But Young Sheldon is a whole different universe and one my family and I gladly dip into each week. They have smartly ditched the canned laughter and traded university and apartment for a ranch-style house in East Texas. The show has planted us firmly in the late 80s when Sheldon, just ten, has skipped enough grades to start high school.
There are just so many things to love about this show, so I'll make a list:
1. Each episode is well-written and sometimes downright poignant. They pack a lot into their 22ish minutes without superfluous moments. The episode where the mom is pregnant (SPOILER ALERT....) and then she miscarries, doesn't go into the maudlin but captures the pain of the parents with respect and tenderness. There is humor without being slapstick (what I don't like so much in their parent series, The Big Bang Theory). They don't bang you over the head with their message. It's kid-friendly too even if they touch on mature subjects sometimes.
2. It's a trip down the 80s nostalgia lane. If you were a child of the 80s you will find at least one cultural reference you know. The daughter Missy is into Cabbage Patch Dolls and Cyndi Lauper. They talk about Alf and Carl Sagan. The episode where the dad couldn't figure out how to turn on the washer (which is practically the same 80s type my mom still has!) just tickled me to death ("It's a button you PULL!"). And frankly it's refreshing to go back into a world where cell phones and even cordless phones didn't exist.
3. The characters are flawed but loveable. It took me a while to warm up to the older son's character on the show but as the series goes on I start to understand him more- the kid who isn't really made for school but loves mechanics and girls. The dad could literally pass for any middle-aged good ole boy but he is deeper than that and loves and supports his family fiercely.
The mom is golden with her soft Texas accent and her eternal struggle to do good for her family and be a good Baptist (she made a deal with God when her daughter almost died at birth). Despite her 80s hairstyle and wardrobe she could easily be a modern mom, juggling work and home.
Sheldon and his sister Missy are spitfires in totally different ways. The star of the show, Sheldon, is smarter than his teachers but often clueless about everyday life. Missy is Southern sassy and doesn't let her twin brother's attention-hogging intelligence get to her.
And then there is Mee-Maw, probably our favorite (because Juliette loves this show, too!). Annie Potts is perfect as the I-don't-give-a-damn young widowed grandma. She lives across the street from Sheldon's family and is the kind of grandmother who spoils the kids silly and pops open a beer and goes bowling with her buddies. My great-grandmother was also known as Mee-Maw.
5. But what I think I love the most is that it takes place in the South. I have never had a strong Southern accent but when I watch this show, it's like mine starts coming back with a vengeance! I don't know if all the actors are indeed Southern but they do a damn fine job with their accents. I have family in Eastern/Middle Texas so I know this area. One evening Juliette wanted to pretend we were Sheldon't family at dinner and she was amazed at how much I could channel his mom's accent! Well, I am from the South, I told her proudly!
So if you haven't checked out this gem of a sitcom, what are you waiting for? It's funny, well-scripted and an ode to the south that for once doesn't paint us as hicks and rednecks but just people who have an accent (and love football).
