Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon
Title card used in the first two seasons
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Chuck Lorre Steven Molaro
Starring	Iain Armitage Zoe Perry Lance Barber Montana Jordan Raegan Revord Jim Parsons Annie Potts Matt Hobby
Narrated by	Jim Parsons
Opening theme	"Mighty Little Man" by Steve Burns
Composer	John Debney
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	54 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Steven Molaro Jim Parsons Todd Spiewak Chuck Lorre Jon Favreau (pilot only)
Producer	Timothy Marx
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Chuck Lorre Productions Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 25, 2017 (2017-09-25) – present (present)
Related
The Big Bang Theory

Young Sheldon is an American comedy television series on CBS created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro. The series is a spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory and begins with the character Sheldon Cooper at the age of nine, living with his family in East Texas and going to high school. Iain Armitage stars as young Sheldon, alongside Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and Annie Potts. Jim Parsons, who portrays the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, narrates the series and serves as an executive producer.

Development of the prequel series began in November 2016, from an initial idea that Parsons passed along to The Big Bang Theory producers. The following March, Armitage and Perry were cast, and the series was ordered by CBS. The series premiered as a special preview on September 25, 2017, and two days later, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 22 episodes. On November 2, 2017, new episodes began airing weekly. In January 2018, CBS renewed the series for a second season which premiered on September 24, 2018. In February 2019, CBS renewed the series for a third and fourth season, with the third season having premiered on September 26, 2019.

Premise

The series takes place in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and follows Sheldon Cooper as a young boy attending high school in the fictional town of Medford, Texas, aged nine in the first season as he tries to fit into the world around him while his family and friends attempt to deal with his unique intellectual capabilities and social challenges.

In the series premiere, adult Sheldon states that "nobody I knew in East Texas in 1989 cared about Newtonian physics".

Cast and characters

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon characters

Main

• Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper, a child prodigy with a "once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science". While well-versed in all types of math and science, he is shown to prefer theoretical physics, stating that he decided to pursue the field around the same time as the show began. While academically gifted, Sheldon lacks a full understanding of social cues and behaviors, in addition to having a sense of superiority over everyone around him due to his intelligence. Sheldon is prone to traveling his own path even if he gets into trouble along the way. Nevertheless, Sheldon has proven to love his family and almost always has his heart in the right place. He is age 9 in the first season and age 10 in the second.
• Zoe Perry as Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother. She is very protective and patient with Sheldon but also struggles to understand him at times. She is a devout Christian and so has friction with Sheldon's atheism and derision of Christianity. Nevertheless, she deeply loves her son and wants to protect him for as long as she can.
• Lance Barber as George Cooper Sr., Sheldon's father and the head football coach at Medford High. George does not share Sheldon's intellect, sometimes leading others, especially Meemaw, to doubt him being Sheldon's father. However, he is often the voice of reason for Sheldon. Though he may struggle with understanding his intellectually gifted son, he is a loving father and has defended Sheldon on multiple occasions, earning Sheldon's love and appreciation.
• Montana Jordan as George "Georgie" Cooper Jr., Sheldon's older brother. Georgie detests Sheldon and never hesitates to bully him. He is not very intelligent and so is mocked and teased by the rest of the family, particularly Sheldon and Meemaw. While he is outwardly confident in himself, Georgie hides deep insecurities over feeling inferior to his genius brother and thus copes by trying to belittle Sheldon's intelligence in any way he can. He attends Medford High with Sheldon and plays on the football team.
• Raegan Revord as Missy Cooper, Sheldon's twin sister. She teases Sheldon along with Georgie but not as much. She does not share Sheldon's intelligence but is very perceptive. She does not always get along with Sheldon, but she finds in her twin brother a solid confidant and has admitted to not feeling as whole without him. In episode 21 of season one, she asks her father to call her Melissa, implying that Missy is a nickname.
• Jim Parsons as the voice of adult Sheldon Cooper, who provides the perspective of an adult looking back at his childhood.
• Annie Potts as Constance "Connie" Tucker, Sheldon's maternal grandmother, whom he refers to as "Meemaw". She is very close with Mary and her grandchildren but does not think highly of George and often jokes about him. She is the most patient and understanding of Sheldon's quirks and advises Mary to trust that Sheldon will find his way.
• Matt Hobby as Pastor Jeff (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), the upbeat pastor at the Cooper family's church. Like Mary, he has friction with Sheldon's atheism, but he often challenges Sheldon to explore their line of thought through logic exercises. He was originally given the last name Hodgkins, but it was changed to Difford as of the episode "Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan".

Recurring

• Ryan Phuong as Tam Nguyen, Sheldon's Vietnamese-American childhood best friend and classmate. Tam is responsible for introducing Sheldon to many of his non-scientific interests, including comic books and role-playing games.
• Wyatt McClure as Billy Sparks, the son of a neighbor to the Cooper family, who is not very intelligent. He was also Sheldon's nemesis.
• Wallace Shawn as John Sturgis, a college physics professor who is romantically interested in Meemaw with Sheldon's encouragement.
• Billy Gardell as Herschel Sparks, Billy's father who owns a garage.
• Melissa Peterman as Brenda Sparks, Billy's mother who works at the bowling alley frequented by Meemaw and Mary's nemesis.
• Sarah Baker as Sheryl Hutchins, the Medford High librarian.
• Valerie Mahaffey as Victoria MacElroy, Sheldon's homeroom and English teacher at Medford High.
• Danielle Pinnock as Evelyn Ingram, Sheldon's math teacher at Medford High.
• Brian Stepanek as Hubert Givens, Sheldon's science teacher at Medford High.
• Rex Linn as Tom Petersen, the principal of Medford High.
• Doc Farrow as Assistant Coach Wilkins, Sheldon's P.E. teacher and the assistant football coach at Medford High. He was originally given the name Roy, but it was changed to Wayne as of the episode "A Broom Closet and Satan's Monopoly Board".
• Nancy Linehan Charles as Peg, Pastor Jeff's chain-smoking secretary.
• Chris Wylde as Glenn, the owner of the comic book store King Kong Comics.
• Mckenna Grace as Paige, a child prodigy whom Sheldon views as his rival.
• Andrea Anders as Linda, Paige's mother.
• Josh Cooke as Barry, Paige's father.
• Baron Jay as the mailman
• Isabel May as Veronica Duncan, Georgie's Halloween date who is introduced in "Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan". She converts to Christianity after seeing the "lust" room in Mr. Lundy's haunted house and loses interest in Georgie, who continues trying to win her over.
• Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Linkletter, a colleague of Dr. Sturgis. He regularly pursues Connie but is continually rebuffed.
• Mary Grill as Officer Robin, Pastor Jeff's girlfriend who works as a police officer
• Craig T. Nelson as Dale Ballard, Missy's baseball coach and Meemaw's love interest.

