Young Sheldon fans realize most of them hate The Big Bang Theory
Back in 2007, The Big Bang Theory hit CBS and changed comedy for good, introducing fans to characters such as Leonard, Penny, and most importantly, Sheldon.
The popularity of the latter has resulted in something affectionately known as the Sheldon-verse, with the prequel series Young Sheldon introduced in 2017.
Seven years after its release and Young Sheldon’s success has arguably eclipsed that of The Big Bang Theory, with some fans now saying they don’t like the main series at all.
Young Sheldon fans realize most of them hate The Big Bang Theory
According to a new Reddit thread, Young Sheldon fans are realizing that most of them hate the original Big Bang Theory sitcom.
“Unpopular opinion- I hate TBBT but love Young Sheldon,” one Redditor kicked off with. “I find TBBT unfunny af. Sheldon is obnoxious and snooty. On the other hand, I really like Young Sheldon because of the interesting supporting characters. Yes, Sheldon is annoying but he has his moments.”
This prompted plenty of other fans to share their agreement, weighing in with “This is a very popular opinion.” Fans have cited reasons including the main show’s laugh soundtrack and unlikeable characters as reasons why the sitcom doesn’t work for them.
“Early Sheldon on TBBT was awful, and I couldn’t stand him. I ended up really liking him, especially his relationship with Penny, as the show went on,” a second fan went on to explain.
“What I love about YS is that here Sheldon is softened by being a kid,” they continued. There’s times when you feel some of his attitudes and behaviors are driven more by his immaturity & lack of perspective. Also, Jim often played Sheldon completely straight. He seemed to genuinely not realize his behavior/words were hurtful or disrespectful.
“There are so many times that Ian plays similar situations with a twinkle in his eye like Sheldon knows better but is choosing to be himself instead. I love his relationship with Missy, very similar to his relationship with Penny. And I think his family gives us a better understanding of who and why Sheldon is how he is.”
However, this doesn’t mean that Young Sheldon is universally liked by the fandom either.
“This has been one of my favorite TV shows, but I think it may be time to stop,” one fan commented on the prequel series. “What was funny and precious and precocious about 8-year-old Sheldon has become forced and decidedly less funny in teenage Sheldon. I’ll miss this show, but I can always start over watching the series again — one of the benefits of streaming TV.”
Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She’s written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times. Jasmine loves anime, dystopian thrillers, and anything starring Tilda Swinton. You can email her here: jasmine.waters@dexerto.com.
The Big Bang Theory prequel series quickly racked up huge ratings during its first season, which came as a surprise to many of its fans.
Young Sheldon follows Sheldon Cooper, a bona fide genius, who has been promoted four grades. Meanwhile, he struggles to fit in with his unintellectual family in Texas.
With the show set to draw to a close in 2024, here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Young Sheldon and whether it’s streaming.
How to watch Young Sheldon on streaming
The first six seasons of Young Sheldon are currently available to stream on Max and Netflix.
Having originally been available only on Max, the prequel joined Netflix back in November 24 with its first 5 seasons, adding Season 6 earlier this year.
According to Deadline, Max landed the exclusive streaming rights in 2020 for both Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory. Now, Netflix and Max are set to share these rights, with the Warner Bros-owned platform Max keeping the main licenses for everything, including another upcoming spin-off.
It was recently announced that Season 7 of Young Sheldon, set to air in 2024, would be the show’s last. Given that Netflix would need to stream Season 6 first before any new episodes, it’s more likely that Season 7 will be available to watch on Max first.
Young Sheldon is already available to stream on Netflix in a number of international territories, including the UK.