Instead of Mandy and Georgie, This Should Be the Next TBBT Spin-Off
Despite Young Sheldon's popularity, there's a better way to expand the franchise.
Summary
- The Big Bang Theory remains one of CBS' most popular sitcoms.
- Its prequel Young Sheldon will get its own spin-off.
- A better idea would be to focus on the childhood of another fan-favorite TBBT character.
- This show doesn't have to be a comedy.
Over the decades, CBS has produced many popular sitcoms such as The Nanny, Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, but The Big Bang Theory is arguably the most influential of the network's comedies. Launched in 2007, TBBT received a modest response from audiences. However, starting with season 2, it became a real hit.
As a result, The Big Bang Theory has spanned a whopping twelve seasons and gained popularity with generations of viewers around the world. In addition, TBBT has spawned a fan-favorite spin-off, Young Sheldon, which explores the childhood of its most eccentric character. The prequel series has proven so popular with viewers that it will now get its own spin-off following Georgie and Mandy's marriage. And as exciting as that news is, there's an even better idea for a new installment of the TBBT franchise.
Another TBBT Fan Favorite
The Big Bang Theory is remembered by most viewers for following a gang of nerdy scientists and their other halves, but that wasn't always true of the show. Originally, the CBS sitcom revolved around Sheldon, Leonard and their neighbor Penny. During that time, the trio was established as the show's central characters. And, of course, their arcs were the most popular with the audience.
Sure, Dr. Sheldon Cooper became TBBT's ultimate fan favorite thanks to his hilarious antics and controversial personality. Maybe that is why he got his own spin-off. But his roommate Leonard was also very popular with the audience. And more importantly, Leonard has a rich backstory to tell, unlike Young Sheldon's Mandy and Georgie, whose divorce is inevitable.
A Very Different Childhood Story
Leonard Hofstadter has an interesting personality in that he is both extremely self-aware and self-conscious. Apparently, both stem from his childhood, as he was raised by an anthropologist father and a psychiatrist mother. The latter taught him to see through his own feelings and behavior and left an emotional scar on him as she never made him feel loved and treated him more like an experiment than a son.
With this in mind, it would be interesting to delve into Leonard's childhood and see all the messed up things he lived through. Also, Dr. Hofstadter has two siblings, just like Sheldon, so a spin-off about him would have the potential to be the next family show. However, it's obvious that Leonard's story is much darker and sadder than Sheldon's, so it's not so clear that a Leonard-centric show could be a comedy. But who says the TBBT franchise can't have a family drama?