# Young Sheldon
**Young Sheldon** is an American comedy television series that aired on CBS from September 25, 2017, to May 16, 2024, telling the childhood story of [Sheldon Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheldon-cooper), the theoretical physicist played by [Jim Parsons](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-parsons) on the sitcom *The Big Bang Theory*.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) Created by [Chuck Lorre](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-lorre) and Steven Molaro, the series follows Sheldon at age 9, living with his family in East Texas and attending high school years ahead of his age.[2](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=47295) Parsons serves as an executive producer and narrates the series as the adult Sheldon.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original run | Premiered September 25, 2017, on CBS; series finale aired May 16, 2024[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) • [3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=109663-jim-parsons-and-mayim-bialik-reprise-their-roles-as-sheldon-cooper-and-amy-farrah-fowler-in-an-unforgettable-hour-of-television-on-the-series-finale-o) |
| Creators | Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, the Emmy-winning team behind *The Big Bang Theory*[2](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=47295) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news) |
| Premise | Nine-year-old genius Sheldon Cooper starts high school in East Texas while his ordinary family adjusts to him[2](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=47295) |
| Setting | Medford, a fictional East Texas town, in the late 1980s and early 1990s[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news) |
| Narrator | Jim Parsons as adult Sheldon, also an executive producer[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) |
| Lead actor | Iain Armitage, previously seen in HBO's *Big Little Lies*[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) |
| Seasons | Seven[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=109663-jim-parsons-and-mayim-bialik-reprise-their-roles-as-sheldon-cooper-and-amy-farrah-fowler-in-an-unforgettable-hour-of-television-on-the-series-finale-o) |
| Follow-up | *Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage*, a CBS sequel starring Montana Jordan and Emily Osment[5](https://apnews.com/article/6886e903b608c8f72ab4bd5ed3251d71) |
## Origin and development
CBS announced the series order in March 2017 as a half-hour, single-camera comedy for the 2017-2018 broadcast season.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-bang-theory-prequel-young-sheldon-picked-up/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i) • [2](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=47295) Parsons described how his production company came up with the idea after spending time with his 10-year-old nephew in Texas, a smart child who, he thought, "could be" a young Sheldon; he then approached Lorre, who had been collecting anecdotes about young Sheldon through a decade of *The Big Bang Theory* writing.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) [Jon Favreau](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-favreau) directed the first episode.[7](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/big-bang-theory-spin-off-features-young-sheldon-1/)
The premiere aired Monday, September 25, 2017, at 8:30 p.m., following *The Big Bang Theory*, which returned that night for its eleventh season; CBS later paired the two shows on its Thursday night schedule that fall.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/) • [8](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cbs-to-pair-big-bang-and-young-sheldon-spin-off-thursday-nights/)
## Premise and cast
The show opens with the 9-year-old Sheldon ([Iain Armitage](https://www.edgepedia.org/iain-armitage)) starting high school in Medford, telling the librarian, "I'm having a hard time adjusting to Earth."[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news) The family around him includes his father George Sr., a football coach ([Lance Barber](https://www.edgepedia.org/lance-barber)); his devout, protective mother Mary ([Zoe Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoe-perry)); his older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan); his sarcastic younger twin sister Missy (Raegan Revord); and his grandmother, Meemaw (Annie Potts), who calls her grandson Moonpie.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/young_sheldon)
Guest appearances across the run included Penn and Teller, Reba McEntire, Bob Newhart, Ray Liotta, Cyndi Lauper, Mayim Bialik, Jason Alexander, and [Stephen Hawking](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-hawking) (vocals only), among others.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news)
## Production and setting
Medford is a fictional town; the series is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the production built and filmed the show on the stages and back lots of Warner Bros. in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), the same studio used by *The Big Bang Theory*.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news) • [10](https://www.josephluckywebsite.com/young-sheldon) • [11](https://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/YoungSheldon.shtml) Unlike its parent show, which was shot in front of a live studio audience, *Young Sheldon* used a single camera without a laughter track, which reviewers noted gave it a more intimate, coming-of-age tone.[11](https://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/YoungSheldon.shtml) • [12](https://www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com/inspiration/blog/wallpaper-in-tv-series/what-the-wallpapers-in-young-sheldon-tell-us-about-the-series)