Guest

• Melissa Tang as Ms. Fenley, a music teacher at Sheldon's high school. Tang had previously played the character Mandy Chao in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
• Bob Newhart as Arthur Jeffries, a scientist who plays the title character of Professor Proton, Sheldon's favorite educational television series. The character is a homage to Mr. Wizard. Newhart reprises his portrayal of the character from The Big Bang Theory.
• Vernee Watson as Nurse Robinson, a nurse who caters to George when he suffers a mild heart attack and then to Sheldon when he has his gall bladder removed. Watson also plays a nurse named Althea in numerous episodes of The Big Bang Theory, including its pilot.
• John Hartman as Dr. Goetsch, the psychiatrist Sheldon sees when he has Phagophobia and when he loses at the Medford High science fair.
• Ray Liotta as Vincent, Meemaw's bookie.
• Jason Kravits as Dr. Ronald Hodges, a NASA engineer and college roommate of Mr. Givens. He makes a presentation about his work to Mr. Givens' science class, which intrigues Sheldon to solve the challenges of reusable launch systems.
• Elon Musk makes a cameo appearance in the episode "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®" in a flashforward scene set 27 years into the future.
• Dave Florek as Dr. Eberland, Sheldon's doctor.
• Karly Rothenberg as Mrs. Janice Veazey, Dr. Hodges' secretary.
• Frances Conroy as Dr. Flora Douglas, headmaster of the boarding school Sheldon briefly attends.
• Harry Groener as Elliot Douglas, Dr. Douglas' husband.
• Paul Yen as Le Nguyen, Tam's father. He runs Medford Mart with his wife.
• VyVy Nguyen as Trang Nguyen, Tam's mother and Mr. Nguyen's wife.
• Phil Morris as the voice of One and Anjali Bhimani as the voice of Zero in a dream Sheldon has.
• Richard Kind as Ira Rosenbloom, one of Meemaw's boyfriends.
• Anjelika Washington as Libby, an eleventh grade student who aspires to be a geologist and whom Sheldon and Tam befriend.
• Jason Alexander as Mr. Gene Lundy, Medford High School's resident drama teacher.
• Ella Allan and Mia Allan as Bobbi Sparks, Billy Sparks' younger sister with a reputation for tormenting Sheldon.
• Cleo King as Mrs. Costello, a Medford High School counselor.
• Michael Cudlitz as a NASA supervisor who appears in Sheldon's daydream sequence.
• Ella Anderson as Erica, Paige's sister who bonds with Georgie and Missy, as they share common experiences being siblings of child prodigy.
• Paul Fusco appears as Alf in "A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf" when he reads Missy's letter.
• Mauricio Lara as Ricky, Sheldon's hospital roommate
• John Rubinstein as Rabbi Schneiderman
• Benjamin Stockham as Preston
• Maree Cheatham as Dorothy, Veronica's grandmother.

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired		Rank	Avg. viewers (millions)
			First aired	Last aired
1	22		September 25, 2017 (2017-09-25)	May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)	6	16.30
2	22		September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)	May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)	5	14.37
3	TBA		September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26)	TBA	TBA	TBA

