Young Sheldon has been a massively successful sitcom for CBS since its premiere back in 2017, which was unsurprising for its status as the first spinoff of The Big Bang Theory. News broke in late 2023 that the show would end after seven seasons, with details scarce about the next developing spinoff. So, let’s take a look at some shows like Young Sheldon that fans can enjoy in addition to Iain Armitage’s adventures in the title role.
There are many factors that made Young Sheldon successful as a prequel to one of the most popular TV shows in television history, and those can be found in shows that go back decades as well as some that are much more recent. The sitcom follows Sheldon Cooper from 1989 into the early ’90s, with the cast filled out by stars including Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Reagan Revord, and Annie Potts. There’s no show that’s exactly like Young Sheldon, but certainly some similar enough to enjoy!
The Big Bang Theory
If you’re a fan of Young Sheldon who started with the prequel rather than The Big Bang Theory, there’s no better show to check out than the original series that debuted back in 2007. The sitcom ran for a whopping twelve seasons and more than 275 episodes, with Jim Parsons portraying adult Sheldon Cooper. Parsons of course narrates Young Sheldon. There are differences between the two shows, particularly with Big Bang filming in front of a live studio audience, but you can’t go wrong watching The Big Bang Theory if you’re a Young Sheldon fan.
Watch The Big Bang Theory streaming on Max.
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years debuted back in 1988 and would go on to run for six seasons, starring Fred Savage and Danica McKellar. Although the show spanned the late ’60s to early ’70s rather than contemporary to Young Sheldon, the original Wonder Years was narrated by the adult version of Kevin, like Jim Parsons narrating the Big Bang Theory prequel. The Wonder Years was also a coming-of-age comedy about a young boy growing up, and presented without a live studio audience or laugh track, with plenty of drama as well. The show was revived with a reboot in 2021 that is also worth a watch by Young Sheldon fans, but it only ran for two seasons compared to the original’s six after being cancelled in September.
Watch The Wonder Years (1988) streaming on Hulu.
Watch The Wonder Years (2021) streaming on Hulu.
Malcolm In The Middle
Malcolm in the Middle was a Fox comedy mainstay after premiering in 2000. Starring Frankie Muniz as the titular Malcolm before he took his break from acting, the show told the story of the child prodigy whose family wasn’t quite on his level, ran for seven seasons, and featured Muniz breaking the fourth wall and addressing viewers. That should sound familiar to Young Sheldon fans! The family was central to just about every part of Malcolm in the Middle, and checking out the sitcom is also a bonus treat for any Breaking Bad fans who need proof that Bryan Cranston is Emmy-worthy for comedy as well as drama. There’s also the possibility of a revival, although nothing has been confirmed.
Watch Malcolm in the Middle streaming on Hulu.
The Conners
While Young Sheldon had pretty smooth sailing on the small screen, The Conners was born out of controversy following the successful Roseanne revival and subsequent cancellation. Centered on the Conner family in the wake of tragedy, it is a sequel series that brought back most of the original series cast members to pick up where the earlier stories left off as much as possible. That said, you don’t need to be a Roseanne superfan to understand and enjoy The Conners, especially if you’re a fan of spinoffs like Young Sheldon.
Watch The Conners streaming on Hulu.
Freaks And Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is short on child prodigies a la young Sheldon Cooper and only ran for a single season set from 1980-1981. The high school-set show has become a cult classic in the decades since its premiere in 1999 on Fox, and the family of certain characters was important to the overall plot. Plus, as you might guess from the title, there’s no shortage of outcasts from the popular crowd, which certainly is the case for Sheldon in Young Sheldon. Plus, viewers can find future stars James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, and Linda Cardellini in the much earlier days of their careers, and stardom beyond Young Sheldon could certainly be in store for Iain Armitage.
Watch Freaks and Geeks streaming on Hulu.
