Leonard-Centric Big Bang Theory Spinoff Would Be Its Dumbest Move

With news breaking recently of another The Big Bang Theory spin-off in the making, but no specific details of its focus, fans are speculating as to which of the main characters' lives it might follow.

And some have suggested a Leonard-centric show that explores his childhood in the same way that Young Sheldon looks at the way Jim Parsons' character came to be his adult self.

But this would be a dreadful idea. While Young Sheldon has some pretty heavy themes it is, at heart, still a comedy. Leonard's formative years, though, do not make for any kind of lighthearted show.

It's made abundantly clear throughout TBBT that his childhood was spent distant from his mother and his siblings.

When we see his dad in The Big Bang Theory, their relationship is far warmer than that which Leonard has with his mother, Beverly, who is very much like Sheldon in personality.

But we also know Alfred worked away a lot. So, even if he was slightly less cold than Beverley, he's hardly likely to feature much.

Beverley's similarity to Leonard's flatmate helps explain why he's able to live with Sheldon. But it's not a part of the story that had ever demanded greater depth or investigation. It just is what it is.

Other references to life growing up in the Hofstadter household fit into a similar category. The children never celebrated birthdays, and instead of enjoying Christmas, they submitted papers to Santa which were marked the next day. Hell, Leonard even described how he invented a hugging machine to make up for the affection his mother never gave him.

All of these work as jokes about his past in the context of TBBT. But does that family dynamic really scream a standalone show?

Of course not. Young Sheldon works because he grew up in a normal family and was shown warmth by those around him. A spin-off based on Leonard's upbringing would basically be a comedy show about the neglect and emotional abuse of a child.

The only option would be to rewrite his childhood to make the family – and life in the home – more palatable. And while it's not completely impossible to imagine that Leonard's view of his early home life is a little exaggerated, there's a hell of a lot of backtracking to do if this suggested show were to be anything other than a complete car crash.

There are so many avenues that can be explored that don't unpick TBBT and are actually worthy of stories. So, let's hope they don't go ahead with this one: it really would be the dumbest thing ever for the franchise.