''Young Sheldon'' is an American
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
television series created by
Chuck Lorre
Charles Michael Lorre (; born Charles Michael Levine; October 18, 1952) is an American film & television director, writer, producer, composer and actor.
Called the "King of Sitcoms", he has created/co-created and produced sitcoms including ''G ...
and
Steven Molaro
Steven Molaro (born February 16, 1972) is an American television producer and writer. He has worked on such productions as '' Freddie'', '' The Class'', ''Complete Savages'', Nickelodeon's ''All That'', '' The Amanda Show'', ''Drake & Josh'', ''Z ...
for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
. The series, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is a
spin-off prequel to ''
The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...
'' and begins with the character
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., Doctor of Science, Sc.D., is a Character (arts), fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'' and its spinoff series ''Young Sheldon'', portrayed by actors Jim Parsons ...
at the age of nine, living with his family in
East Texas
East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...
and going to high school.
Iain Armitage
Iain Armitage (; born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor. He is known for starring as Sheldon Cooper in ''Young Sheldon'', a prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'', and Ziggy Chapman in '' Big Little Lies''. In 2018, Armitage received the You ...
stars as young Sheldon, alongside
Zoe Perry
Zoe Perry (born September 26, 1983) is an American actress. She has appeared as the young Mary Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon,'' a role originated by her mother Laurie Metcalf in the show's predecessor ''The Big Bang Theory,'' and in r ...
,
Lance Barber
Lance Barber (born June 29, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for playing George Cooper, Sr. on the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon'' (2017–present), as well as Bill Ponderosa on the FX show ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''.
Early ...
,
Montana Jordan
Montana Jordan (born March 8, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as George Cooper, Jr., Georgie Cooper in ''Young Sheldon''.
Life and career
Born in Longview, Texas, he was raised in Ore City, Texas.
In October 2015, he ...
, Raegan Revord, and
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
.
Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead A ...
, who portrays the adult Sheldon Cooper on ''The Big Bang Theory'', narrates the series and is also an
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
.
Development of the prequel series began in November 2016, from an initial idea that Parsons passed along to ''The Big Bang Theory'' producers. The following March, Armitage and Perry were cast, and the series was ordered by CBS. ''Young Sheldon'' premiered as a special preview on September 25, 2017, and was picked up for a full season that began airing weekly from November 2, 2017. In March 2021, CBS renewed the series through to a seventh season. The sixth season premiered on September 29, 2022.
Premise
The series takes place in the late 1980s and early 1990s and follows Sheldon Cooper attending high school in the fictional town of Medford,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. As a nine-year-old boy (in the first season
) attending high school, he tries to fit into a world full of more socially normal people, including his own family and friends, who do not quite understand how to deal with his unique intellectual capabilities and social ineptitude.
At age 11, Sheldon graduates high school and begins attending the fictional university East Texas Tech full time.
In the series premiere, adult Sheldon states "nobody I knew in
East Texas
East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...
in 1989 cared about
Newtonian physics
Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical mech ...
". Several other episodes make spoken or written references to, or reference historic or pop cultural events from the early 1990s.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Iain Armitage
Iain Armitage (; born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor. He is known for starring as Sheldon Cooper in ''Young Sheldon'', a prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'', and Ziggy Chapman in '' Big Little Lies''. In 2018, Armitage received the You ...
as
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., Doctor of Science, Sc.D., is a Character (arts), fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'' and its spinoff series ''Young Sheldon'', portrayed by actors Jim Parsons ...
, a
child prodigy
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
well-versed in various branches of mathematics and science. He states that he decided to pursue physics around the same time as the show began. While academically gifted, Sheldon sometimes lacks a full understanding of social cues, in addition to having a sense of superiority over everyone around him. Nevertheless, Sheldon has proven to love his family and almost always has his heart in the right place.
He is Georgie's younger brother and Missy’s fraternal older twin brother. He is age 9 in the first season and age 13 by the sixth .
**
Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead A ...
is the voice of adult Sheldon Cooper, who provides the perspective of an adult recalling his childhood.
*
Zoe Perry
Zoe Perry (born September 26, 1983) is an American actress. She has appeared as the young Mary Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon,'' a role originated by her mother Laurie Metcalf in the show's predecessor ''The Big Bang Theory,'' and in r ...
as Mary Cooper (née Tucker), mother of Sheldon, Missy, and Georgie. She is very protective and patient with Sheldon, but also struggles to understand him at times. She is a devout
Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...
, working at her local church, and sometimes objects to Sheldon's atheism. Nevertheless, she deeply loves her son and wants to protect him for as long as she can.
Perry's mother,
Laurie Metcalf
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...