Season 1 (2017–18)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Jon Favreau	Chuck Lorre & Steve Molaro	September 25, 2017 (2017-09-25)	T12.15551	17.21
Sheldon Cooper, a 9-year-old genius, begins his first day of high school in the ninth grade with his older brother, George "Georgie" Cooper Jr. Having shown more skills than a typical child his age, he skipped several grades. On his first day, he questions his teachers and informs students of their rule-breaking. He tries to find his place in the new school and Georgie must deal with having a much younger sibling in his class.
2	2	"Rockets, Communists, and the Dewey Decimal System"	Michael Zinberg	Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro	November 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)	T12.15552	12.66
Sheldon learns that his mother is worried about his not having any friends. He therefore gets a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People from the school library and tries its methods on various students and teachers without success. His sister Missy recommends that he try to make friends with other people who checked out the book, since they too are looking to make friends. That also fails. He eventually meets a Vietnamese American boy named Tam who sees him with the book and they share how difficult it has been for them to make friends. As they start speaking, they realize that they also share an interest in rocketry. Sheldon's mother is so happy that she insists Sheldon invite Tam over for dinner and lifts the ban on Sheldon's model rocketry hobby. The dinner turns awkward when Sheldon's parents exhibit cultural insensitivity as Tam tells them the story of his life. After dinner, the boys' launch attempt goes out of control just as FBI agents arrive to ask Sheldon why he was trying to buy uranium.
3	3	"Poker, Faith, and Eggs"	Michael Zinberg	Story by : Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro	November 9, 2017 (2017-11-09)	T12.15553	12.39
Sheldon debates the relationship between religion and science with Pastor Jeff, while Billy Sparks brings some eggs for Missy. George suffers a mild heart attack, so Mary takes him to the hospital after calling Meemaw to watch the children. While she is sleeping, Georgie "borrows" her car and takes the other children to see their father. In the hospital chapel, Sheldon prays to Blaise Pascal for his father's recovery. When he does recover, Sheldon briefly doubts his atheism, but immediately gets over it after his family eats Billy's eggs and suffers from food poisoning. When Sheldon gets into another debate with Pastor Jeff, George pretends to have heart trouble in order to get his family out of the church service.
4	4	"A Therapist, a Comic Book, and a Breakfast Sausage"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Rob Ulin & Dave Bickel	November 16, 2017 (2017-11-16)	T12.15554	11.83
Sheldon chokes on a sausage and becomes fearful of solid foods. His parents take him to a psychiatrist, Dr. Goetsch, who talks to his parents first, telling Sheldon he can read any of the comic books that are in the waiting room. Although Sheldon had previously not been interested in comic books, he starts reading X-Men, which inspires him. He then leaves Dr. Goetsch's office and wanders away to a comic book store to read the next volume of X-Men. He runs into Tam, who is eating licorice at the store. Due to his fear of solid foods, Sheldon initially refuses the licorice that Tam offers him, but eventually gives in and eats one, resolving his eating disorder. Meanwhile, Meemaw babysits Georgie and Missy and comforts them on their feelings of being invisible because of Sheldon's quirks taking most of their parents' attention.
5	5	"A Solar Calculator, a Game Ball, and a Cheerleader's Bosom"	Chris Koch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija	November 23, 2017 (2017-11-23)	T12.15555	11.43
Sheldon uses sports analytics to help his school's football team, coached by his father, win games, but immediately becomes too popular for his taste as a result. Georgie struggles with his father neglecting him in favor of spending time with Sheldon, while Missy and Tam revel in Sheldon's new popularity. Meanwhile, Meemaw also asks for his advice regarding her sports bets. Sheldon gets a B+ on a math test due to his exhaustion after accompanying Tam to a party and decides that he cannot keep helping the team and continue giving Meemaw advice. He tells on his family to Mary, which prompts her to reprimand them on their actions. George begins ignoring Sheldon again for being a "snitch" and reconciles with Georgie.
6	6	"A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®"	Don Scardino	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Anthony Gioe & Nick Mandernach	November 30, 2017 (2017-11-30)	T12.15556	12.11
Dr. Ronald Hodges, a NASA engineer, appears as a guest speaker in Sheldon's science class and does not take his idea about VTVL technology seriously, making Sheldon go to great lengths to prove him wrong. He tries to do the calculations himself, but he needs a computer to do so. When he realizes the family cannot afford one, he becomes frustrated, which causes him a stress ulcer. Sheldon takes the opportunity to use his doctor's computer and internet access to complete his calculations and send his results to NASA. When no reply comes, Sheldon gets depressed, prompting George to impulsively drive the family to the Johnson Space Center and demand that Hodges listen to Sheldon's idea. Hodges admits it is theoretically valid, but that NASA lacks the technical capability to implement it at that time. Sheldon concludes that he is ahead of his time. On the way home, he thanks his father for standing up for him. A flashforward shows the successful SpaceX CRS-8 mission, followed by SpaceX founder Elon Musk looking over Sheldon's old notebook then hiding it in a desk drawer.
7	7	"A Brisket, Voodoo, and Cannonball Run"	Mark Cendrowski	Story by : Nick Bakay Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro	December 7, 2017 (2017-12-07)	T12.15557	12.49
Meemaw's disdain for George emerges when she refuses to give him her brisket recipe. George later complains that Mary always takes her mother's side. To get back at George for secretly searching her home for it, Meemaw gives him a fake recipe which requires him to go to great lengths to get the ingredients. After George spends 14 hours cooking in vain, he attempts to ban her from the household. When Georgie and Missy fear their parents might divorce over this, Sheldon suddenly recalls a memory of Meemaw telling him her recipe when he was 23 months old, so he threatens to reveal it unless the two of them make up. While he initially shows his interest in the recipe, George states that he is more bothered by the fact that she never thought he was good enough for her daughter. He acknowledges that he was a disappointment when they first met, but he believes he has grown since then. Meemaw seemingly accepts him as a worthy son-in-law, only for George to get the recipe from Sheldon as soon as she leaves.
8	8	"Cape Canaveral, Schrödinger's Cat, and Cyndi Lauper's Hair"	Howie Deutch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : David Bickel	December 14, 2017 (2017-12-14)	T12.15558	11.64
George takes the boys to Florida to see a Space Shuttle launch as a way to cater to Sheldon's interests for a change, but it gets rained out. To cheer him up, George plays dumb and asks Sheldon how lightning and thunder work, leading the latter to appreciate the former more. Meanwhile, Mary, Missy, and Meemaw go to a beauty salon. Mary and Meemaw get into a heated argument after the latter comments on the former for being "no fun" for forbidding Missy to dye her hair, but both later make amends with one another.
9	9	"Spock, Kirk, and Testicular Hernia"	Peter Lauer	Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro	December 21, 2017 (2017-12-21)	T12.15559	11.32
Sheldon tutors Georgie for their math test, only to discover that the latter cheated to pass. Since Star Trek character Captain Kirk also got away with cheating on the Kobayashi Maru test, Sheldon decides to adapt the "playing fast-and-loose with the rules" lifestyle he believes both Georgie and Kirk embrace by forging Mary's signature on a note excusing him from P.E. class and not properly checking out school library books. He eventually gets caught after Coach Wilkins shows George the note, prompting Mary to tell off Sheldon and force him to make amends by returning the books and going back to P.E., where Coach Wilkins makes him do the rope climb.
10	10	"An Eagle Feather, a String Bean, and an Eskimo"	Rebecca Asher	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Rob Ulin & David Bickel	January 4, 2018 (2018-01-04)	T12.15560	14.70
Sheldon's principal asks Mary and George to consider sending Sheldon to a school for the gifted in Dallas. Sheldon and his teachers are delighted by the idea, but his family (except for Georgie) quickly begins to miss him. Sheldon enjoys the intellectual stimulation, but dislikes the folk rock-singing family that he lives with. When George impulsively drives to Dallas to bring him home, Sheldon is happy to go back home.
