‘If you miss Young Sheldon, don’t be sad; this show is here for you’
Young Sheldon director Alex Reed has been forced to defend the spinoff following some serious backlash from concerned viewers over a major format change from the original series.
There have been concerns raised from the change in format for the Young Sheldon spinoff, as it will be returning to having canned laughter like in The Big Bang Theory.
Alex wrote on his Instagram: “From the set while I was shooting something special for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, the new spinoff from @youngsheldoncbs. More to be revealed later. Btw, the spinoff is seriously great. Funny but still with a ton of heart. If you miss Young Sheldon, don’t be sad; this show is here for you.”
Despite the Young Sheldon spinoff being filmed in front of a live studio audience in a multi-camera setup there will only be pre-recorded laughter during the show. Whilst Young Sheldon wasn’t filmed in front of a live audience due to its cast being so young, apparently the change for the spinoff is due to budget cuts from the network. Young Sheldon was also a single-camera production, although these are famously more expensive and take longer to shoot.
Other major changes to the spinoff include Mandy’s younger brother Connor being recast for the show. In the original Young Sheldon, Connor was played by actor Joseph Appollinio however he’s been booted out of the spinoff show, and Dougie Baldwin will now be replacing him.
According to TVLine, Connor is described as: “A talented oddball with musical prowess who still lives with his parents. He is coddled by his mother, Audrey, and hassled by his father, Jim, Connor doesn’t fit in — even in his own family.”