, played Mary on ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Lance Barber
Lance Barber (born June 29, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for playing George Cooper, Sr. on the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon'' (2017–present), as well as Bill Ponderosa on the FX show ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''.
Early ...
as , Sheldon, Missy, and Georgie's father; a
Vietnam veteran
A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.
The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and oth ...
; and the former head football coach at Medford High. George does not share Sheldon's intellect, which sometimes leads others, especially Meemaw, to doubt his
genetic relationship to Sheldon. He is often at odds with his children and particularly struggles to understand Sheldon, but he does try to be a caring and responsible father. In ''The Big Bang Theory'', it is stated that George Cooper Sr. will pass away when Sheldon is 14 years old in 1995. Barber appeared in a Season 5 episode of ''The Big Bang Theory'' as one of Leonard's high school bullies, Jimmy Speckerman, before making an appearance via a '90s videotape as his ''Young Sheldon'' character in a final season episode.
*
Montana Jordan
Montana Jordan (born March 8, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as George Cooper, Jr., Georgie Cooper in ''Young Sheldon''.
Life and career
Born in Longview, Texas, he was raised in Ore City, Texas.
In October 2015, he ...
as George Marshall "Georgie" Cooper Jr., Sheldon and Missy's older brother. (His middle name was revealed by Connie to Mandy in S5:Ep22.) Georgie resents the attention his parents pay to Sheldon. He does not do well at school and gets mocked and teased for it by the rest of the family, particularly Sheldon and Meemaw. He does not get along with his brother Sheldon because he's tired of always being compared to his brother. He attends Medford High with Sheldon and plays on the school's football team.
At age 17, he drops out of school to work full-time and discovers a talent for sales that will lead him to become the wealthy owner of a tire store chain in ''The Big Bang Theory'', on which he is played by
Jerry O'Connell
Jerry O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and television host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series ''Sliders'', Andrew Clements in ''My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by M ...
.
* Raegan Revord as Melissa "Missy" Cooper, Georgie's younger sister and Sheldon's fraternal younger twin sister. She teases Sheldon along with Georgie but not as much. She does not share Sheldon's intelligence, but is very perceptive. Occasionally, she does not get along with Sheldon, but she finds in her twin brother a solid confidant and has admitted to not feeling as whole without him. She also shows love for her brother even though she constantly denies it.
Courtney Henggeler
Courtney Healy Henggeler (born December 11, 1978) is an American actress known for her starring role as Amanda LaRusso in the Netflix comedy-drama television series ''Cobra Kai''. She is also known as playing the adult version of Sheldon Cooper ...
plays adult Missy in ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
as Constance "Connie" Tucker, Sheldon, Missy, and Georgie's maternal grandmother, whom they refer to as "
Meemaw". She is a fun-loving woman who can be sarcastic and often mocks those around her, especially George. On the other hand, she is patient with Sheldon and sometimes struggles to understand him, whom she affectionately calls '
Moonpie', and advises Mary to trust that Sheldon will find his way.
In the fourth season, she was said to be 68 years old.
June Squibb
June Louise Squibb (born November 6, 1929) is an American actress. In 2013, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film ''Nebraska''.
Squibb has appeared in the films ''Alice'', '' In & Out'', ''About Schm ...
plays old Constance in ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Matt Hobby
Matt Hobby (born January 18, 1985) is an American actor and comedian, known for his portrayals of Pastor Jeff in ''Young Sheldon'', Philip in the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire'', Rudy Truitt in ''Hart of Dixie'' and Pat Landy in '' The ...
as Pastor Jeff Difford (season 3–present; recurring seasons 1–2), the upbeat pastor at the Cooper family's Baptist church. Like Mary, he too sometimes has friction with Sheldon's irreligious side and often challenges Sheldon to explore their line of thought through logic exercises.
* Wyatt McClure as Billy Sparks (season 5–present; recurring seasons 1–4), the son of Herschel and Brenda, whom his mother implies is in no danger of going to college. He was originally portrayed as Sheldon's nemesis, but becomes much friendlier early in the series. He has an
unrequited crush on Missy.
*
Emily Osment
Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...
as Mandy McAllister (season 6; recurring season 5), Georgie's 29-year-old girlfriend, whom he gets pregnant
Recurring
*
Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn (a fictionalized version of himself) in '' My Dinner with Andre'' (1981), Vizzini in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), ...
as
John Sturgis (season 1–present), a college physics professor whose class Sheldon attends as his first college course. He dates Meemaw with Sheldon's encouragement in seasons 1 through 3. He also works for a grocery store from later season 4 to early season 5 after being fired from working on a hadron super collider, before getting fired again.
* Ryan Phuong as
Tam Nguyen
The American television sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'', created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, while the American comedy spin-off prequel television series ''Young Sheldon'', crea ...