## Reception
Season 1 scored 76 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 46 reviews, with the critics' consensus crediting the "appealing cast and relatable themes" for bringing a fresh perspective to the character's familiar story.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/young_sheldon/s01) On Metacritic, the series has a metascore of 63, based on 28 critic reviews, categorized as generally favorable.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/young-sheldon/) Critics repeatedly singled out the family focus; [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly)'s review wrote that Sheldon as an oddity and outsider who is still loved makes the show "sweeter" than *The Big Bang Theory*.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/young-sheldon/)
In the year-end Nielsen ratings for 2017, *The Big Bang Theory* ranked No. 2 among the most-watched US television programs and *Young Sheldon* ranked No. 4, just behind the [Freddie Highmore](https://www.edgepedia.org/freddie-highmore) drama *The Good Doctor*.[15](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-big-bang-theory-young-sheldon-a8220856.html) A 2021 TIME commentary noted the spinoff had been a top-10 show while its parent had been the No. 1 show in the United States, and criticized both for playing stereotypical traits for laughs without ever explicitly identifying Sheldon as autistic.[16](https://time.com/6080754/atypical-autism-representation/)
## Ending and continuation
The seventh and final season premiered on February 15, 2024, and the series concluded with a two-episode finale on Thursday, May 16, in which Jim Parsons and [Mayim Bialik](https://www.edgepedia.org/mayim-bialik) reprised their roles as Sheldon Cooper and [Amy Farrah Fowler](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-farrah-fowler).[14](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/young-sheldon/) • [3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=109663-jim-parsons-and-mayim-bialik-reprise-their-roles-as-sheldon-cooper-and-amy-farrah-fowler-in-an-unforgettable-hour-of-television-on-the-series-finale-o) The finale drew 8.95 million viewers.[17](https://www.northchannelstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NC-STAR-2025-05-29.pdf) In season 7 the show killed off Sheldon's father George three episodes before the finale, a turn some coverage described as unwelcome.[18](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/big-bang-theorys-underrated-spinoff-is-the-most-watched-sitcom-on-hbo-max-this-week-and-its-not-young-sheldon)
**Continuation.** Even before the finale, CBS ordered *Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage*, a sequel created by Lorre, Steven Molaro, and [Steve Holland](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-holland) starring Montana Jordan and [Emily Osment](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-osment) reprising their roles as Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister.[5](https://apnews.com/article/6886e903b608c8f72ab4bd5ed3251d71) Executive producer Steve Holland said the goal was to separate the sequel from its predecessor so it did not feel like "*Young Sheldon* 2.0," and the new show returned to the multi-camera format with a live studio audience, unlike the single-camera prequel.[5](https://apnews.com/article/6886e903b608c8f72ab4bd5ed3251d71)
## References
1. ["Young Sheldon" and "Big" Sheldon speak, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-sheldon-iain-armitage-and-jim-parsons/)
2. [CBS Announces the New Comedy "Young Sheldon" for the 2017-2018 Broadcast Season, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=47295)
3. [Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik Reprise Their Roles ... on the Series Finale of "Young Sheldon," Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=109663-jim-parsons-and-mayim-bialik-reprise-their-roles-as-sheldon-cooper-and-amy-farrah-fowler-in-an-unforgettable-hour-of-television-on-the-series-finale-o)
4. ['Young Sheldon' Netflix: Season 7 and Cast of the Big Bang Theory Spin-Off, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/young-sheldon-streaming-release-date-cast-news)
5. ['Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage' expands the 'Big Bang Theory' universe, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6886e903b608c8f72ab4bd5ed3251d71)
6. ["Big Bang Theory" prequel "Young Sheldon" picked up by CBS, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-bang-theory-prequel-young-sheldon-picked-up/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i)
7. ['Big Bang Theory' Spin-off Features 'Young Sheldon', CBS San Francisco](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/big-bang-theory-spin-off-features-young-sheldon-1/)
8. [CBS To Pair 'Big Bang' And 'Young Sheldon' Spin-Off Thursday Nights, CBS San Francisco](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cbs-to-pair-big-bang-and-young-sheldon-spin-off-thursday-nights/)
9. [Young Sheldon, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/young_sheldon)
10. [Young Sheldon, Joseph Lucky Production Design](https://www.josephluckywebsite.com/young-sheldon)
11. [Young Sheldon Filming Locations, Seeing-Stars](https://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/YoungSheldon.shtml)
12. [What the wallpapers in "Young Sheldon" tell us about the series, Wallpaper from the 70s](https://www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com/inspiration/blog/wallpaper-in-tv-series/what-the-wallpapers-in-young-sheldon-tell-us-about-the-series)
13. [Young Sheldon: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/young_sheldon/s01)
14. [Young Sheldon Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/young-sheldon/)
15. [The Big Bang Theory's prequel is taking the US by storm, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-big-bang-theory-young-sheldon-a8220856.html)
16. [Atypical Fell Short as Both Autistic Representation and Entertainment, TIME](https://time.com/6080754/atypical-autism-representation/)
17. [North Channel Star, May 29, 2025](https://www.northchannelstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NC-STAR-2025-05-29.pdf)
18. [Big Bang Theory's underrated spinoff ..., TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/big-bang-theorys-underrated-spinoff-is-the-most-watched-sitcom-on-hbo-max-this-week-and-its-not-young-sheldon)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2010s and later network sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license