A Critical Reception of 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙𝙤𝙣

By Evan Piccioli

I am a sitcom enthusiast; I love anything comedy-related! I often will tune into Laugh USA on my Sirius XM radio on my commute to school in the morning, and then peruse various other comedy channels. There is something about comedy that I just love—maybe it’s the witty nature, or maybe it’s that I’m just a simple-minded person and laugh easily. Whatever the case may be, when I was scrolling through Netflix one Sunday morning last year, I stumbled across a series called Young Sheldon. I recall thinking, Isn’t Sheldon the quirky, self-proclaimed nerd from Big Bang Theory? Without any expectation, I clicked on the first episode, and became instantly enamored of the show, so much so that I felt compelled enough to share my own thoughts!

Background and Production

Before I get any further, let’s go over a quick background of the series. Young Sheldon premiered on September 25, 2017, and was created by Chuck Lore and Steven Marlo—they are also the same people who created the original Bing Bang Theory—and it’s produced by Warner Bros. I add this last part in here because I will unabashedly flaunt the fact that I've personally visited the live set for the series back in April of this year. In fact, they were actively filming the latest season when I was there. It was a great experience! The main characters are Sheldon, Missy (twin sister), Georgie (Older Brother), George Sr. (Father), Mary (Mother), and Mema (Grandmother). There are other characters that pop in and out throughout the series but these six are by far the most important and consistent throughout the seasons.

Plot and Themes

Young Sheldon doesn’t follow any single overarching plot, but rather focuses on the day-to-day life of Sheldon and his family, portraying their dynamics and the challenges of raising a gifted child in a modest household. The show does an exceptional job at managing the delicate balance between humor and drama; in so doing, it allows for plenty of “bad” to occur, but still enough “good” to make it seem realistic. Some shows that I have seen in the past do a lackluster job of managing this balancing act; they are either melodramatic to the point where it’s almost depressing to watch, or too giddy, where it seems unrealistic. The show highlights the strength within a family, allowing viewers to see that despite their discrepancies, they can get along together at the end of the day.

Character Dynamics

The dynamic between George and Mary is quite interesting, as it lays out a relatively realistic view of the quintessential 1980s couple. They get along, but they often face challenges in their relationship. Mary’s personality is certainly more controlling and heavily tied into her Christianity. George sometimes becomes frustrated as Mary will make rash decisions, such as donating what he sees as excessive money (i.e., far more than what they can afford) to the church. Mary also can be quite overprotective of children; this is arguably particularly skewed towards Sheldon. While never directly stated, Sheldon is the favored child by Mary, often consuming most of his mother's attention. Mary will often go through enormous efforts to help Sheldon, whereas characters like Missy often get left behind. George, on the other hand, is far more laid-back in the relationship, and while he faces his own set of problems, such as the various hints of minor alcoholism, he appears to be the more family-oriented parent, putting his own personal ambitions on the back burner to value his family first. He teaches his kids lessons through experiences, often letting them learn the hard way through their actions rather than just telling them right from wrong. Many enthusiasts of the show favor George as the parent, as he far less controlling than Mary, and expresses his love for his family in a much more tender way.

Missy is an overshadowed character in my opinion; she gets too little time and seriously deserves a spin-off series of her own. Missy’s behavioral patterns as she ages reveals that she clearly was overlooked far too much by her parents in her childhood. She turns to rebellious activities as she ages, such as defying authority or skipping school. She is heavily influenced by a friend in her younger years who had recently divorced parents. Through her, Missy learns to becomes mischievous in her ways—and as a result finds this new lifestyle to be far more euphoric than the one at home.

Georgie could be said to be a typical 1980s teenager. Enamored of the prospect of dating and making money from a young age, it is no wonder he drops out of high school. But do not be fooled: while Georgie on the surface may appear as a failure, he is clever in his own way and knows how to make a quick buck or two. It’s hard to describe much Georgie without revealing too much of the plot, but as the series progresses, you will find Georgie to be one of the most caring and respectful characters in the show.

Lastly, Sheldon. Sheldon himself is a mixed bag: he can come off as cute and innocent but often, I have frankly found myself annoyed at his character more than anything else. While he doesn’t mean to be disrespectful, he can often easily be seen as dismissive of others, particularly of those who do not match his intellect. (Minor spoiler: pretty much everyone else in the show.) While there are lessons and learning to be found here, the show contains numerous poignant moments in which formal respect is merited...and yet Sheldon will fairly consistently wave such a need away with a snide remark. This can portray Sheldon as a cold human, only looking at things through the numbers, rather than through an emotional scope. While Sheldon does have his positive moments, I find it hard to get behind him as he usually has a blatant disregard for his family and is selfish in his ways.

Conclusion

Altogether, the show is excellent—while each character has their shortcomings, they are balanced out by one another, which makes the series enjoyable and rewarding. The show does an outstanding job at evoking visceral emotion, when intense moments unfold (again, I will refrain from giving true spoilers). I have often felt as if I was in the same room with these people. This makes the show far more captivating for the viewer, since you can sympathize with the characters. I wholeheartedly recommend this show to my friends and peers, especially if they enjoy sitcoms. My only other critique…please remove the laugh track from the last season!

Evan Piccioli is a sophomore at CT State Tunxis.