(season 1–4), Sheldon's Vietnamese-American childhood best friend and classmate. Tam is responsible for introducing Sheldon to many of his non-scientific interests, including comic books and role-playing games. Tam is Sheldon's only friend who consistently puts up with him.
Robert Wu
Robert Wu is an American actor, producer and writer. He played Ming, who transforms into a version of "Ming the Merciless", the arch-enemy of Flash Gordon, (during an hallucination that Sam J. Jones, the actor who plays Flash Gordon has) in ...
plays adult Tam on ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Billy Gardell
William Gardell Jr. (born August 20, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on ''Mike & Molly.'' He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on ''Yes, Dear'' and appeared in a dozen e ...
as Herschel Sparks (seasons 1–2), Billy's father and Brenda's husband, who owns a garage and divorces his wife in season 4
*
Melissa Peterman
Melissa Margaret Peterman is an American actress and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series '' Reba'', appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the ABC Family/ Freeform series ''Baby Daddy'', and was host of ABC Fami ...
as Brenda Sparks (season 1–present), Billy's mother, Herschel's wife until season 4, and Mary's initial nemesis and eventual friend, who works at the bowling alley frequented by Meemaw
* Doc Farrow as Assistant Coach Wayne Wilkins (season 1–present), Sheldon's P.E. teacher and the former assistant, now head football coach at Medford High. He was originally given the name Roy, but it was changed to Wayne as of the episode "A Broom Closet and Satan's Monopoly Board".
*
Valerie Mahaffey
Valerie Mahaffey (born June 16, 1953) is an American character actress and producer. She began her career starring in the NBC daytime soap opera '' The Doctors'' (1979–81), for which in 1980 she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outst ...
as Victoria MacElroy (seasons 1–3), Sheldon's homeroom and English teacher at Medford High
*
Danielle Pinnock
Danielle Pinnock (born May 11, 1988) is an American actress, writer, and comedian. Pinnock is a main cast member on the CBS series ''Ghosts'' (2021– ), where she plays the 1920s Prohibition era jazz singer “Alberta.”
She held a supporting r ...
as Evelyn Ingram (seasons 1–4), Sheldon's math teacher at Medford High.
*
Brian Stepanek
Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on ''Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...
as Hubert Givens (season 1–present), Sheldon's science teacher at Medford High
*
Rex Linn
Rex Maynard Linn (born November 13, 1956) is an American film and television actor. He is best known domestically for playing the role of Sgt. Frank Tripp in the CBS drama ''CSI: Miami'' and more recently for playing Kevin Wachtell in the televi ...
as Tom Petersen (season 1–present), the principal of Medford High
*
Sarah Baker as Sheryl Hutchins (season 1–present), the Medford High librarian
*
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...
as Gene Lundy (season 1–present), Medford High School's resident drama teacher
*
Nancy Linehan Charles Nancy Linehan Charles (born November 11, 1942) is an American character actress of film, television and theater. Charles was born in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United State ...
as Peg (season 1–present), Pastor Jeff's chain-smoking secretary
*
Chris Wylde
Chris Wylde (born Chris Noll, August 22, 1976) is an American actor from New Jersey.
Wylde is best known for his roles in the films ''The DUFF'', ''Space Cowboys'', the 2009 horror film '' The Revenant'', the 2017 horror comedy '' The Babysitte ...
as Glenn (seasons 1–3), the owner of the comic book store King Kong Comics
*
Isabel May
Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba, Elisheva''), Arising in ...
as Veronica Duncan (seasons 2–3), Georgie's Halloween date who is introduced in "Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan". She becomes a Christian after witnessing the "lust" room in Mr. Lundy's haunted house and loses interest in Georgie, who continues trying to win her over. She starts liking Georgie but backs off after he starts dating Jana.
*
Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Grant Linkletter (season 2–present), a colleague of Dr. Sturgis. He regularly pursues Connie but is continually rebuffed.
*
Mckenna Grace as
Paige Swanson
The American television sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'', created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, while the American comedy spin-off prequel television series ''Young Sheldon'', creat ...
(season 2–present), a child prodigy whom Sheldon views as his rival.
*
Andrea Anders
Andrea Anders (born May 10, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work on television, notably through her main roles on five anticipated but short-lived sitcoms, ''Joey'', '' The Class'', ''Better Off Ted'', '' Mr. Sunshine'' and ...
as Linda Swanson (seasons 2–4), Paige's mother
* Mary Grill as Officer Robin (seasons 2–3), Pastor Jeff's second wife who works as a police officer
*
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...
as Dale Ballard (season 3–present), Missy's baseball coach and Meemaw's new boyfriend after Dr. Sturgis breaks up with her; he owns a sporting goods store and hires Georgie and George to work there.