11	11	"Demons, Sunday School, and Prime Numbers"	Howie Deutch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan	January 11, 2018 (2018-01-11)	T12.15561	14.17
Mary becomes worried when she finds Sheldon playing Dungeons & Dragons with Tam and Billy. She tries to get Tam's and Billy's parents' help to try to put an end to the game, but they see it as harmless. Mary then seeks advice from Pastor Jeff who, with Mary, convinces Sheldon to study Baptist theology. Sheldon, however, takes it a step further and starts researching all the major religions, quizzing Tam on what being a Catholic involves and Ira Rosenbloom on being Jewish. He is ultimately unsatisfied with all the major religions. One night, he has a dream about two living numbers, a 1 and a 0, who almost reveal the secrets of the universe to him before Georgie wakes him up. He then decides to start his own religion which he calls "Mathology" and in which the only sin is being stupid.
12	12	"A Computer, a Plastic Pony, and a Case of Beer"	Richie Keen	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez	January 18, 2018 (2018-01-18)	T12.15562	13.33
Sheldon asks Mary to buy him a Tandy 1000 SL computer. George insists that they cannot afford it, but Mary reveals that she has been secretly saving money. They get into a heated argument about the secret fund, which prompts Mary to take Sheldon and Missy to live with Meemaw for a while. She buys Sheldon the computer to make a point to George and, while Sheldon is initially overjoyed, he finds that its ELIZA psychotherapy program's advice on how to fix his parents' marriage proves to be useless. Meemaw eavesdrops on Sheldon and forces Mary to feel out George to get her out of her house. Meanwhile, Georgie advises George to apologize to Mary, which the latter eventually does. In the ensuing days, the family finds various uses for the computer.
13	13	"A Sneeze, Detention, and Sissy Spacek"	Howie Deutch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe	February 1, 2018 (2018-02-01)	T12.15563	12.92
Sheldon's mysophobia surfaces when influenza hits his school. He is successively sentenced to detention and suspension for leaving his class and the school after his teacher got a cold, escaping from other people who had the flu, and escaping from detention after the other teacher had a tickle in his throat. He then uses his suspension time in an attempt to convert the garage into a closed ecological system instead of doing extra chores for the entire week of suspension. While George, Missy, and Meemaw are mostly amused by his behavior, Mary is the only member of the family to be really worried about it. Meanwhile, Georgie takes advantage of Sheldon's situation to gain sympathetic hugs from girls at school. With numerous attempts to get him out of the garage proving to be futile, Meemaw finally coaxes Sheldon out by appealing to his pride as a Texan. Nevertheless, he gets sick, but feels better when his mother sings "Soft Kitty" to him.
14	14	"Potato Salad, a Broomstick, and Dad's Whiskey"	Howie Deutch	Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez	March 1, 2018 (2018-03-01)	T12.15564	12.42
Mary gets a job as church secretary, but Pastor Jeff quickly begins asking her for advice since his beautiful new wife does not speak English and is spending all his money. Since Mary does not get home until 6 pm and Meemaw refuses to watch them until then, Missy and Sheldon become latchkey kids. When Meemaw peeks in on the twins, they think she is a burglar and spray her with a fire extinguisher. When Sheldon gets a splinter in his finger, Missy searches all over the house for tweezers with which to extract it. She eventually finds them in an Operation game and successfully removes the splinter.
15	15	"Dolomite, Apple Slices, and a Mystery Woman"	Mark Cendrowski	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez	March 8, 2018 (2018-03-08)	T12.15565	12.52
Sheldon and Tam befriend Libby, an 11th-grade girl with an interest in geology. During one of their lunches at the library, Libby offers to drive the three of them to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see an IMAX film. However, Sheldon is devastated to learn that Libby thinks of him as a child during her talk with Mary. While Sheldon resolves never to make any more friends, Mary assures him that he will be surrounded by a lot of them who are also smart. Tam and Libby end up going to Houston without Sheldon to see the film, where Tam's advances are rejected by Libby. Sheldon and Tam later revert to a two-man social group, where Sheldon reconsiders geology as "not a science" to the point where he considers it as more of a hobby.
16	16	"Killer Asteroids, Oklahoma, and a Frizzy Hair Machine"	Howie Deutch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Steven Molaro	March 29, 2018 (2018-03-29)	T12.15566	11.91
At the school science fair, Sheldon is devastated when his asteroid impact avoidance project loses to another student's Van de Graaf generator and vows to quit science. After a therapy session with Dr. Goetsch, Sheldon decides to become an actor. In acting class, he impresses the drama teacher, Mr. Lundy, and gets the lead role in Annie. His parents worry about him playing a female role, but Sheldon dismisses their concerns until he experiences stage fright on opening night and refuses to perform, leaving Mr. Lundy to take over his role.
17	17	"Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-Hoo"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05)	T12.15567	11.66
Sheldon is being bullied by Bobbi Sparks, a six-year-old neighbor girl. His parents have different ideas about how to handle the situation, neither of which is effective. In the end, George and Bobbi's dad hang out and plan to tell their wives the made-up story of them being involved in a deadly fight. Sheldon even tries paying Missy to warn Bobbi off using his life savings, but that plan eventually fails.
18	18	"A Mother, A Child, and a Blue Man's Backside"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Teagan Wall Teleplay by : David Bickel & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija	April 12, 2018 (2018-04-12)	T12.15568	11.70
After Mary confiscates Sheldon's comic books due to the rather explicit content in an issue of Watchmen, Sheldon demands to be treated like an adult. He fails his every attempt at adulthood until a tornado warning reminds him of his family values.
19	19	"Gluons, Guacamole, and the Color Purple"	Alex Reid	Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez	April 19, 2018 (2018-04-19)	T12.15569	11.67
Meemaw drives Sheldon to a nearby college so that he can audit a weekly class on quantum chromodynamics. The professor, Dr. John Sturgis, asks Meemaw out on a date. She has a nice time, but finds that he is like an older version of Sheldon. The following week, she has to leave the class because her presence is too distracting for Sturgis. Meanwhile, Missy gets Georgie to help her with her homework. Stimulated by Sheldon's example, they actually make some progress.
20	20	"A Dog, A Squirrel, and a Fish Named Fish"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija & Teagan Wall Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & David Bickel	April 26, 2018 (2018-04-26)	T12.15570	11.15
Sheldon's cynophobia surfaces when the Sparks family begins taking care of a relative's dog, which shows a strange attraction to Sheldon. The families are unable to agree about how to control the dog until Pastor Jeff mediates. Sheldon tries to overcome his fear by dressing in protective clothing and petting the dog, but this backfires when the dog licks him, apparently stimulated by the smell of his Brylcreem. Meemaw tries to get Sheldon accustomed to animals by buying him a fish, but the fish bites both him and George.
21	21	"Summer Sausage, a Pocket Poncho, and Tony Danza"	Alex Reid	Story by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Stacey Pulwer Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Tara Hernandez & Connor Kilpatrick	May 3, 2018 (2018-05-03)	T12.15571	11.67
Sheldon invites John to dinner without telling anyone. The next evening, John comes to Meemaw's house to cook her some Sichuan cuisine, after which she invites him to stay for the night. Sheldon monitors the events through his binoculars. George takes Missy, who is dressed as a princess, to dinner at Red Lobster. That leaves Mary and Georgie to have dinner together, where he quizzes her about the chronology of his conception.
22	22	"Vanilla Ice Cream, Gentleman Callers, and a Dinette Set"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Jeremy Howe & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan	May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)	T12.15572	12.44
Meemaw tries to date John and Ira simultaneously, but then decides to dump Ira, who tries to win her back by giving her furniture. John goes to confront Ira, and they reach an understanding. Meemaw is furious that John did that without her permission, and that Sheldon is meddling in their relationship. It then occurs to Sheldon that he can draw up a relationship agreement which covers the three of them. He also mentions that he eventually draws up a contract for his own children.

