Young Sheldon given full-season order by CBS after just one episode
Today, the Eye made the announcement, and the big surprise here is clearly that you’re getting this after just a single airing. What led to this? A combination of different things, but mostly the ratings. It drew a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic after final adjustments came in, which is enough to make this the highest-rated premiere for a new comedy on CBS since the enormous start of 2 Broke Girls — a show boosted mostly by airing after the first Two and a Half Men episode without Charlie Sheen. Beyond just this, it for the most part had a strong critical reception and the overall sentiment is that Iain Armitage, known previously for his work on Big Little Lies, is a major up-and-comer in the TV world.
There is a lot of room to grow the Young Sheldon story given that there’s been so much mythology built into his childhood already, whether it be Sheldon Cooper’s complicated relationship with his father (read our full CarterMatt interview with Lance Barber here) to how things evolve with his brother to such familiar things as “Soft Kitty.” The brother actually is among the most interesting characters given that we haven’t had a chance to meet him before on the show, and this could serve as a chance to get to know him so much better and understand why he is such a no-show on The Big Bang Theory proper. With George Cooper Sr. dead in the present there is an underlying layer of darkness in the show, though we’re not sure how much CBS is going to play into that.
The one thing about Young Sheldon we continue to dislike is something that is admittedly out of the show’s control: The baffling decision to air the first episode on Monday only to then shelve the series until November 2. Why do this to a series that already is a hit? We anticipate the ratings dropping for the second episode (after all, we’ve heard mixed reviews from viewers over the style and tone of the show), but there is likely going to be an even larger drop given that viewers will forget about it over the next month. The only thing that it has going for it is that it’s going to be airing alongside The Big Bang Theory still in November, and it’s not as though many viewers will change the channel and watch the second half of Grey’s Anatomy instead. They may as well keep the TV on until whatever comes on at 9:00 p.m. Eastern arrives.
What do you think about the Young Sheldon full-season order coming so quickly at CBS? Is the timing a little too fast for your liking? Share in the comments, and remember that once there’s more information out there, we’ll have it for you here. (Photo: CBS.)