*
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
as June (season 3–present), Dale's ex-wife, the local hairdresser whom Meemaw befriends.
* Ava Allan as Jana Boggs (season 3–5), Georgie's girlfriend after he gives up pursuing Veronica, but she breaks up with him in season 5 since she is upset that he decided to drop out of school
* London Cheshire as Marcus Larson (seasons 3–4), Missy's boyfriend
*
Wendie Malick
Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC sitc ...
as President Linda Hagemeyer (season 4–present), the president of Sheldon's university
*
Dan Byrd
Daniel Byrd (born November 20, 1985) is an American actor. His most prominent roles include the 2004 film ''A Cinderella Story'', the 2006 remake of ''The Hills Have Eyes'', the 2010 films ''Easy A'' and '' Norman'', and the sitcoms ''Aliens in ...
as Pastor Rob (season 5), a young, unorthodox pastor hired by Pastor Jeff to teach Sunday school. He and Mary appear to become mutually interested in one another during the fifth season, which upsets George.
* Caleb Emery as Darren (season 5), one of Sheldon's new college dorm room neighbors
* Ivan Mok as Oscar (season 5), one of Sheldon's new college dorm room neighbors
*
Rachel Bay Jones
Rachel Bay Jones (born November 8, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She has played the roles of Catherine in the 2013 Broadway revival of ''Pippin'' and Evan Hansen's mother, Heidi Hansen, in ''Dear Evan Hansen''. The latter earned her ...
as Audrey McCallister (season 6), Mandy's mother
*
Will Sasso
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
as Jim McCallister (season 6), Mandy's father
Guest
*
Melissa Tang
Melissa Tang (born May 7, 1985) is an American actress.
Early life and education
Tang was born in Los Angeles, California, and is of Chinese descent.
She graduated with a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007.
Career
She ha ...
as Ms. Fenley, a music teacher at Sheldon's high school. Tang had previously played the character Mandy Chao in an episode of ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Vernee Watson
Vernee Christell Watson-Johnson (née Watson; born September 28, 1949) is an American actress, author, and acting coach. Watson-Johnson is best known for her recurring roles as Vernajean Williams on ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and as ...
as Nurse Althea Robinson, a nurse who caters to George when he suffers a mild
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
and then to Sheldon when he has his gall bladder removed. Watson also plays a nurse named
Althea in numerous episodes of ''The Big Bang Theory'', including its pilot.
* John Hartman as Dr. Goetsch, the
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
Sheldon sees when he has
Phagophobia
Phagophobia is a psychogenic dysphagia, a fear of swallowing.Shapiro J, Franko DL, Gagne A. Phagophobia: a form of psychogenic dysphagia. A new entity. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1997; 106: 286-290. It is expressed in various swallowing complaints wi ...
and when he loses at the Medford High science fair.
*
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primeti ...
as Vincent, Meemaw's
bookie.
*
Jason Kravits
Jason Kravits (born May 28, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying A.D.A. Richard Bay on ABC's ''The Practice.''
Early life and education
Kravits was born in Passaic, New Jersey. In 1975, his family moved to Rockville, Mar ...
as Dr. Ronald Hodges, a NASA engineer and college roommate of Mr. Givens. He makes a presentation about his work to Mr. Givens' science class, which intrigues Sheldon to solve the challenges of
reusable launch system
A reusable launch vehicle have parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as rocket engines and boost ...
s.
*
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...
makes a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in the episode "
A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®" in a
flashforward
A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
scene set 27 years into the future.
* Dave Florek as Dr. Eberland, Sheldon's doctor.
*
Karly Rothenberg
Karly Rothenberg is an American film and television actress. Rothenberg is best known for her roles as warehouse worker Madge “Pudge” Madsen on ''The Office'' and Ms. Erin Shapiro in the Netflix mockumentary ''American Vandal''. She played M ...
as Mrs. Janice Veazey, Dr. Hodges' secretary.
*
Frances Conroy
Frances Hardman Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received four Pr ...
as Dr. Flora Douglas, headmaster of the boarding school Sheldon briefly attends.
*
Harry Groener
Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (seasons 3, 4 and 7).
Early life
Groener was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, West German ...
as Elliot Douglas, Dr. Douglas' husband.
* Paul Yen as Le Nguyen, Tam's father. He runs Medford Mart with his wife.
* VyVy Nguyen as Trang Nguyen, Tam's mother and Mr. Nguyen's wife.
*
Phil Morris as the voice of One and
Anjali Bhimani
Anjali Bhimani (born August 30, 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Symmetra in the video game ''Overwatch'' and Rampart in the video game ''Apex Legends''.
