Latest Storyline Exposes Young Sheldon’s Biggest Flaw
Young Sheldon was always a show with a limited shelf life.
Viewers knew from the start that the eponymous character (played by Iain Armitage) would be moving to Pasadena at the age of 14.
And pretty much everyone knew that The Big Bang Theory had run its course.
While it would be remiss to say there will never be some sort of cast reunion for TBBT, the chances of what’s left of it making a meaningful show are slim to zero.
Let’s face it, every spin-off runs the risk of being the next Joey — and every The Big Bang Theory sequel could easily go that route.
That being said, the show was so huge it’s hard to imagine the franchise has no future other than Sheldon leaving East Texas.
Young Sheldon’s viewership numbers are a testament to its enduring popularity. More than 7.5 million of us watched the latest episode, A Launch Party and a Whole Man.
But which member of the Cooper family would next justify their own show? Definitely not George Sr – who will soon be meeting his maker.
A show following Georgie feels like it’s simply a recreation of so many that have gone before. There really isn’t enough substance in the character to take him in a direction that wouldn’t feel a little cliche, unless the showrunners start going in that direction with his character arc pretty soon.
So the favorite would have to be Missy, who has everything for herself; She became an all-time favorite as soon as she was introduced as Sheldon’s sister in TBBT, she is the protagonist’s twin sister and she is by far the most versatile of the Cooper children.
Missy is already prepared for development. She’s got what it takes to be a nuanced character — and a fan base to boot.
But as time is running out for the show, she needs to be placed at the heart of the storyline (alongside Sheldon, obviously) so that we can get to know her better and connect with her.
And it seems the writers accidentally set up Missy for their own spin-off.
By neglecting her character arc in favor of family breakdown — and almost pushing her aside with the recurring Paige storyline — they’ve largely ignored what she could bring to the show.
This is consistent with Missy’s recent behavior and her challenge to her parents, who say they ignore her. And that means her story is now ready to be told.
There is a great opportunity here to expand her role on the show in what may be its final season.
You owe it to the character, to Raegan Revord, and to the fans.