Season 2 (2018–19)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
23	1	"A High-Pitched Buzz and Training Wheels"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steve Molaro Teleplay by : David Bickel & Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe	September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)	T12.16053	10.58
Sheldon takes apart the refrigerator in order to stop it from emitting a buzzing sound, which forces George to pay $200 to a repairman. Sheldon then gets a job delivering newspapers so he can reimburse George, but the job turns out to be difficult and stressful. He eventually outsources the work to Billy Sparks.
24	2	"A Rival Prodigy and Sir Isaac Neutron"	Mark Cendrowski	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & David Bickel Teleplay by : Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija & Tara Hernandez	September 27, 2018 (2018-09-27)	T12.16052	10.21
Sheldon is joined in John's physics class by Paige, who is slightly smarter and younger than he is, causing him to be jealous. Paige and her family visit the Coopers. Her parents begin bickering after talking with George and Mary about raising a gifted child, Sheldon is still jealous of Paige, but Missy and Georgie like her older sister. John learns that he must not praise Paige too much in front of Sheldon.
25	3	"A Crisis of Faith and Octopus Aliens"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Eric Kaplan Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe	October 4, 2018 (2018-10-04)	T12.16051	10.68
Mary questions her faith in God after hearing about a sixteen year old girl in the congregation who died in an accident. Although Sheldon does not believe in God, as he challenges Pastor Jeff how God would look like in an alien planet with octopuses, he does help Mary find her faith in God again.
26	4	"A Financial Secret and Fish Sauce"	Jonathan Judge	Story by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Jeremy Howe Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija	October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)	T12.16054	11.18
While doing his parent's taxes, Sheldon finds a $300 discrepancy due to a missing check, but George does not want to talk about it, and requires Sheldon to keep this a secret from his mother. Sheldon becomes so stressed by the requirement to keep the secret, that he asks to stay overnight at Tam's house in order to avoid Mary. After the sleepover, Sheldon pressures George to come clean to Mary. The missing $300 turns out to have been a fine that Meemaw had to pay for being caught behind the wheel while inebriated (even though Georgie was the driver). Because her secret was exposed, Meemaw gets back at George and tells Mary how George once relieved himself in the church's vegetable garden.
27	5	"A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries"	Jude Weng	Story by : Steven Molaro & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Eric Kaplan	October 18, 2018 (2018-10-18)	T12.16055	11.00
John suggests that Sheldon and Missy begin participating in a weekly twin study. Mary is concerned about possible effects on the children, but George likes the $300 that the study pays every week. Sheldon excels at the analytical tests, but has little patience for the tests of perceptiveness, while Missy is the opposite. She also suggests ways that her psychologist could make herself more attractive to her colleague. While monitoring the sessions, Mary learns that Missy feels a bit neglected, so she is given the choice of restaurant on the way home.
28	6	"Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan"	Chris Koch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Jeremy Howe Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Eric Kaplan & Connor Kilpatrick	October 25, 2018 (2018-10-25)	T12.16056	10.96
Pastor Jeff wants to put on a Halloween Hell House to warn children and teenagers of the consequences of sin and puts Mary in charge. She enlists the help of Mr. Lundy, who then takes over the whole production. He dresses as Satan and sets up a different room in a vacant house for each of the seven deadly sins. The last room is heaven, featuring Mary dressed as an angel, but the only person who wants to be saved from sin is Georgie's date, Veronica. Meanwhile, Sheldon dresses as Carl Sagan for trick-or-treating, but only one person recognizes his costume.
29	7	"Carbon Dating and a Stuffed Raccoon"	Rebecca Asher	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Tara Hernandez	November 1, 2018 (2018-11-01)	T12.16057	11.07
George takes Sheldon to a lecture on carbon dating, which is also being attended by Paige. While waiting in a restaurant, he is separately approached by Paige's parents, whose marriage is precarious because of the demands of raising Paige. The children become bored by the lecture and wander into a closed area of the museum. Meanwhile, Meemaw is holding a garage sale, and becomes upset by the sight of John wearing her dead husband's jacket.
30	8	"An 8-Bit Princess and a Flat Tire Genius"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & David Bickel & Tara Hernandez	November 8, 2018 (2018-11-08)	T12.16058	11.00
Meemaw and Sheldon become addicted to video games. She even pulls him out of school so he can play with her, since she had promised not to play without him. Meanwhile, Georgie takes a part-time job at Herschel Sparks' garage, where he displays a definite talent for tire repair.
31	9	"Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero"	Alex Reid	Story by : Steven Molaro & Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe	November 15, 2018 (2018-11-15)	T12.16059	10.77
Sheldon takes a psychology class as his elective, and is told to observe family dynamics over the Thanksgiving weekend. He sees his parents argue over whether or not George should accept a higher-paying job coaching at the University of Tulsa, since his family does not want to leave Medford. George rejects the offer and Sheldon becomes unexpectedly emotional while reading his report to his class.
32	10	"A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts"	Rebecca Asher	Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez	December 6, 2018 (2018-12-06)	T12.16060	10.91
Missy and Paige have a sleepover, during which Paige warns Sheldon that his excessively mature personality might cause him to be a social misfit and weirdo as an adult. In response, he tries to play practical jokes on various people. After finally succeeding with Missy, he becomes satisfied with his social progress. Meanwhile, John asks Meemaw to teach him how to drive a car. He fails to become proficient, but they then state their love for each other.
33	11	"A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Tara Hernandez & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan	January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)	T12.16061	10.95
Sheldon tries to teach math to Missy using Socratic questioning and operant conditioning, causing her to punch him when he threatens to damage her Cabbage Patch doll unless she learns calculus. Georgie joins Mary's bible study group so that he can be close to Veronica. They get baptised together, but she punches him when he kisses her. Mary gets upset and grounds both her sons.
34	12	"A Tummy Ache and a Whale of a Metaphor"	Mark Cendrowski	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe & Connor Kilpatrick	January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)	T12.16062	12.05
Sheldon has to go to a hospital for several days to get his gall bladder removed. He is a difficult patient until he gets a roommate with a hole in his heart. All of his family (except for Georgie) misses him.
35	13	"A Nuclear Reactor and a Boy Called Lovey"	Chris Koch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan	January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)	T12.16064	11.46
Georgie is humiliated at school when he tries to win back Veronica, Mary insists that George tell her who his first crush was, Meemaw has to break up a shoving match between John and another scientist who was getting too friendly towards her, and Sheldon acquires a box of defective smoke detectors so that he can take out the Americium-241 and build a nuclear power plant for the neighborhood. Government agents in hazmat suits then arrive.
36	14	"David, Goliath, and a Yoo-hoo from the Back"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Jeremy Howe & Stacey Pulwer Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez	January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)	T12.16063	11.58
Sheldon witnesses Georgie being bullied by a fellow student, and strikes up a friendship with the bully that enables him to coerce services from Georgie. However, Sheldon brags about the relationship to an even bigger bully, which results in Sheldon being imprisoned in a locker overnight. Meanwhile, Missy steals Meemaw's makeup for school picture day, accuses Mary of being a killjoy, and has to spend the night with Meemaw. Meemaw then explains to her that Mary became a devout Christian because Missy almost died at birth, causing her to change her attitude towards her mother.
37	15	"A Math Emergency and Perky Palms"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe & Connor Kilpatrick	February 7, 2019 (2019-02-07)	T12.16065	12.06
Dr. Sturgis gives Sheldon a 95% on a physics test, which Sheldon disputes. Eventually, Dr. Sturgis admits that Sheldon was right, and deserved a perfect score. Pastor Jeff becomes ill, and has Mary take over his duties, such as providing counseling to a pair of newlyweds, and visiting a shut-in. The visit is difficult, but when Mary tries visiting him again, she discovers that he died.
38	16	"A Loaf of Bread and a Grand Old Flag"	Alex Reid	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Teleplay by : Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe & Connor Kilpatrick	February 21, 2019 (2019-02-21)	T12.16066	11.31
Sheldon's favorite brand of bread tastes different, so he begins a campaign to advocate for tight government regulation of bakeries. During a TV interview, he inadvertently says that communism might be the answer to the bread crisis, so the Cooper family is shunned by the town. Meanwhile, Veronica breaks up with her boyfriend, so she and Georgie become "just friends".
39	17	"Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary"	Beth McCarthy-Miller	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Steve Holland	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)	T12.16067	11.57
Mary becomes pregnant, causing George to worry about finances. He does get a pay raise from the school, but Mary suffers a miscarriage. Meanwhile, Sheldon takes up violin lessons to be more like Albert Einstein. Noticing the prevalence of Jews like Einstein in physics, he decides to become Jewish himself. A rabbi then talks him out of it.
40	18	"A Perfect Score and a Bunsen Burner Marshmallow"	Chris Koch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe	April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04)	T12.16068	10.50
Colleges begin to take notice of Sheldon after he gets a perfect score on his PSAT/NMSQT. To gain some experience in living at a college, he stays overnight with John. The experience is mostly enjoyable, but after he accidentally starts a fire in the kitchen, he is happy to return home. Mary is delighted, since she had been experiencing empty nest syndrome.
41	19	"A Political Campaign and a Candy Land Cheater"	Jude Weng	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & David Bickel & Steve Holland	April 25, 2019 (2019-04-25)	T12.16069	10.46
Annoyed that so many school funds go to football instead of the science classroom, Sheldon decides to run for class president. The campaign goes badly until Sheldon decides to fight dirty using information that Missy got from his opponent's younger sister; she's originally from New York. Sheldon uses Texas pride to win. However, Principal Peterson vetoes his use of an old version of the Pledge of Allegiance.
42	20	"A Proposal and a Popsicle Stick Cross"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & David Bickel & Steve Holland Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	May 2, 2019 (2019-05-02)	T12.16070	10.73
When Veronica has problems at home, the Coopers take her in for a few days, thrilling Georgie. She fits in well with all the family and Georgie's kindness make her actually start to have feelings for him. George steps in when her mother's boyfriend tries to take her home against her will. Meanwhile, John proposes to Meemaw after a year of dating, only to hear she never thought she'd marry again, upsetting him. Meemaw takes out a large newspaper ad proclaiming her love for him, winning him back.
43	21	"A Broken Heart and a Crock Monster"	Alex Reid	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	May 9, 2019 (2019-05-09)	T12.16071	10.48
Pastor Jeff stays with the Coopers while he has marital problems, making things uncomfortable for Mary and George and bonding with Georgie over girl problems. When he finds his wife has left him, he considers leaving the church until he meets a female police officer. Sheldon and Missy get many donations for the church, while Meemaw takes Dr. Sturgis to the casino. He doesn't enjoy it very much and is put off by her attitude while losing, until she has a big win.
44	22	"A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Tara Hernandez	May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)	T12.16072	13.60
Georgie uses his own money to pay for cable TV service, but will not allow his father to use it. In response, George presents Georgie with a bill for the services that he provides to Georgie. Sheldon invites the entire school to a listening party for the announcement of the Nobel Prize winners in Physics, which would come over a shortwave radio. Due to the time difference between Sweden (where the announcements are made) and Texas, the announcement comes at five o'clock in the morning local time, so nobody attends Sheldon's party, except for his mother. After realizing that she only attended to show sympathy, not because of interest in the announcement, Sheldon excuses her. Although he helped Sheldon set up the shortwave radio, Dr. Sturgis does not attend Sheldon's party because the Nobel prize announcement triggers a depression within him as he realizes that his work will never be recognized with a Nobel prize.

