Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Directors: Jon Favreau, Michael Zinberg, Jaffar Mahmood, Chris Koch, Don Scardino, Mark Cendrowski, Howie Deutch,Peter Lauer, Rebecca Asher, Howie Deutch, Richie Keen, Alex Reid, Roadshow Entertainment.
Cast: Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord,
Jim Parsons, Annie Potts.
The ever-present advertisement — a young boy in a bow tie — has a lingering affect. That’s because it announces the arrival of Young Sheldon, a prequel to The Big Bang Theory.
Young Sheldon, at nine years of age, is regarded as a genius offspring, with a mind of his own.
Armitage is Sheldon Cooper, a child prodigy with a “once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science”. He lacks a full understanding of social cues and behaviors, even though he’s academically gifted. As well, he has a sense of superiority over everyone around him because of his intelligence.
He has skipped four grades to start high school along with his less-intellectual older brother. As he struggles to be understood by his family, classmates and neighbours, his mother arms him with the best tool she can come up with: reminding bullies his dad is the football coach and his brother is on the team. His twin sister doesn’t share his exceptional mind, but she has a much clearer vision of what life has in store for the young genius.
While well-versed in all types of math and science, Sheldon is shown to prefer theoretical physics. Young Sheldon ends up having a mind of its own and even if he gets into trouble along the way, he is prone to travel his own path.
In the style of The Wonder Years, this is a warm-hearted, coming-of-age series even though Sheldon’s mannerisms may exasperate. He’s proven to love his family and almost always has his heart in the right place.
Program creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro have given Young Sheldon a certain heart and some laughs. Interesting to note Jim Parsons, who plays the adult version of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, is the narrator.
