TV shows we love: Young Sheldon

This is not your typical 80s show, albeit it is set in that decade. Young Sheldon differs greatly from the popular series aired during that time. First of all, it follows a child genius growing up in middle-class white family in East Texas. For those somehow not among the record-breaking number of people who watched The Big Bang Theory, this nine-year-old is none other than Sheldon Cooper, a quirky (to say the least) theoretical physicist.

The first season aired in 2017 – and season 6 is being dropped through May – and granted, there is much less science lingo compared with its precedent, but the show offers an abundance of Sheldoness.
Grown-up Sheldon narrates the story of his childhood in this refreshing coming-of-age story – which thankfully omits the way too explicit scenes of modern shows featuring young adults.

In a sense, his entire family is everything he is not and are even exaggerations of these features – Sheldon’s mum Mary (Zoe Perry) and his dad George (Lance Barber) are warm and – mostly – loving Baptists. But mainly they are the sweetest parents, at least that’s how Sheldon, who identifies as an atheist, portrays them. His twin sister Missy, played by Raegan Revord, is highly perceptive, which completely juxtaposes her twin’s insensitivity. And contrasting Sheldon’s brains, is his oldest brother, George Jr, skilled in areas outside academia. Last but not least, Sheldon’s beloved grandmother, or Meemaw (Annie Pots), is viewed as a worldy-wise independent spirit, who is among the most socially active characters.

The sitcom also briefly mentions some sociopolitical events of that time, always through the eyes of the child or adult scientist. This unreliable narrator, is probably why I find the series so intriguing. The happenings are clearly the recollections of a now middle-aged man, and in a technique similar to How I Met

Your Mother, inevitable misunderstandings or lack of knowledge for some of the events open up the interpretation possibilities for the viewer.

So, if you are looking for light feel-good comedy, Young Sheldon is for you.