Season 3 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
45	1	"Quirky Eggheads and Texas Snow Globes"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Maria Ferrari	September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26)	T12.16451	8.24
Following Dr. Sturgis's hospitalization in a mental hospital, Mary worries something similar may happen to Sheldon. With Mary being indirect in trying to evaluate Sheldon's mental state, her questions cause Sheldon to be concerned about her mental health. This is resolved at the psychologist's office once Mary reveals the reason for her questioning. Meanwhile, Georgie discovers that a local gift shop is going out of business, and is selling snow globes for $1 each. He asks George for money to purchase a large quantity of snow globes with the intent of selling them at $5 each. His father dismisses the idea. Georgie initially fails with his plan until he figures out a way to play on the locals' nostalgia for snow in Texas to sell the snow globes.
46	2	"A Broom Closet and Satan's Monopoly Board"	Alex Reid	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Steve Holland Teleplay by : Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe & Connor Kilpatrick	October 3, 2019 (2019-10-03)	T12.16452	8.35
Believing he is not being challenged enough in school, Sheldon decides to skip his classes and study independently in a broom closet within the school library. Once discovered, George and Mary disagree on whose responsibility it is to resolve the matter. During one argument, Meemaw offers a suggestion to have Sheldon audit Dr. Linkletter's physics course while Dr. Sturgis is hospitalized. Although the problem with Sheldon is solved, George is disturbed by his fight with Mary, and with the advice of Assistant Coach Wilkins, George invites Mary for date night. Meanwhile, Pastor Jeff tries to ward off his desires for intimacy with his girlfriend, Officer Robin, and Mary assists him with that. Pastor Jeff calls Mary's home for assistance while she is out on her date night with George, but with Mary being out, he speaks to Missy instead. Missy lies to Pastor Jeff about her and Georgie's experimentation with an Ouija board. Missy then fears that the lie it will land her in hell, so she calls Pastor Jeff back to confess. The call back occurs just as Pastor Jeff was about to get intimate with his girlfriend, which he interpreted as a sign from God to cease. In response, Officer Robin asks Pastor Jeff to marry her.
47	3	"An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom"	Mark Cendrowski	Story by : Steve Holland & Maria Ferrari & Connor Kilpatrick Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe	October 10, 2019 (2019-10-10)	T12.16453	7.63
Dr. Linkletter, wanting to create additional opportunities to meet with Connie, invites Sheldon to a robotics lecture. Meemaw feels uncomfortable, and refuses to take Sheldon to the lecture. Sheldon accuses Connie of being selfish, so she spanks him. His parents also refuse to drive him, hearing of his disrespect towards Meemaw. Sheldon therefore decides to take a bus to visit Dr. Sturgis at the mental hospital. Before he is tracked down by the police, a seatmate on the bus convinces Sheldon that he was in the wrong. He then 'apologizes' to his parents and Meemaw by showing them an episode of Star Trek that conveys his feelings, but they don't quite get it. Meanwhile, Georgie's latest get-rich-quick scheme nets him lots of money, which impresses his love interest, Veronica, but she rejects the expensive bracelet he buys her, so he buys her a cheap candy bracelet instead.
48	4	"Hobbitses, Physicses and a Ball with Zip"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Steven Holland & Maria Ferrari & Connor Kilpatrick	October 17, 2019 (2019-10-17)	T12.16454	7.94
Sheldon becomes obsessed with solving the unified field theory, a problem Einstein couldn't solve. This worries Mary, so Sheldon (unsuccessfully) tries to distract himself with other activities. The school librarian suggests to Sheldon to do something that is the "opposite of science", leading Sheldon to conclude that reading fiction is the closest alternative. He starts reading Lord of the Rings, but becomes obsessed with figuring out discrepancies in the story-line. When Sheldon falls asleep, he dreams about a battle between "the Hobbitses" and "the Physicses" for his attention. With "the Physicses" winning, Sheldon goes back to focusing on physics after waking up. Meanwhile, Missy becomes infatuated with a boy who is into baseball. She therefore asks George to teach her how to throw and catch a baseball, and how to sound intelligent talking about baseball. The plan fails because the boy is interested in another girl, but the time spent with George helps Missy bond with him. George then teaches Missy how to throw a curveball, a skill that she uses to throw an apple at the boy who hurt her feelings.
49	5	"A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship"	Alex Reid	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steve Holland & Maria Ferrari Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	October 24, 2019 (2019-10-24)	T12.16455	8.66
Dr. Sturgis is released from the mental hospital, and comes together with Meemaw for dinner at the Cooper's home. After dinner, Dr. Sturgis breaks up with Meemaw, feeling that she deserves someone more mentally stable than himself. Meemaw, not used to being broken up with, gets upset, so Dr. Sturgis recommends to her to go back to dating her ex-boyfriend, Ira Rosenbloom. During the date with Rosenbloom, Meemaw confesses to him that she only called him for a revenge date, and it was at Sturgis' suggestion. In response, Rosenbloom rejects future dates with Meemaw. Meanwhile, Sheldon feels that it's not fair for him not to be friends with Dr. Sturgis just because Sturgis and Meemaw broke up, and convinces Mary to invite Sturgis for dinner. Sturgis arrives at the Coopers' home bringing a pineapple as a gift, which he explains is a symbol of hospitality. Mary does not like the dinner table conversation that is taking place, and asks George to take Dr. Sturgis to a bar. At the bar, Dr. Sturgis publicly toasts "the bosom of the male friendship" that he thinks he has developed with George.
50	6	"A Parasol and a Hell of an Arm"	Chris Koch	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Eric Kaplan & Jeremy Howe Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Connor Kilpatrick	November 7, 2019 (2019-11-07)	T12.16456	8.83
The Coopers visit a church carnival, except for Meemaw who stays at home struggling with her breakup with Dr. Sturgis. Georgie volunteered at a stall in the carnival expecting to be working together with Veronica but she got sick and he has to work with Peg, Pastor Jeff's chain-smoking secretary, who bores him with her stories of disappointments in her love life. Missy scores seven consecutive successful throws at the carnival dunk tank thanks to her baseball practices with her dad, which makes her want to join a baseball team. George takes Missy to sign up for youth league but the Coach, Dale, refuses to accept a girl in the team. When Meemaw hears about her rejection, she gets off the couch and visits Dale herself, along with Missy, who finally gets to show her skills and is accepted into the team; and Meemaw gets a date with the coach. Meanwhile, Georgie, bored out of his wits by Peg and Meemaw's lamentations, pays a visit to Veronica with a "Get Well Soon" balloon, but she is at the doctor's and Georgie gets stuck with her grandmother who bores him all over again.
51	7	"Pongo Pygmaeus and a Culture that Encourages Spitting"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro & Steve Holland Teleplay by : Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	November 14, 2019 (2019-11-14)	T12.16457	9.05
Sheldon buys a direct-connect 300 baud modem and uses it to post a wave function collapse theory on a physics newsgroup, which is met with disagreement from another user. Without the fear of physical retaliation, Sheldon resorts to name-calling. As the scientific argument escalates, Sheldon asks for advice from Dr. Sturgis, and eventually his opponent concedes, remarking that Sheldon's point "has some validity". Dale takes George out for a beer, where they connect over small talk, but George does not tell him anything that would worry Meemaw, who is dating him. Missy is taunted by other girls in her school for playing baseball, which makes Missy think of quitting baseball; but when Brenda Sparks calls Mary on the phone, calling Missy weird for playing baseball, Mary pressures Missy to stay on the team. At a baseball match, Missy beats up a pitcher who tried to hit her with the ball. A girl from Georgie's English class named Lisa flirts with Georgie in school, which produces mixed feelings in Veronica.
52	8	"The Sin of Greed and a Chimichanga from Chi-Chi's"	Chris Koch	Story by : Eric Kaplan & Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Connor Kilpatrick	November 21, 2019 (2019-11-21)	T12.16458	8.38
When Sheldon scores exceptionally well on his college exam, Dr. Sturgis suggests to George that he transfer to college full-time, suggesting that George take a better-paying job coaching college football in order to be near him: George considers the offer, while Principal Petersen provides them with various perks in order to keep them at Medford High to ensure Sheldon's high scores leaving the school well-funded. Dale offers Georgie a job as a salesman at his sporting goods store; Georgie's new cash flow quickly goes to his head. Mary is concerned at the apparent 'selfishness' and 'greed' running rampant in her family and confiscates all symbols of excess until Meemaw explains her frustrations as being a relapse of empty nest syndrome.
53	9	"A Party Invitation, Football Grapes and an Earth Chicken"	Jaffar Mahmood	Story by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Eric Kaplan & Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe	December 5, 2019 (2019-12-05)	T12.16459	8.39
When Missy receives an invitation to Billy's birthday party but Sheldon does not, Mary pressures the Sparks family into inviting Sheldon, even getting Pastor Jeff to deliver a sermon on neighborliness. However, Sheldon will only attend as Mr. Spock, complete with tricorder. Dr. Sturgis eventually manages to establish a friendship with Meemaw and George. Billy's mother complains that Billy wants to spend time in the hen house with Sheldon instead of being at the party. Mary thinks Sheldon is good for Billy, who has no friends, but then decides to take Sheldon home after he panics when a chicken poops on him.
54	10	"Teenager Soup and a Little Ball of Fib"	Nikki Lorre	Story by : Eric Kaplan & Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Connor Kilpatrick	December 12, 2019 (2019-12-12)	T12.16460	8.21
Sheldon pretends to be sick to get out of taking a swimming class at school, but the guilt over the lie traumatizes him; he attempts to actually get sick before confessing to Mary, and in the end does get sick. Meanwhile, Dr. Sturgis spies on Dale, and Meemaw starts defending him once Dale begins to disparage him.
55	11	"A Live Chicken, a Fried Chicken and Holy Matrimony"	Alex Reid	Story by : Steven Molaro & Steve Holland & Yael Glouberman Teleplay by : Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe	January 9, 2020 (2020-01-09)	TBA	N/A

