By the time The Big Bang Theory’s finale aired, the sitcom was one of the biggest shows on television and the most popular sitcom since Friends. As such, Young Sheldon had some pretty big shoes to fill, and the show took an ambitious, risky approach by dropping The Big Bang Theory’s laugh track and switching to a single-camera style.
These changes went on to define the show, and Young Sheldon’s best episode would never worked if the series maintained the broader, zanier tone of The Big Bang Theory. That being said, there were times when Young Sheldon could have benefited from some more fidelity to the lore of The Big Bang Theory, like Sheldon’s changing backstory.
Young Sheldon Almost Entirely Avoided Sheldon’s Bullying Background
Sheldon Claimed He Was The Victim of Terrible Bullying In The Big Bang Theory
Throughout The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon often spoke about the brutal bullying he faced throughout his childhood and adolescence. Sheldon talked about his twin sister and his older brother tormenting him, but he also said there was a lot of physical bullying meted out on him at school during his youth.
Sheldon bitterly believed himself to be smarter and better than almost everyone else in The Big Bang Theory, and it seemed reasonable to assume that this belief came from his childhood isolation, alienation, and bullying. However, as the spinoff continued and Young Sheldon’s Missy and Sheldon remained close, it became tougher to justify this outlook.
Since the prequel cut his childhood bullying, Sheldon’s self-obsession now seems less justified and more unpleasant upon a rewatch.
If Sheldon was a victim of terrible bullying, it would not be all that surprising for him to have become self-centered in adulthood. However, since the prequel cut his childhood bullying, Sheldon’s self-obsession now seems less justified and more unpleasant upon a rewatch of the original show. Two earlier sitcoms make this particularly unfortunate.