Two And A Half Men
Like Young Sheldon, Two and a Half Men was created by Chuck Lorre to premiere on CBS in 2003 and run for twelve seasons, so some of the humor is similar between the two. The show also had a rocky run due to what Lorre described as a “dark and difficult” feud with leading man Charlie Sheen. Still, in the seasons before Sheen was replaced by Ashton Kutcher, there was a focus on family that could be at least somewhat familiar to Young Sheldon fans, and it lasted for well over a decade for a reason.
Watch Two and a Half Men streaming on Peacock.
The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs ran for ten seasons and over 220 episodes after its ABC debut in 2013, set in the ’80s and telling the stories of the large Goldberg family. Narrated by Patton Oswalt as the adult version of the central kid in the family among many siblings, the show managed to survive the abrupt departure of Jeff Garlin as the Goldberg patriarch. If Young Sheldon follows the blueprint about Sheldon’s father from The Big Bang Theory, the spinoff may deal with a similar issue in the seventh and final season.
Watch The Goldbergs streaming on Hulu.
Fresh Off The Boat
Fresh Off the Boat arrived on ABC in 2015 and would go on to run for six seasons and more than one hundred episodes before joining the ranks of shows cancelled in 2019. Centered on the Taiwanese-American Huang family with two parents (played by Randall Park and Constance Wu) and three kids, the sitcom originally ran with a narrator like Young Sheldon, although that was dropped after one season. The show’s timeline began in 1995 and would continue through to 2001 at the end of the sixth and final season.
Watch Fresh Off the Boat streaming on Hulu.
Boy Meets World
What is Young Sheldon if not the literal story of a young boy growing up and interacting with the wider world? Sheldon Cooper and Boy Meets World‘s Cory Matthews definitely aren’t interchangeable, with Cory going from middle school to high school to college with best friends Shawn and Topanga by his side. The comedy ran seven seasons on ABC, from 1993 – 2000. While troubling stories about what happened behind the scenes (which the creator reportedly isn’t happy about) have spread in more recent years, Boy Meets World remains a favorite with fans everywhere, and it remains to be seen if Young Sheldon will leave as lasting an imprint.
Watch Boy Meets World streaming on Disney+.
Modern Family
Modern Family ran on ABC for an impressive eleven seasons, meaning that the characters who were kids in Season 1 were all young adults by the end, with the exception of the little girl who was an infant in the pilot. It was a coming-of-age story for multiple characters, and also launched the careers of young actors like Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter as sisters Haley and Alex Dunphy. Sofia Vergara became a household name from the sitcom, long before joining America’s Got Talent. Young Sheldon focuses on a much smaller family than Modern Family, but they certainly have elements in common with how incredibly different the people within one family actually can be.
Watch Modern Family streaming on Hulu.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother may be best remembered nowadays for losing its way by the end with an extremely divisive series finale after nine seasons from 2005 – 2013, but it was a solid hit for CBS for much of its run. Like Young Sheldon, the show is narrated by an older version of the lead character while the on-screen story is centered on him as a young man. Unlike Young Sheldon, however, HIMYM was not a spinoff of an earlier show, so viewers had the better part of a decade to speculate about Ted Mosby’s future. Young Sheldon viewers who already watched The Big Bang Theory don’t have nearly as many questions about the character in the future.
Watch How I Met Your Mother streaming on Hulu.
Big Little Lies
Big Little Lies may not have been delivering sitcom-worthy laughs across its two seasons from 2017 – 2019, but there is one very familiar element for Young Sheldon fans to experience: young Iain Armitage. The HBO series was his big break into acting, portraying Ziggy Chapman as the son of Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley), and the series shows the seeds of the actor he would become as he got older and landed his own starring role on CBS. Ziggy Chapman is no Sheldon Cooper, but the character shows off Armitage’s talents from a young age.
Watch Big Little Lies streaming with a Max subscription.
Young Sheldon may be unique among sitcoms that have debuted in the last several years, but that clearly doesn’t mean viewers can’t find similar shows to enjoy now and once the comedy comes to an end. The 2024 TV schedule will be the last with new episodes of the first Big Bang Theory spinoff. Another Big Bang spinoff is reportedly in the works, with no sign of when exactly it could arrive if it does happen. For now, there are plenty of streaming options!