Mike86

I think the problem is that the casual audience is expecting humor similar to The Big Bang Theory but this show's style is a bit different. It has more of a dry humor going by the first episode and feels like it's mimicking The Wonder Years or something a bit only with Sheldon and his family. That's why it works for me because it's got a different feel which wasn't expecting it to have. I can see why some people might not be into it though because of different expectations.

JimRochester

After a ranking putting it a the top, Business Insider puts it among the worst 6 worst new shows of 2017

Among the others is The Orville, which while I agree isn't great, it is unique enough and entertaining enough to hold my interest.

dex14

JimRochester

Fortunately The Good Place is on at that time so that will get my Nielson vote. I also need to check in with the Bills Jets game a couple times.

Keith6601

I enjoyed the pilot enough to watch the new episode and I'm torn. It was cringe worthy until the dinner scene which might be the funniest thing I've seen on tv this year. Such a huge difference between the first three quarters of the episode and the final stretch.

MrX

I thought last night’s episode was awful.

TheBang

Yes, this exactly. The dinner scene was the best part, and the rest of the episode I don't think I laughed at all. And upon reflection, the dinner scene in the first episode was the best part of that also.

I don't think I can watch the series though if I have to slog through everything else just to get to dinner.

JasonF

Last night, I was too stuffed with turkey to watch anything that would have required my attention, so I turned this on. What a weird show.

In last night's episode, Young Sheldon is watching football with his family when he comments that statistically, A&M should go for it on 4th down rather than punt because yadda yadda percent they make it, but when they punt, the other team scores anyway yadda yadda percent and blah blah blah, punting on 4th down is always the wrong move. Young Sheldon's father is the high school football coach and he implements Young Sheldon's plans, which leads to the team winning and Young Sheldon becoming the campus hero (which, of course, he hates, because he's Young Sheldon and he just wants to be left alone).

Young Sheldon gets his father's attention (and love), Young Sheldon's brother feels mad that Young Sheldon is encroaching on his territory (sports/football/relationship with Dad), and Young Sheldon's friend tries to capitalize on Young Sheldon's popularity.

The whole thing culminates in Young Sheldon and his sister sneaking out to go to a party. Young Sheldon's brother finds them at the party and makes them go home. And then ... that's it. It just sort of peters out. I think Young Sheldon's father decides to stop relying on Young Sheldon because Young Sheldon doesn't enjoy it? He spends more time with the other son. As far as I can tell there are no consequences for the party (but I wasn't paying super close attention).

I sort of think this show is trying to be something other than a sitcom. The whole thing plays like it wants to be the Sheldon Cooper version of the Wonder Years or the Goldbergs, but while Kevin Arnold and Adam Goldberg are narrating fond memories of their childhoods, Sheldon Cooper is a miserable misanthrope who hates his family and his peers and everyone. So while the Wonder Years lived in this bittersweet place that's sort of a sitcom but sort of a drama on the strength of its love for the setting, Young Sheldon just sort of sits there, not quite a sitcom (Young Sheldon's friend acts like a sitcom character but nobody else does) and not quite a drama.

Oh yeah -- there's a subplot where Young Sheldon's grandmother (Annie Potts) wants Young Sheldon to help her pick football games to bet on, and then at the end, Ray Liotta shows up as a gangster that Young Sheldon's grandmother owes money to. It's felt very weird and out of place, especially since Liotta plays the scene very menacingly.

General Zod

So the piece you are missing was Sheldon's B+ on his test. Because he was under so much pressure to do the football stuff for his dad and everyone else he forgot to show his work and therefore didn't get an A. This made the mom super upset and she told everyone to stop asking him for the football advice. Everyone did stop except for Meemaw because.. well.. we know why..

JasonF

Oh, right -- he forgot to show his work because of all the football stress. I did catch that, but it just sort of seemed like Mom said it was too much for Sheldon and everyone just sort of said "OK."

Did anything happen with the party? Or is this the kind of show where subsequent episodes will pick up that thread, or the thread of Young Sheldon having been a celebrity at his school and then turning his back on what made his classmates like him?

General Zod

Nothing happened at the party. They only went because Sheldon's friend, Tam, knocked on the window and told them the Mom said it was OK. Once they got there the older brother took them home.

It was really to show how popular Sheldon got and how they were now suddenly all so popular because of him.. but that distracted him. That's about as deep as the show gets.

JimRochester

This kid is such a genius constantly showing up the adults with his knowledge yet gets a B+ because he was distracted by football? Just watching the preview left me disinterested in watching the show.

TBBT caught on because even when the characters were less than likeable, there was still something endearing about them. Yes Penny was a stupid slut but she was a good person deep down. She cared about the guys. Yes Howard was a creep, but he was still a good friend to Raj deep down. Yes Sheldon could be an ass at times but they would always ultimately redeem him and Parson unique charm made him bearable.

So far the only character I have any sympathy for is the mom. The kid bypasses the natural sympathy and goes straight to annoying. It will be interesting to see if this show takes off, but so far critics love it but the audience is having a tough time trying to figure it out.

dex14

Renewed: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...at-cbs-1072149

JimRochester

I realize this is anecdotal evidence at best but it seems no one here watches it or cares for very much, yet supposedly is very highly rated. I think it would so much cooler to make it from the mom's point of view since she's the entertaining one. She should be the narrator.

Latest reviews show critics love it, audiences are 50/50. metacritic

I really don't like it so that's pretty much a guarantee it will go for years.

Joe Schmoe

To each his own, I guess.... I really like this show!

JimRochester

You're obviously not the only one since it is killing in the ratings and is already renewed.

Jason

I'm not sure how that's going to work. According to canon, Sheldon starts college at age 11. He's nine this season. Unless season three takes place over Christmas, Spring Break, and summer, none of the cast except for Sheldon himself will be there, and he can in no way carry a show.

JimRochester

They better pray that the kid is slow to develop. An early growth spurt will screw up the timeline. If he stays short, they'll just have him play 10 for the next 5 years.

windom

I can't wait for the very special episode where

hdnmickey

Don't remember, did it say where he went to college initially? Even if it's out of state I can see this series continuing pretty much as-is.

Trevor

I usually strongly hate these mainstream comedies, but caught two episodes the other night and sorta enjoyed them. Probably helped that they were centered on football and comic books, two passions.

Inhumans99

Last nights episode was enjoyable, and I love how he tries to get out of going to Sunday school by saying I cast a level 2 invisibility spell and then runs out of the room (or something like that)...for some reason that just cracked me up. This episode shows he is a smart, precocious kid...he may be intelligent but sometimes a kid has to act like a kid.

Also, I love it when Sheldon's mom talks to Billy Gardell's character and he asks her if things are basically pants down or pants up in the room full of kids, and she says pants up so he is all hey now what is the issue, as he is just happy his kid is connecting with other kids.

Joe Schmoe

Didn't care for last night's episode. Dull.

General Zod

I've been enjoying the show so far but I felt the same way about the last episode. They humor fell flat almost all the way through. I like Richard Kind but the whole scene with him wasn't funny and they could have done much more with it.

Joe Schmoe

Anyone else still watching this? I thought last night's episode was the best so far. Laughed out loud several times!