sheldon season 5 marked a transition point for the series, as it tackled more mature themes, including Georgie’s (Montana Jordan) accidental pregnancy news, Paige’s (McKenna Grace) depression, and George’s (Lance Barber) and Mary’s (Zoe Perry) rocky marriage.
Moving forward, Barber reveals that there’s more drama for the Coopers in Young Sheldon season 6, hinting that this transformation for the series will continue. This means that the prequel will continue to break away from its parent series, which is actually beneficial to it. Instead of being a straight-up sitcom, Young Sheldon could now be more of a family comedy/drama, meaning it tackles more grounded issues that would allow it to focus on all members of the Cooper family instead of zeroing in on Sheldon. This also enables the spin-off to organically incorporate the upcoming George infidelity storyline — a narrative that it has been actively avoiding in the last several years because it could potentially be too dark for a traditional sitcom.
There is no doubt that Young Sheldon is standing on the shoulders of The Big Bang Theory‘s success. It relied on its parent series’ popularity for years to establish itself, and it had an easier time doing so compared to entirely new shows that didn’t have any known public branding. That being said, aside from sharing characters, there are really barely any similarities between the shows at this point. The Big Bang Theory is peer-focused like Friends and Seinfeld, mixed with pop culture and science references. Young Sheldon, on the other hand, is more family-oriented; aside from Sheldon’s narrative, it doesn’t have any connection with its parent series. Instead, each member of the Cooper clan has their own likes and interests, as well as personal struggles, which are all highlighted in their respective arcs. Young Sheldon is at its best when it highlights all of those very human problems instead of just focusing on Sheldon in an attempt to lean on its The Big Bang Theory ties.
All that being said, it doesn’t mean that the series can flippantly contradict The Big Bang Theory, as there are ways to honor canon while also continuing to carve out its unique narrative. This means that Young Sheldon should be able to create its own comedy identity separate from its parent series, especially since The Big Bang Theory was also widely criticized at times for its brand of humor, ensuring CBS’ premier comedy series finally establishes a solid dramatic identity of its own.
