Young Sheldon is finding its annual way home to my beloved Blu-ray format September 1st courtesy of Warner Archives. I suppose if anyone is qualified to write about it on the website here that would be myself having covered The Big Bang Theory seasons for the last seven years. If interested, you can find all my reviews of the show archived right HERE. I am a bit surprised that none of my peers on the site here are fans of The Big Bang Theory even though it perfectly matches their inner geeks minus the jobs the guys on the show hold. Young Sheldon, now in its third year, is the only spinoff from the aforementioned series. That’s too bad because when the show ended last year I could have thought of several ways to keep it fresh or create new spinoffs from, but I digress. We’re here today to chat about the third season of a CBS show that I feel keeps getting better and better, Young Sheldon.
Young Sheldon much like its parent series, The Big Bang Theory, airs on CBS courtesy of creator Chuck Lorre. I mentioned up above that this is a spin-off, but what I did not say that I hope the title would give away is the fact that this is a prequel to the parent series. Season One begins with the character Sheldon Cooper, portrayed by Iain Armitage, at the “young” age of nine living with his family in East Texas. He’s obviously super advanced for his age hence why he’s already going to high school when we meet him. Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord and Annie Potts rounds out the rest of young Sheldon’s immediate family. Trust me when I say this that they are perfectly cast. Jim Parsons, who plays the adult version of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, narrates. And yes that’s the same Jim Parsons who quit on The Big Bang Theory and brought my favorite modern day sitcom to a screeching halt. Thanks Jim! Also, I would say Season 3’s most notable guest star is Coach‘s Craig T. Nelson with honorary mention to my favorite high school teacher in Clueless, Mr. Wallace Shawn.
I wasn’t a fan of Young Sheldon when it first aired. I can admit that. It felt sluggish and forced and as already evident from my Jim Parsons smearing up above I’m not the biggest fan of his character Sheldon. However, this show really isn’t all about Sheldon. Oh no! There’s so much more than meets the eye. This series obviously revolves around Sheldon, but it’s his family that steals the show for me most notably his older brother Georgie (Jordan) and twin sister (Revord). They are both hilarious and great actors. I also love how the show intertwines with the parent series especially in the first two seasons as we learn things about Sheldon’s future life and even his “future family.” As bittersweet as it was to see the parent series end last year it was amazing to see how they tied it all together like perfect bookshelf endings in the season 2 finale of Young Sheldon. That’s all I’ll say as I don’t want to spoil things further for folks that have not realized what they are missing in this series.
While its predecessors each had 22 episodes Season 3 clocks in at only 21. The title sequence gets tweaked. The song and theme remain the same, but Sheldon’s family is now brought into it. Excitedly too every week Sheldon is wearing a different costume. He could be Flash one week then Spock the next! It also picks right up after the shocking event with Dr. Sturgis (Shawn) in Season 2. Therefore, we see Sheldon’s very flirtatious grandmother, Connie (Potts), hitting the dating scene once again. I could literally spend all three seasons watching the mother-in-law/son-in-law banter between her and Lance Barber’s character, but I digress. Beyond that so much more happens in Season 3 like Missy (Revord) plays on an all male baseball team, Sheldon discovers the Internet and heads West and so much more. Yes, you did read that West part right. It’s in Season 3 where we learn Sheldon is destined for Pasadena. I bet you never saw that coming. Ha! Sheldon even graduates to college in this one, but it’s not all about him you know.
Georgie’s character grows a lot and you can clearly see his destined path as a successful salesman laid out here. However, it’s that turbulent ending that I didn’t see coming. Fret not though. Family is always there for you when you need them the most. What I really want to know though is when does Sheldon’s dad meet his tragic end. To my knowledge there’s no Season 5 green lit yet so who knows what the future holds for Sheldon Cooper’s family. One thing is for certain though. I’ll definitely be watching! It’s a rare treat nowadays that a family comedy can be both safe and crowd pleasing funny not to mention truly heartwarming as well. That’s coming from a 46-year old with no kids. That’s saying a lot in my opinion. Simply put Young Sheldon continues to build upon the legacy of its parent series rewarding its disciples while easily remaining one of the most charming family sitcoms on the airwaves.