Early life
Bhimani was born in Cleveland, O ...
as the voice of Zero in a dream Sheldon has.
*
Richard Kind
Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...
as Ira Rosenbloom, one of Meemaw's boyfriends.
*
Zuleyka Silver
Zuleyka Silver (born August 2, 1991) is a Mexican-American actress, fashion model, and the seventh runner-up of the seventh season of Univision's ''Nuestra Belleza Latina''.
Early life
Silver was born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Career ...
as Selena, Pastor Jeff's ex-wife
*
Anjelika Washington
Anjelika Washington (born May 15, 1998) is an American actress known for her work as Fareeda in the Netflix movie ''Tall Girl'' and Beth Chapel / Doctor Mid-Nite in the DC Universe series '' Stargirl''.
Early life
Washington was born and rais ...
as Libby, an eleventh grade student who aspires to be a geologist and whom Sheldon and Tam befriend.
* Ella and Mia Allan as Bobbi Sparks, Billy Sparks' younger sister with a reputation for tormenting Sheldon.
*
Cleo King
Harriet Cleo King is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly ''Mike & Molly'' (2010–2016).
Early life
King was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was the youngest of seven children. She graduated from ...
as Mrs. Costello, a Medford High School counselor
*
Michael Cudlitz
Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/ TNT drama series '' Southland'' for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 ...
as a NASA supervisor who appears in Sheldon's daydream sequence.
*
Josh Cooke
Joshua Gregory Cooke is an American actor, songwriter, comedian and musician.
Personal life
Cooke was born in Philadelphia and attended Harriton High School, a small public high school in suburban Rosemont. He was a member of Harriton Theater ...
as Barry Swanson, Paige's father.
*
Ella Anderson
Ella Aiko Anderson (born March 26, 2005) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, starring as Piper Hart on the Nickelodeon television series '' Henry Danger'', and is also known for playing the role of Rachel Rawlings ...
as Erica, Paige's sister, who bonds with Georgie and Missy because they share common experiences being siblings of child prodigies
*
Paul Fusco
Paul Fusco is an American puppeteer, actor, television producer, writer and director. He is best known as the puppeteer and voice of the title character on the sitcom '' ALF'', for which he also served as creator, writer, producer, and directo ...
appears as
ALF in "A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf" when he reads Missy's letter.
* Mauricio Lara as Ricky, Sheldon's hospital roommate in "A Tummy Ache and a Whale of a Metaphor"
*
John Rubinstein
John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director.
Early life
Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the dau ...
as Rabbi Schneiderman
*
Benjamin Stockham
Benjamin James Stockham (born July 8, 2000) is an American television and film actor, known for his role of Robby Gunderson in the 2010 ''Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox'' sitcom ''Sons of Tucson'', and previously starred as Xander Gilchrist in the ...
as Preston
*
Maree Cheatham
Maree Cheatham (also credited as Marie Cheatham, born June 2, 1940) is an American actress, who is known for her performances on the daytime soap operas '' Days of Our Lives'' (1965–68, 1970–71, 1973, 1994, 1996, 2010), ''Search for Tomorrow' ...
as Dorothy, Veronica's grandmother.
*
Diedrich Bader
Karl Diedrich Bader (born December 24, 1966) is an American actor and comedian who is best known for his comedy roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms ''The Drew Carey Show'', ''American Housewife'', and '' Outsourced'' ...
as the voice of
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
in one of Sheldon's daydreams.
*
Steve Burns
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
as Nathan. Burns also is the performer of the show’s theme song.
*
Taylor Spreitler
Taylor Danielle Spreitler (born October 23, 1993) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Days of Our Lives characters (2000s)#Mia McCormick, Mia McCormick in the soap opera series ''Days of Our Lives'' (2009–2010), Lennox Sc ...
as Sam, a member of Sheldon's project group.
* Nolan Bateman as Keith, a member of Sheldon's project group.
*
Louie Anderson
Louis Perry Anderson (March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host. Anderson created the cartoon series ''Life with Louie'' and the television sitcom ''The Louie Show'', and wrote four ...
as Ralph, the owner of a trophy shop where Mary wants to buy one for Missy.
*
Ryan Stiles
Ryan Lee Stiles (born April 22, 1959) is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his work on the original British series and American version of ''Who ...
as Dr. Bowers, Sheldon's dentist.
*
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Jayne Lynskey ( ; born 16 May 1977) is a New Zealand actress widely known for her portrayals of complex women in several independent films and television shows and also known for her command of American dialects.
