This Bleak Detail Proves Young Sheldon Isn't Family-Friendly After All
The show doesn't really protect the institution of the family.
Summary
- Young Family is more popular with viewers because it appeals to families.
- The show features a lot of character divorces.
- The divorces play an important role in the development of the plot.
Since its premiere in 2017, when The Big Bang Theory was still on the air, Young Sheldon has been very different from its mothership series. From the overall humor, which relies more on smarter one-liners than comedic situations and roasts, to more nuanced characters and storylines, the spin-off has a lot going for it.
Most importantly, YS is a family-oriented sitcom that you can watch with your parents and/or children because it doesn't contain (many) inappropriate jokes and tells the story of what it was like to be a family in Texas in the 1980-1990s. In fact, the family drama is probably one of the reasons why Young Sheldon is so popular with audiences. But there's one detail that shows the sitcom isn't really family-friendly.
A Divorce-Heavy Show
Although Young Sheldon is a sitcom, it is a very realistic show that masterfully recreates the time and culture in which it is set. In other words, apart from Shelly himself, YS is very close to real life, which means it has real-life features, both good and bad.
In that sense, the spin-off doesn't shy away from the topic of divorce, as there are many characters on the show who have experienced it. Pastor Jeff and his first hot wife, Selena, divorced when she got bored of him. The Coopers' neighbors, Brenda and Herschel Sparks, also divorced, with each taking custody of one of their children. Despite their seeming domestic idyll, Paige's parents divorced, which had a detrimental effect on the girl. Meemaw's boyfriend Dale is also divorced. And basically, Mary and George think about splitting up from time to time.
On the one hand, that's pretty normal. Divorce rates are high and people get married and divorced for all kinds of reasons. But on the other hand, it's contradictory to the whole family-oriented premise of the show.
A Weak Excuse
Nevertheless, the divorces were important plot devices that set up important changes on the show and the characters' arcs. Pastor Jeff met a lovely police officer. Brenda became close to George, which nearly destroyed the Cooper family. The divorce of Paige's parents proved that, despite her remarkable intelligence, she is just a teenage girl with the same problems as her peers. And Dale's divorce allowed Meemaw to have a boyfriend in him and a good friend in his ex-wife.
But as important as the divorces were to the spin-off's overall storyline, they hurt the show's family friendliness. Young Sheldon will return with a new episode on April 11.