Production

Development

In November 2016, it was reported that CBS was in negotiations to create a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory centered on Sheldon Cooper as a young boy. The prequel series, described as "a Malcolm in the Middle-esque single-camera family comedy" would be executive produced by The Big Bang Theory co-creator Chuck Lorre and producer Steven Molaro, with The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady expected to be involved in some capacity, and intended to air in the 2017–18 season alongside The Big Bang Theory. The initial idea for the series came from Jim Parsons (who portrays the older Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory), who passed it along to The Big Bang Theory producers. On March 13, 2017, CBS ordered the spin-off Young Sheldon series, which was created by Lorre and Molaro. Jon Favreau directed and executive produced the pilot. Parsons, Lorre, Molaro and Todd Spiewak also serve as executive producers on the series, for Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television. On September 27, 2017, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 22 episodes. On January 6, 2018, the show was renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on September 24, 2018. On February 22, 2019, CBS renewed the series for both a third and a fourth season. The third season premiered on September 26, 2019.

Casting

In early March 2017, Iain Armitage was cast as the younger Sheldon, as well as Zoe Perry as his mother, Mary Cooper. Perry is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who portrays Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. Lance Barber stars as George Cooper Sr., Sheldon's father; he had previously appeared in one episode of The Big Bang Theory. Raegan Revord stars as Missy Cooper, Sheldon's twin sister; and Montana Jordan as George Cooper Jr., Sheldon's older brother. Jim Parsons reprises his role as adult Sheldon Cooper, as narrator for the series. In July 2017, Annie Potts was cast as Meemaw, Sheldon's grandmother.

Overlap with the parent series

In most cases different actors are used to portray a given character in the two series, to account for the age difference. Jim Parsons is a notable exception in that he appears in both series as the same character, though in this series his appearance is limited to voice only. Bob Newhart appears as Professor Proton in both series; with the appearance in this series the character is made to look younger. Iain Armitage (Sheldon), Lance Barber (George), and Montana Jordan (Georgie) make a guest appearance in the parent series in a scene in which a VHS tape recorded decades earlier is played. There are other actors who appear in both series but as different characters. This includes Barber, who had another guest appearance in the parent series as a different character. Elon Musk makes cameo appearances as himself in both series.

The second-season finale episode aired the same night as, and immediately following, the one-hour series finale of the parent series. In a tribute to the parent series finale, several references are made to the parent series in the Young Sheldon episode. The references are both general to the entire parent series, as well as to the series finale in particular. In one scene in the Young Sheldon Episode, Sheldon promises his father that when he wins the Nobel Prize, Sheldon will mention his father in his acceptance speech. In the parent series finale, Sheldon wins the Nobel Prize. In another scene in the Young Sheldon episode, Nobel Prize winners are announced out over a montage showing the main characters from the parent series Leonard, Penny, Raj, Howard, Bernadette and Amy as children. Following the montage, adult Sheldon says that he was wrong about feeling at the moment of the Nobel prize announcement that he would be all alone for the rest of his life.

Title sequence

The show's title sequence is played to the song "Mighty Little Man" by Steve Burns. The song is the first track in Burns' 2003 album Songs for Dustmites. Season 3 changed the title sequence to include the entire Cooper family.

Release

Young Sheldon began airing weekly episodes on CBS from November 2, 2017, after The Big Bang Theory. It premiered as a special preview on September 25, 2017.

Reception

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of Young Sheldon

Season	Timeslot (ET)	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Viewership rank	Avg. viewers (millions)	18–49 rank	Avg. 18–49 rating
			Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	Thursday 8.30 p.m.	22	September 25, 2017 (2017-09-25)	17.21	May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)	12.44	2017–18	6	16.30	TBD	3.3
2		22	September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)	10.58	May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)	13.60	2018–19	5	14.37	TBD	2.6
3	Thursday 8.00 p.m.	TBA	September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26)	8.24	TBA	TBD	2019–20	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of Young Sheldon

