According to Jim Parsons, young Sheldon is not intended to be a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory. In an effort to maintain The Big Bang Theory’s success, CBS gave Young Sheldon the go-ahead in 2017. The CBS family comedy is The Big Bang Theory’s lone spinoff, despite the show’s continued popularity for nearly four years after it ended (due to its availability on streaming services). Chuck Lorre, the show’s creator, does not believe that Young Sheldon is a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory.
Parsons sits down with Them to discuss some of the most significant events in his life as part of the promotion for his most recent movie, Spoiler Alert. That includes his participation in Young Sheldon, which he both produces and stars in. After leaving The Big Bang Theory, he continues to provide the narration as adult Sheldon. The actor discusses the origins of the project and his initial dislike of spin-offs, but Lorre counters that Young Sheldon isn’t a spin-off because it’s an origin tale. Below is his whole quote:
I said, ‘’I don’t like spin-offs,’ and he said, ‘don’t worry, it’s not a spin-off, it’s really an origin story’ which is very fitting considering all the origin stories that our characters on our show we’re obsessed with.
What was the reason The Big Bang Theory never had a successful spin-off?
Despite an underwhelming final season, CBS nonetheless managed to give the Pasadena crew a fitting send-off. The Big Bang Theory abruptly ended because of Parsons’ choice to leave the show; rather than go on without him, the remaining cast and crew chose to wrap things up completely. Young Sheldon was building a fan base independent of its parent series by that time in season 2. Parsons later said that he would have liked to see The Big Bang Theory go on without Sheldon, which would have been challenging given that the socially awkward genius was the show’s real protagonist. In the end, it was preferable for CBS to decide to properly send off the Pasadena bunch than take a chance on continuing the show without its finest character.
The creators and network understood that by giving other cast members their own spin-off, they could still capitalize on The Big Bang Theory’s enduring success. They understood how difficult it would be to get it off the ground given how the show’s send-off played out, but nothing tangible came of it. After Sheldon and Amy’s Nobel Prize victory in The Big Bang Theory finale, the Pasadena group merely returned to their old routines rather than signifying the end of an era. Given this, it would be very hard to continue any of their stories alone because they will continue to communicate often.
Although some stars and producers are open to doing a future reunion, there are currently no plans for any further seasons of The Big Bang Theory. Even if it gets into development, it would be challenging to actively work on this because many of the sitcom’s cast members are occupied with their other projects. Therefore, Young Sheldon is the only option to keep watching the popular CBS comedy, whether it is technically a spin-off or not.