Young Sheldon fans realize most of them hate The Big Bang Theory

What happens when a prequel outweighs the success of the main series? For Young Sheldon fans, many are realizing that they don’t like The Big Bang Theory.

Back in 2007, The Big Bang Theory hit CBS and changed comedy for good, introducing fans to characters such as Leonard, Penny, and most importantly, Sheldon.

The popularity of the latter has resulted in something affectionately known as the Sheldon-verse, with the prequel series Young Sheldon introduced in 2017.

Seven years after its release and Young Sheldon’s success has arguably eclipsed that of The Big Bang Theory, with some fans now saying they don’t like the main series at all.

Young Sheldon fans realize most of them hate The Big Bang Theory

According to a new Reddit thread, Young Sheldon fans are realizing that most of them hate the original Big Bang Theory sitcom.

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“Unpopular opinion- I hate TBBT but love Young Sheldon,” one Redditor kicked off with. “I find TBBT unfunny af. Sheldon is obnoxious and snooty. On the other hand, I really like Young Sheldon because of the interesting supporting characters. Yes, Sheldon is annoying but he has his moments.”

This prompted plenty of other fans to share their agreement, weighing in with “This is a very popular opinion.” Fans have cited reasons including the main show’s laugh soundtrack and unlikeable characters as reasons why the sitcom doesn’t work for them.

“Early Sheldon on TBBT was awful, and I couldn’t stand him. I ended up really liking him, especially his relationship with Penny, as the show went on,” a second fan went on to explain.

“What I love about YS is that here Sheldon is softened by being a kid,” they continued. There’s times when you feel some of his attitudes and behaviors are driven more by his immaturity & lack of perspective. Also, Jim often played Sheldon completely straight. He seemed to genuinely not realize his behavior/words were hurtful or disrespectful.

“There are so many times that Ian plays similar situations with a twinkle in his eye like Sheldon knows better but is choosing to be himself instead. I love his relationship with Missy, very similar to his relationship with Penny. And I think his family gives us a better understanding of who and why Sheldon is how he is.”

However, this doesn’t mean that Young Sheldon is universally liked by the fandom either.

“This has been one of my favorite TV shows, but I think it may be time to stop,” one fan commented on the prequel series. “What was funny and precious and precocious about 8-year-old Sheldon has become forced and decidedly less funny in teenage Sheldon. I’ll miss this show, but I can always start over watching the series again — one of the benefits of streaming TV.”

The seventh and final season of Young Sheldon begins airing on February 15, 2024.