Lynskey is the recipi ...
as Professor Dora Ericson, Sheldon's college philosophy professor
*
Dave Foley
David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...
as Gary, Sheldon's university benefactor
*
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
as himself
*
Julia Pace Mitchell
Julia Pace Mitchell (born Julia Annette Mitchell; February 10, 1978) is an American stage, television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Sofia Dupre on the CBS television soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' (2010–12, 2019 ...
as Darlene Wilkins, Coach Wilkins' wife
*
Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...
,
Alan Rachins
Alan Leonard Rachins (born October 3, 1942) is an American television actor, known for his role as Douglas Brackman in ''L.A. Law'' which earned him both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, and his portrayal of Larry (Dharma's hippie father) on t ...
and
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...
as Hortense, Vern and Doris, Meemaw's friends.
*
Bill Fagerbakke
William Fagerbakke ( ; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom ''Coach''. He also appeared in 12 episodes of the sitco ...
as Jake, a police officer and Dale Ballard's acquaintance.
*
Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...
as Professor Boucher, a former
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
engineer and a professor of engineering at Sheldon’s university.
*
Stephen Hawking as himself (voice-only).
*
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film ''Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec Sha ...
as Dr. Carol Lee, a physicist from UC Berkeley brought in to lead a project that Sheldon, Dr. Sturgis, and Dr. Linkletter are working on.
*
Penn Jillette
Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...
and
Teller as Pimple and Pus, Sheldon's imaginary personifications of his first
pimple
A pimple is a kind of comedo that results from excess sebum and dead skin cells getting trapped in the pores of the skin. In its aggravated state, it may evolve into a pustule or papules. Pimples can be treated by acne medications, antibiotics, ...
and its
pus
Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...
, who appear when he begins going through
puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy. ...
.
Original cast cameos
*
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...
as
Amy Farrah Fowler
Amy Farrah Fowler is a fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'', portrayed by Mayim Bialik. Amy is a neuroscientist who is Sheldon's (Jim Parsons) love interest and subsequent partner in the series. She has a PhD ...
, Sheldon's wife and the mother of his son,
Leonard Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D., is a fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'' and its spinoff series ''Young Sheldon'', portrayed by actors Jim Parsons and Iain Armitage respectively (with Parsons as the latter ...
, as well as at least one other child. This role is reprised from ''The Big Bang Theory''. She appears as part of the narration.
*
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom ''8 Simple Rules'' (2002 ...
as the voice of the pool water in one of Sheldon's nightmares. Cuoco previously played
Penny
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
in ''The Big Bang Theory''.
*
Simon Helberg
Simon Maxwell Helberg (born December 9, 1980) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Howard Wolowitz in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supp ...
as
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng. is a fictional character on the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'', portrayed by actor Simon Helberg. Among the four main male characters in the show, Howard is distinctive for being an engineer—rather t ...
, an aeronautical engineer and one of Sheldon’s adulthood friends. This role is reprised from ''The Big Bang Theory''. He appears as part of the narration.
*
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...
as Arthur Jeffries, a scientist who plays the title character of ''Professor Proton'', Sheldon's favorite educational television series. The character is an homage to
Mr. Wizard
''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...
. Newhart reprises his portrayal of the character from ''The Big Bang Theory''.
Episodes
Production
Development
In November 2016, it was reported that
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
was in negotiations to create a spin-off of ''The Big Bang Theory'' centered on
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., Doctor of Science, Sc.D., is a Character (arts), fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'' and its spinoff series ''Young Sheldon'', portrayed by actors Jim Parsons ...
as a young boy. The prequel series, described as "a ''
Malcolm in the Middle
''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes.
The series follows a dysfunctional ...
''-esque
single-camera
The single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, also known as portable single camera, is a method of filmmaking and video production.
The single-camera setup originally developed during the birth of the classical Hollywood cinema i ...
family comedy" would be executive produced by ''The Big Bang Theory'' co-creator
Chuck Lorre
Charles Michael Lorre (; born Charles Michael Levine; October 18, 1952) is an American film & television director, writer, producer, composer and actor.
Called the "King of Sitcoms", he has created/co-created and produced sitcoms including ''G ...
and producer
Steven Molaro
Steven Molaro (born February 16, 1972) is an American television producer and writer. He has worked on such productions as '' Freddie'', '' The Class'', ''Complete Savages'', Nickelodeon's ''All That'', '' The Amanda Show'', ''Drake & Josh'', ''Z ...
, with ''The Big Bang Theory'' co-creator
Bill Prady
William Scott Prady (born June 7, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who has worked on American sitcoms and variety programs, including '' Married... with Children'', '' Dream On'', '' Star Trek: Voyager'', ''Dharma & Greg'', ' ...
expected to be involved in some capacity, and intended to air in the
2017–18 season alongside ''The Big Bang Theory''. The initial idea for the series came from
Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead A ...
