Here's The Question: Is Young Sheldon Better Than The Big Bang Theory?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well picture the scene. I'm returning to the apartment from work. I ring my mother. Wife is talking to me about the work on the house we're about to move into. Daughter is doing more revision for her exams.

It is however 10:45pm. I've come from doing shift work. I'm tired and hungry. I go to the recordings I've put on the TV and start watching Young Sheldon (Series 1).

Now for those who've never done shift work as your brain slowly turns itself off thoughts wearily enter your brain and then are discarded. However one question carried itself over to this Friday morning. And it's not the question of the title.

The question was this : Why do I like Young Sheldon? It's a prequel.

Regular readers will know I'm not a fan of prequels for the simple reason that whilst you may not know the route to get there you know the destination. Gotham for example. Bruce Wayne might be a teenage boy grappling with his parents death but you know full well he's going to be Batman. What's the point of watching it when all the dramatic shifts will lead to that all important moment? There is consequentially no element of surprise.

But if you're a fan of  The Big Bang Theory you know how things are going to turn out for Sheldon Cooper. Yet there I am. Watching the show. Enjoying the show.

We come back to the question. Given that it's a prequel why do I like Young Sheldon?

And thinking about it. I'd say that the answer is that it's a sitcom. You don't watch a sitcom for it's dramatic moments. You watch it for the humour. As long as it works knowing how the lives of the Cooper family will turn out does not matter.

So we come to the question of the title. Is Young Sheldon better than The Big Bang Theory?

And I'd argue for the moment yes.

Let's start by saying that I am a fan of  The Big Bang Theory having watched it from the very beginning twelve years ago. Yet there were moments when the show did seem to lack a sense of direction. But this can hardly be surprising in a show that has had twelve seasons when Young Sheldon has only had currently two (more are planned).

But stylistically Young Sheldon is different from it's parent as well. Firstly for the most part it does not go in for the belly laugh. What it gives you is a quiet gentle smile. That's probably linked to the fact that it does not have "a live studio audience" or any audience at all.

It's a comedy that does not feel forced, which (though I like it) is an occasional flaw of The Goldbergs.

It's set in a small fictional town in East Texas. Let's start by saying that my knowledge of East Texas begins and ends with this show. But it certainly appears realistic to me and that includes all of the chracters. Again comparing it The Goldbergs if you take some of the sports tops off Murray and Barry Goldberg it really could have been set anywhere.  Also it and indeed The Big Bang Theory was not beyond going to cliché with some of the people in it. But here you believe that these are ordinary people living ordinary lives but faced with the extraordinary child genius in their midst.

Whilst there are some exceptions they are for the most part nice.

And central to this are the Coopers. Cast I would argue to perfection again they seemed an ordinary family with arguments but having to deal with the difference affecting their lives that is Sheldon Cooper. However they (Sheldon aside) are a family we would all recognise and probably deliberately are made as cliché American as possible (Dad is the school American football coach).

It is a quiet, warm show. Almost under the radar but perhaps destined to be as equally loved as The Big Bang Theory now that has finished.

Until the next time.