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	September 25, 2017	3.8/13	17.21	1.7	5.25	5.5	22.46
2	"Rockets, Communists, and the Dewey Decimal System"	November 2, 2017	2.2/8	12.66	1.1	3.89	3.3	16.74
3	"Poker, Faith, and Eggs"	November 9, 2017	2.2/8	12.39	1.2	4.07	3.4	16.47
4	"A Therapist, a Comic Book, and a Breakfast Sausage"	November 16, 2017	2.0/8	11.83	1.2	3.54	3.2	15.37
5	"A Solar Calculator, a Game Ball, and a Cheerleader's Bosom"	November 23, 2017	2.6/11	11.43	1.3	4.10	3.9	15.53
6	"A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac"	November 30, 2017	2.1/8	12.11	1.0	3.60	3.1	15.71
7	"A Brisket, Voodoo and Cannonball Run"	December 7, 2017	2.2/8	12.49	1.1	3.71	3.3	16.20
8	"Cape Canaveral, Schrödinger's Cat, and Cyndi Lauper's Hair"	December 14, 2017	2.0/8	11.64	—	—	—	—
9	"Spock, Kirk, and Testicular Hernia"	December 21, 2017	1.8/8	11.32	—	—	—	—
10	"An Eagle Feather, a String Bean, and an Eskimo"	January 4, 2018	2.6/10	14.70	1.1	3.73	3.7	18.43
11	"Demons, Sunday School, and Prime Numbers"	January 11, 2018	2.6/10	14.17	1.1	3.81	3.7	17.99
12	"A Computer, a Plastic Pony, and a Case of Beer"	January 18, 2018	2.4/9	13.33	1.2	4.04	3.6	17.37
13	"A Sneeze, Detention, and Sissy Spacek"	February 1, 2018	2.3/9	12.92	1.3	4.03	3.6	16.95
14	"Potato Salad, a Broomstick, and Dad's Whiskey"	March 1, 2018	2.1/8	12.42	1.3	4.30	3.4	16.72
15	"Dolomite, Apple Slices, and a Mystery Woman"	March 8, 2018	2.1/9	12.52	1.2	4.09	3.3	16.61
16	"Killer Asteroids, Oklahoma, and a Frizzy Hair Machine"	March 29, 2018	2.0/9	11.91	1.2	4.06	3.2	15.97
17	"Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-Hoo"	April 5, 2018	1.9/8	11.66	1.2	4.02	3.1	15.69
18	"A Mother, A Child, and a Blue Man's Backside"	April 12, 2018	1.9/8	11.70	1.1	3.67	3.0	15.37
19	"Gluons, Guacamole, and the Color Purple"	April 19, 2018	1.9/8	11.67	1.1	3.89	3.0	15.56
20	"A Dog, A Squirrel, and a Fish Named Fish"	April 26, 2018	1.8/7	11.15	1.0	3.62	2.8	14.78
21	"Summer Sausage, a Pocket Poncho, and Tony Danza"	May 3, 2018	1.9/8	11.67	1.2	3.76	3.1	15.44
22	"Vanilla Ice Cream, Gentleman Callers, and a Dinette Set"	May 10, 2018	2.2/9	12.44	1.1	3.96	3.3	16.41

Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of Young Sheldon

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"A High-Pitched Buzz and Training Wheels"	September 24, 2018	1.7/7	10.58	1.1	3.81	2.8	14.40
2	"A Rival Prodigy and Sir Isaac Neutron"	September 27, 2018	1.6/7	10.21	0.9	3.42	2.5	13.64
3	"A Crisis of Faith and Octopus Aliens"	October 4, 2018	1.8/9	10.68	1.0	3.54	2.8	14.23
4	"A Financial Secret and Fish Sauce"	October 11, 2018	1.8/8	11.18	0.9	3.32	2.7	14.51
5	"A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries"	October 18, 2018	1.7/7	11.00	0.9	3.37	2.6	14.37
6	"Seven Deadly Sins and a Small Carl Sagan"	October 25, 2018	1.7/7	10.96	0.9	3.49	2.6	14.46
7	"Carbon Dating and a Stuffed Raccoon"	November 1, 2018	1.7/7	11.07	0.9	3.42	2.6	14.50
8	"An 8-Bit Princess and a Flat Tire Genius"	November 8, 2018	1.8/7	11.00	1.0	3.68	2.8	14.68
9	"Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero"	November 15, 2018	1.8/7	10.77	1.0	3.72	2.8	14.49
10	"A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts"	December 6, 2018	1.6/7	10.91	1.0	3.57	2.6	14.48
11	"A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf"	January 3, 2019	1.7/7	10.95	0.9	3.52	2.6	14.47
12	"A Tummy Ache and a Whale of a Metaphor"	January 10, 2019	1.9/8	12.05	0.8	3.27	2.7	15.33
13	"A Nuclear Reactor and a Boy Called Lovey"	January 17, 2019	1.7/7	11.46	1.0	3.62	2.7	15.09
14	"David, Goliath, and a Yoo-hoo from the Back"	January 31, 2019	1.8/8	11.58	0.8	3.19	2.7	14.78
15	"A Math Emergency and Perky Palms"	February 7, 2019	2.0/9	12.06	1.0	3.65	3.0	15.79
16	"A Loaf of Bread and a Grand Old Flag"	February 21, 2019	1.7/8	11.31	0.9	3.56	2.6	14.87
17	"Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary"	March 7, 2019	1.7/8	11.57	1.0	3.78	2.7	15.35
18	"A Perfect Score and a Bunsen Burner Marshmallow"	April 4, 2019	1.5/7	10.50	0.9	3.29	2.4	13.79
19	"A Political Campaign and a Candy Land Cheater"	April 25, 2019	1.4/7	10.46	0.9	3.52	2.3	13.98
20	"A Proposal and a Popsicle Stick Cross"	May 2, 2019	1.5/8	10.73	0.8	3.29	2.3	14.03
21	"A Broken Heart and a Crock Monster"	May 9, 2019	1.5/8	10.48	0.8	3.24	2.3	13.73
22	"A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast"	May 16, 2019	2.1/10	13.60	1.0	3.99	3.1	17.59

Season 3

Viewership and ratings per episode of Young Sheldon

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Quirky Eggheads and Texas Snow Globes"	September 26, 2019	1.1/6	8.24	0.7	3.00	1.8	11.24
2	"A Broom Closet and Satan's Monopoly Board"	October 3, 2019	1.0/6	8.35	0.6	2.70	1.6	11.05
3	"An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom"	October 10, 2019	1.0/5	7.63	0.6	2.85	1.6	10.48
4	"Hobbitses, Physicses and a Ball with Zip"	October 17, 2019	1.0/5	7.94	0.6	2.75	1.6	10.69
5	"A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship"	October 24, 2019	1.1/5	8.66	0.7	2.75	1.8	11.41
6	"A Parasol and a Hell of an Arm"	November 7, 2019	1.1/6	8.83	0.6	2.79	1.7	11.62
7	"Pongo Pygmaeus and a Culture that Encourages Spitting"	November 14, 2019	1.2/6	9.05	0.5	2.88	1.7	11.93
8	"The Sin of Greed and a Chimichanga from Chi-Chi's"	November 21, 2019	1.0/5	8.38	0.6	2.93	1.6	11.31
9	"A Party Invitation, Football Grapes and an Earth Chicken"	December 5, 2019	1.1/6	8.39	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
10	"Teenager Soup and a Little Ball of Fib"	December 12, 2019	1.0/6	8.21	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 6.61/10 based on 45 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Young Sheldon's appealing cast and relatable themes bring a fresh—and overall enjoyable—perspective to its central character's familiar story." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2018	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actress	Raegan Revord	Nominated
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Teen Actor	Montana Jordan	Nominated
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Leading Young Actor	Iain Armitage	Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Breakout TV Star		Nominated
2019	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Zoe Perry	Nominated
			Annie Potts	Nominated

Home media

The first season of Young Sheldon was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Warner Bros. on September 4, 2018. Similarly, the second season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Young Sheldon at IMDb