The spinoff to "The Big Bang Theory" receives growing anticipation from viewers. Called "Young Sheldon," the show, which is set to debut this fall on CBS, earns 22 million views for its first teaser.
The network presented "Young Sheldon" to advertisers last May 17 during the New York Upfronts and the teaser was subsequently posted online. Deadline reported that according to CBS, the video racked up high numbers in combined views on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
"Young Sheldon" focuses on a 9-year-old version of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), one of the lead characters on "The Big Bang Theory." Child actor Iain Armitage assumes the role in the spinoff, which looks back on Sheldon's childhood as the youngest student in an East Texas high school. Parsons will narrate the series.
The show also delves into Sheldon's family background as a conservative Christian family. Viewers will get to know his father, George Cooper, Sr. (Lance Barber), brother, George Jr. (Montana Jordan) and twin sister, Missy (Raegan Revord) for the first time.
Viewers will also be re-introduced to Sheldon's mom, Mary, who has been featured on "The Big Bang Theory" as a recurring character. This time, however, she's a younger version played by Zoe Perry. Incidentally, Perry is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who played Mary in the original series.
Perry told Entertainment Weekly she got some help from her mom before auditioning for Mary. "I did run one of the scenes with her because I was curious to hear her accent doing it," the actress said.
Fan reactions to the "Young Sheldon" season 1 teaser have been mixed. While others think the spinoff would be a less appealing repetition of the original show, some fans expressed eagerness for learning about Sheldon's past. "I just watched a promo for it and I was crying at the end of it. So beautiful! Definitely will be watching it!" one fan said on the show's official Facebook page.
"Young Sheldon" season 1 will premiere on Monday, Sept. 25, at 8:30 p.m. EDT on CBS. Then on Nov. 2, the series will move to a new timeslot to air back-to-back with "The Big Bang Theory" season 11.