(who portrays the adult Sheldon on ''The Big Bang Theory''), who passed it along to ''The Big Bang Theory'' producers.
On March 13, 2017, CBS ordered the spin-off ''Young Sheldon'' series, which was created by Lorre and Molaro.
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia Favreau (; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
directed and executive produced the pilot. Parsons, Lorre, Molaro and Todd Spiewak also serve as executive producers on the series, for
Chuck Lorre Productions
Chuck Lorre Productions is an American television production company founded on 10 January 2000 by producer Chuck Lorre, best known for producing the long-running television series ''Two and a Half Men'', ''The Big Bang Theory'', '' Mom'', and ''Y ...
and
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
.
On September 27, 2017, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 22 episodes. On January 6, 2018, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 24 of that same year.
On February 22, 2019, CBS renewed the series for both a third and a fourth season. The third season premiered on September 26, 2019. Warner Bros. Television suspended production on March 13, 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, leaving the third season with only 21 episodes. Production for the fourth season began on September 22, 2020, but was paused on October 9, 2020, for one month, due to a positive COVID-19 test. The fourth season premiered on November 5, 2020.
Production for the fourth season concluded on March 15, 2021.
On March 30, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fifth, sixth, and seventh season. The fifth season premiered on October 7, 2021. The sixth season premiered on September 29, 2022.
Casting
In early March 2017,
Iain Armitage
Iain Armitage (; born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor. He is known for starring as Sheldon Cooper in ''Young Sheldon'', a prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'', and Ziggy Chapman in '' Big Little Lies''. In 2018, Armitage received the You ...
was cast as the younger Sheldon, and
Zoe Perry
Zoe Perry (born September 26, 1983) is an American actress. She has appeared as the young Mary Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon,'' a role originated by her mother Laurie Metcalf in the show's predecessor ''The Big Bang Theory,'' and in r ...
as his mother, Mary Cooper. Perry is the real-life daughter of
Laurie Metcalf
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...
, who portrays Mary Cooper on ''The Big Bang Theory''.
Lance Barber
Lance Barber (born June 29, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for playing George Cooper, Sr. on the CBS sitcom ''Young Sheldon'' (2017–present), as well as Bill Ponderosa on the FX show ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''.
Early ...
stars as George Cooper Sr., Sheldon's father; he had previously appeared in one episode of ''The Big Bang Theory''.
Raegan Revord stars as Missy Cooper, Sheldon's twin sister; Revord only got the part after repeatedly asking her mother to be allowed to read for the role. The show also stars
Montana Jordan
Montana Jordan (born March 8, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as George Cooper, Jr., Georgie Cooper in ''Young Sheldon''.
Life and career
Born in Longview, Texas, he was raised in Ore City, Texas.
In October 2015, he ...
as George Cooper Jr., Sheldon's older brother. Jim Parsons reprises his role as adult Sheldon Cooper, as narrator for the series.
In July 2017,
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
was cast as Meemaw, Sheldon's grandmother.
Overlap with the parent series
In most cases different actors are used to portray a given character in the two series, to account for the age difference. Jim Parsons is a notable exception in that he appears in both series as the same character, though in this series his appearance is limited to voice only. In the Season 4 episode "Graduation",
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...
(as Amy, the wife of adult Sheldon) has a brief voice-over role while Sheldon describes the graduation party for their son Leonard, whom he reveals was named after
Leonard Hofstadter
Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Galecki in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory.'' Leonard is an experimental physicist, who shares an apartment with colleague and best friend Dr. Sheldon Cooper. ...
and
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...
.
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...
appears as Professor Proton in both series; with the appearance in this series, the character is made to look younger. Iain Armitage (Sheldon), Lance Barber (George), and Montana Jordan (Georgie) make a guest appearance in the parent series in a scene in which a
VHS tape recorded decades earlier is played. There are other actors who appear in both series but as different characters. This includes Barber, who had another guest appearance in the parent series as a different character, and
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom ''8 Simple Rules'' (2002 ...
who stars in the parent series and makes an uncredited voice appearance in this series, voicing an
inanimate object
In common usage and classical mechanics, a physical object or physical body (or simply an object or body) is a collection of matter within a defined contiguous boundary in three-dimensional space. The boundary must be defined and identified by t ...
.
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...
makes
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
s as himself in both series.
The second-season finale episode aired immediately following the one-hour
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
of the parent series. In a tribute to the
parent series finale, several references are made to it in the ''Young Sheldon'' episode. The references are both general to the entire parent series, as well as to the series finale in particular. In one scene in the ''Young Sheldon'' episode, Sheldon promises his father that when he wins the Nobel Prize, Sheldon will mention him in his acceptance speech. In the parent series finale, Sheldon wins the Nobel Prize, and he does mention his father (amongst others) in the acceptance speech. In another scene in the ''Young Sheldon'' episode, Nobel Prize winners are announced out over a montage showing the main characters from the parent series
Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English language, English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek wikiwikiweb:Λέων, ...
