Young Sheldon

Sheldon Cooper's childhood gives Young Sheldon a different comic setting from The Big Bang Theory. His ability in the classroom does not make the rest of family life any easier to understand.

Iain Armitage makes the young Sheldon precise and stubborn, while the surrounding household prevents the series from depending entirely on his exceptional intelligence. Parents, siblings and grandmother have their own concerns, and having a gifted child in the house does not move those concerns aside.

The single-camera family-comedy style is gentler than the parent show's apartment-and-university rhythm. Familiarity with adult Sheldon adds some recognition, but the family needs to work on its own terms, and that is where the series finds its room. A suitable choice if you want domestic comedy with an awkward central character rather than a miniature copy of the original sitcom.