Humor is a personal thing: Your joke may not make me laugh. But I can’t imagine anyone who won’t be smiling during episodes of Young Sheldon, available on Netflix.
The premise is simple enough: Young Sheldon Cooper (played by Iain Armitage) is one of twins (sister Missy is played by Reagan Revord), who are the younger siblings of smart-mouthed, pre-teen Georgie (Montana Jordan). Their ordinary, mystified parents (Lance Barber and Zoe Perry) try to manage this chaotic combination while also trying to manage Mary Cooper’s cool mother, called Meemaw (Annie Potts).
The various writers, headed by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, are sophisticated and funny. Sheldon is uproarious. Missy and Georgie have funny, funny lines without being sarcastic and cruel. The adult actors, sans Meemaw, play straight men, and they do it perfectly. Meemaw is funny in her own right. She is only a straight man when she has to be a wise, old grandma.
Since the kids are the stars, one would expect the show to appeal mainly to young people. No. The kids will like it, but the humor is sophisticated. It’s especially funny to watch Sheldon try to be sophisticated in the body of a kid with no social skills. Picture a 10-year-old boy who knows more than the professor in a college class. Everyone stares at him in chagrin and disbelief, but Sheldon doesn’t notice. He sits in the front row with Meemaw, his chaperone, and Meemaw works behind the scenes to date the professor.
Like any series, some episodes are better than others. But none of them fail. The writing is terrific. The acting is great. And the laughs feel good. — JD Anderson
