'Young Sheldon' Updates, News: Spin-Off Will Be an Origin Story, Exec Teases
At the 2017 Television Critics Press Association summer tour, the "Young Sheldon" panel shared a few details about the upcoming spin-off series of CBS' hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory."
From the flagship series, the stories laid out by Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, who executive produced the spin-off, paints George, his father, as a terrible man. But according to exec Chuck Lorre, "there's a great deal more to the man than the little pieces" that have been stated in the original series.
Sheldon's father passed away when he was 14. "Young Sheldon" will take place five years before that. "People change and grow and develop and things happen over the course of many years, but we don't have to follow the exact timeline," Lorre said. "One season doesn't have to be a year; it can be over a couple months. We have a lot of freedom with the backstory."
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Unlike the socially inept Sheldon that fans have come to know and love, the nine-year-old genius will not harbor the same qualities as the character that fans are familiar with. Lorre said that they wanted to start telling the story of his childhood when he was still very naïve, not the cynical and controlling individual that everyone knows he is.
"Young Sheldon" is an origin story. It will depict how the character came to be. One particular tale will be about how he came to love comic books. When the show starts, he has yet to discover his fondness for comic books. And at this point in time, he even likes going to church with his mother even though he does not share his mother's views on religion.
The spin-off will feature Iain Armitage as the title character. His mother, Mary Cooper, will be played by Zoe Perry, who is the actual daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays the role in "The Big Bang Theory." Annie Potts, Raegan Revord, and Montana Jordan will also star on the show.
"Young Sheldon" premieres Sept. 25, Monday, at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.
