Why Sheldon Is The Worst Character On Young Sheldon According To Some Fans
As fans of "The Big Bang Theory" and its spin-off prequel know, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons as the adult version, Iain Armitage as the child version) can be somewhat of a handful. Incredibly intelligent, Sheldon is usually the smartest person in the room, which is something he doesn't often let slip past the notice of his friends, family, and teachers. Augmenting his extensive knowledge, Sheldon is also incredibly awkward and has a hard time understanding the emotions and social cues of those around him. At least he has a soothing, cat-based mantra to help keep him calm!
Currently in Season 5, "Young Sheldon" has over 100 episodes and stars the previously mentioned Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, and Raegen Revord (via IMDb). Season 5 has seen Sheldon attempt to run away from home, inspire religious doubt in his sister, and continue his college classes at the tender age of 12. However, it seems as if some fans of "Young Sheldon" aren't exactly on board with everything that Sheldon does — but why?
Fans think that the younger version of Sheldon is annoying and overshadowed by a talented cast
Taking to the internet's favorite forum, Reddit poster u/ilkba started a discussion about Sheldon's status in "Young Sheldon" by saying, "I kind of feel like most of the moments i've enjoyed the most in the recent seasons of young Sheldon have not involved him. I personally find Missy/Georgie more interesting and funny than Sheldon. The same with much of the adult cast." This statement caused an immediate reaction in other Reddit denizens, with the post 88% upvoted and u/ReadySetGO0 replying, "I love Young Sheldon. Every character is so perfectly cast. But yes, oftentimes Sheldon is outshined by the talented cast."
u/skribsbb expanded upon this by detailing two major issues they have with the character of young Sheldon — the first being that since the adult version of Sheldon is "basically a giant man-child," there is little room for character growth. He has no real peers on the show, or at least anybody else to intellectually spar with besides college-level professors. While amusing at times, there are only so many times he can have the same kinds of interactions with other characters before it begins to feel stale.
Meanwhile, u/kapitalsnow believes that the younger version of Sheldon is a hard sell, mainly because Sheldon is irritating but likable in "The Big Bang Theory" — but in "Young Sheldon," he tends to hyper-fixate on things, which they feel is the wrong kind of characterization for Sheldon. u/Teenageboy18 agreed, noting the shift of Sheldon's focus to a new thing in each episode is somewhat of an annoying trope. Considering these comments, it seems like some "Young Sheldon" fans aren't actually the biggest proponents of the titular character.