54% Of Young Sheldon Fans Really Can't Stand This Character - Looper Survey
"Young Sheldon" might be a lighthearted, Texas-based prequel to "The Big Bang Theory," but viewers aren't exactly loving all the characters. In fact, it seems that many have found themselves opposed the namesake and protagonist of the show — Iain Armitage's Sheldon Cooper himself. While Jim Parsons' portrayal of the theoretical physicist is highly acclaimed, with the actor taking home the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series four times, there's just something about Armitage's take on the teen version that isn't resonating with the masses.
Looper conducted a survey of 6,100 people and asked them which out of five main "Young Sheldon" characters they really can't stand. Out of those polled, a whopping 54 percent of respondents chose Sheldon, meaning that over half of the entire sample size takes issue with the character that the series is supposed to be centered around. Blade Brace summarized the sentiment among these fans best, writing: "Sheldon is the character I'm least interested in, and the show's supposed to be about him." But why, exactly, can't fans stand the title character? There are several reasons.
Fans feel Sheldon is getting more obnoxious as a teenager
As "Young Sheldon" continues, fans are more invested in storylines featuring Missy (Raegan Revord), Georgie, and pretty much every other member of the Cooper clan aside from Sheldon. While Missy grapples with her parents' failing marriage and Georgie shows character growth by embracing fatherhood, Sheldon is off trying to discover aliens ... and annoying pretty much every professor at East Texas Tech in the process.
Sheldon's antics were largely seen as endearing when the prequel began, but this isn't the case for the teen genius. Diane Lentine responded, "Sheldon is even more obnoxious now that he's older." Meanwhile, King of the Grill feels the natural aging of Iain Armitage is throwing off the show's dynamic: "In recent episodes Young Sheldon's voice is threatening to become deeper than adult Sheldon's' [sic] voice."
Perhaps "Young Sheldon" viewers would be happier if the character had deeper plotlines and didn't rely on the "I'm a genius" schtick so heavily. On "The Big Bang Theory," Jim Parsons' version is certainly overconfident in his intellect but still enjoys some laugh-out-loud moments. A prime example is Season 3, Episode 14, "The Einstein Approximation," when a crazed Sheldon keeps popping up in a ball pit while yelling, "Bazinga!"
However, instead the opposite has come true. Some fans feel that Sheldon has taken a backseat in "Young Sheldon" from Season 6 onward, and in keeping with the mixed reception around the character, they've found themselves surprisingly okay with that shift.
Some fans have issues with other Young Sheldon characters
Iain Armitage's Sheldon may be the popular pick when it comes to the major "Young Sheldon" character that fans can't stand the most, but he's not the only character that some fans aren't very keen on. In the Looper poll, Zoe Perry's Mary Cooper landed second place with roughly 17 percent of the overall vote. "Mary is by far the worst character," Brandon Williamson opined. "She's the biggest hypocrite."
Meanwhile, Annie Potts' dry-humored character of Meemaw and Lance Barber's George Cooper Sr. tied for third place in the poll at 10 percent each. Montana Jordan's George Cooper, the fifth option of the poll, came close behind at a respectable 9 percent. Some of the viewers who interacted with the poll took a different tack, expressing their appreciation for each major character and how they slot into the overall Cooper family dynamic that has helped the show achieve success. "I think they all play an important part in the show," MncDssctn commented. "Take away one and the show wouldn't work the same."