Is 'Young Sheldon' on This Week? Show Goes on 1-Month Hiatus After Mega Successful Premiere
For its pilot episode, "Young Sheldon," the spinoff to "The Big Bang Theory" featuring Ian Armitage as the pint-sized version of the character made famous by Jim Parsons, was quite a hit.
The new sitcom emerged as one of the standouts in the most competitive week of the season, earning rave reviews and backing that up with its impressive ratings.
"Young Sheldon" reeled in 17.21 million total viewers for its premiere, retaining 98-percent lead-in audience from its parent series, which is more than what the team behind the multi-cam comedy could ever hope for. In a statement picked up by Variety, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said:
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It certainly was beyond where we reasonably thought it would be, just given all the shows that have come behind "Big Bang" in the past. I do believe it suggests something that we thought, which is that "Young Sheldon" is a show that can appeal to viewers beyond "Big Bang."
Deadline adds that "Young Sheldon" is also a big hit in Canada, being hailed there as the biggest debut for a new comedy in the last decade with an average of 3.6 million viewers — 1.5 million of which belonging to the 25–54 demographic.
Unfortunately, no new episodes of "Young Sheldon" will be aired this month to pave the way for the Thursday night football schedule on CBS. The show will not back until Thursday, Nov. 2, for its second episode. Those who have yet to watch it will have a plenty of time to catch up.
With the success of "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff, fans are expected to be there waiting for its return to the small screenv—veager to see what Sheldon was up to when he was a child growing up in a family who does not understand him.
Although a long wait is ahead of fans, they can find comfort in the fact that the overwhelming feat of "Young Sheldon" earned it a full order from CBS, bringing the initial 13 episodes to 22.