,
Penny
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
,
Raj,
Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
,
Bernadette
Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Notable persons with the name include: People
* Bernadette (singer) (born 1959), Dutch singer
* Bernadette Allen (born 1956), American foreign service of ...
, and
Amy
Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''.
People A–E
* Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress
* Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...
as children.
Christine Baranski
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She is a 15-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' ...
and
Carol Ann Susi
Carol Ann Susi (February 2, 1952 – November 11, 2014) was an American actress whose career spanned 40 years. Her best known roles were probably her first and last; she debuted as the recurring character of semi-competent but likable intern Mo ...
, who respectively portray Leonard's mother and Howard's mother in the parent series, make a voice appearance in the montage (a posthumous appearance in the case of Susi). Following the montage, adult Sheldon says that he was wrong about feeling at the moment of the Nobel prize announcement that he would be all alone for the rest of his life.
Title sequence
The show's
title sequence
A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with visu ...
is played to the song "Mighty Little Man" by
Steve Burns
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
. The song is the first track in Burns' 2003 album ''
Songs for Dustmites
''Songs for Dustmites'' is the debut album by American musician, actor and former ''Blue's Clues'' host Steve Burns. It was released on August 12, 2003, by PIAS America. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann, member of alternative rock band Mer ...
''. The background in the first two series shows mountains and a desert, whilst the foreground has Sheldon (usually in
bow tie
The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that th ...
, checked shirt, shorts and
cowboy boots
Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a High-heeled footwear#Men and heels, high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no l ...
) walking out, standing triumphantly, before he notices a cow and backs away from it, before resuming his triumphant look as the logo appears and pans to the sky. Occasionally, a
tumbleweed
A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumble ...
appears, instead of the cow. The title sequence was changed from Season 3 onwards to include the entire Cooper family, as well as showing Sheldon in different costumes, such as
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
,
Mr. Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as science officer and first officer (and Kirk's Second-in-command) and ...
,
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
, an astronaut, and a train engineer. Season 5 features a black bull in place of the cow.
Release
Broadcast
''Young Sheldon'' began airing weekly episodes on CBS on November 2, 2017, after ''
The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...
.'' It premiered as a special preview on September 25, 2017.
Syndication
''Young Sheldon'' entered off-network syndication on
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET/Pac ...
as of November 30, 2020.
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, ''Young Sheldon'' is aired on the free-to-air channel
E4, with season 1 premiered on February 22, 2018.
Subsequent seasons premiered on November 8, 2018, and October 10, 2019, for seasons 2 and 3 respectively.
Season 4 of Young Sheldon premiered on October 20, 2021, on E4 at 9 pm Season 5 of Young Sheldon premiered on April 24, 2022 at 8pm on E4. On September 27, 2021, the series entered syndication in local markets, covering roughly 90% of the United States. The series also entered off-network syndication on
TBS and began airing on September 27, 2021.
Streaming
In May 2020, it was announced that the first three seasons of the series would stream on the WarnerMedia's
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
service; no release date was announced at that time. The first three seasons were added on September 2, 2020. The fifth season debuted on September 7, 2022.
In October and November 2021,
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in Australia and the United Kingdom picked up the streaming rights to the show.
Home media
The first season of ''Young Sheldon'' was released on DVD and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
by Warner Bros. on September 4, 2018. The second season was released on DVD and manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray on September 3, 2019. The third season was released on DVD and manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray on September 1, 2020 by
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and
Warner Archive Collection
The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
respectively. The fourth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 7, 2021. The fifth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 6, 2022.
Reception
Ratings
Critical response
For the first season, the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 46 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "''Young Sheldon''s appealing cast and relatable themes bring a freshand overall enjoyableperspective to its central character's familiar story."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades
The fourth season was one of 101 out of the 200 most-popular scripted television series that received
the ReFrame Stamp
The ReFrame Stamp for Gender-Balanced Production certification is awarded by ReFrame to corporations and media that show progress toward gender equality and greater representation of women in key roles.
History
On June 8, 2018, the ReFrame Stam ...
for the years 2020 to 2021. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition
ReFrame
ReFrame (also known as ReFrame Project; formerly known as the Systemic Change Project) is a US non-profit organization founded by Women in Film LA and the Sundance Institute together with over 50 leaders and influencers in Hollywood, with the goa ...
and industry database
IMDbPro
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.
See also
*''
The Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...
''
Notes
References
External links
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