The mighty little man is little no more! Now Young Sheldon has ended for good, it’s time to weigh in with the definitive season ranking.
The Young Sheldon Season 7 ending delivered an emotional sucker punch to fans, but that doesn’t mean Sheldon’s childhood can’t be enjoyed all over again.
While how to watch Young Sheldon varies from country to country, each territory has plenty of ways to savor the show from the start while forgetting all about George’s death.
So, while we wait for the sequel Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, it’s time to look back at where we’ve come from. Without further ado, here’s our definitive ranking of all Young Sheldon seasons.
7. Season 6 (2023)
Young Sheldon Season 6 isn’t at the bottom of this list because it’s a bad season, but because it got a little too adult for us with all its drama. Fans would be hard-pressed to forget the distressing scenes of the Medford tornado alone, with Missy and George clinging to each other on the muddy ground as the storm tears by.
The Young Sheldon cast is all grown up now, too. It’s the first time where it really notices, with Georgie becoming a dad, Sheldon’s voice cracking, and Missy embracing the spirit of teenage rebellion. Gone are the days when not losing in a baseball game was the biggest worry on the agenda, with the kids more caught up in stealing trucks and college frat parties.
While this is going to set fans in good stead for the sequel, it does leave us feeling like we’re missing something. Young Sheldon is arguably a sitcom that works best when things are light-hearted and able to deliver something really emotional through silly yet relatable scenes. When your house is at risk of having its roof ripped off, the fun naturally dies down.
6. Season 5 (2022)
Young Sheldon Season 5 is more of a transition period, gently nudging fans from childhood to teen and tween years. While it doesn’t really have any memorable storylines — except for Georgie meeting Mandy — Season 5 consistently delivers the laughs.
On the cusp of not caring enough and caring too much, Missy and Sheldon are at their funniest during these episodes. Whether it’s dunking on each other at Sunday school or giving the staff at East Texas Tech a piece of their minds, their personalities are fully established, and they’re each embracing it.
Meemaw and Georgie are on top form too, teaming up to run the gambling room that eventually gets them into trouble during Season 7. Meanwhile, Mary and George are each set up with potential affair storylines, which do nothing other than upset the fans watching. Even with all of this, it’s difficult to remember a single episode from Young Sheldon Season 5 off the top of your head, meaning we couldn’t rank it any higher.
5. Season 7 (2024)
If it wasn’t for the way Young Sheldon Season 7 so deftly wraps up overarching storylines, it would be straight at the bottom for George’s death alone. Looking past that, it can’t be denied that the latest episodes actually provide fans with some of the best moments, including the reveal of George never cheating on Mary in the first place.
While fans have been divided over the final goodbye in Episode 14, it’s safe to say that the cast and crew nailed George’s funeral. Bringing some of the show’s most touching moments full circle, it’s a near-perfect alternative to the ending that nobody actually wanted. Leaving enough questions while providing answers to nagging questions, Season 7 is the best-constructed season out of the bunch.
However, this is all probably because the creators are left trying to dig themselves out of a hole. Knowing they’ve messed up by killing off George, they’ve got a huge apology to give — and what better way to do that than to make a final series that nobody actually hates? Even better, the Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik cameos sweeten the deal, officially handing over the baton to The Big Bang Theory.
4. Season 2 (2018)
Sure, Young Sheldon Season 2 has a couple of the best episodes of all time — such as Meemaw getting Sheldon out of school to play video games all day — but the rest of the time, it’s middle of the road. A reliable series fans can always fall back on to binge; it still pales in comparison to both earlier and future seasons.
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What Season 2 absolutely nails is its season finale, which is without question the best of the bunch. Seeing the tiny little Big Bang Theory gang as kids is almost the perfect offset to a much bleaker storyline, with Dr. Sturgis being admitted to a psychiatric unit. Watching his relationship with Meemaw unravel still doesn’t sit well, especially as her new boyfriend, Dale, becomes so cantankerous in later episodes.
That being said, there’s a lot of good in Season 2. Sheldon accidentally outs his family as Communists live on a statewide news channel, befriends Georgie’s biggest bully, and begins his time at East Texas Tech. While it’s Sheldon’s chance to shine, characters such as Missy and Mary blend into the background a bit, and Georgie only has eyes for Veronica Duncan.
3. Season 4 (2021)
Don’t you love it when Sheldon gets a little bit emotional? Young Sheldon Season 4 gets off to a great start with Sheldon acknowledging Missy in his valedictorian speech, and the going only gets better from there. It’s a series where the Cooper kids are busy figuring things out, and it’s a lot of fun to go on that journey with them.
It’s the first season where Young Sheldon really starts to push the boundaries with its guest stars, bringing in Melanie Lynskey pre-Yellowjackets to send Sheldon through a spin by introducing him to philosophy. Though she doesn’t stay long, it does cement another guest star’s staying power in the form of June Ballard, played by Reba McEntire. While she’s first seen in Season 3, June really starts to test both Dale and Meemaw in Season 4, making for some delicious drama.
In a nutshell, Young Sheldon Season 4 isn’t afraid to throw caution to the wind and have fun, and fans reap the benefits of that. Even Mary is up for trying something new, wanting to change up her hair and get into new hobbies. If anything, it might be the most human series, with far more hits than misses.
2. Season 3 (2019)
As our runner-up, Young Sheldon Season 3 is a pretty iconic season, with the show’s most important storylines peaking at this point. Missy finally becomes her own person after finding baseball, Georgie cracks everybody up by getting in too deep with Veronica, and Sheldon expands on his relationships in and outside his family unit.
Fans are also treated to the unforgettable breakup between Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis, with no one more surprised at how much loss they feel than Meemaw herself. This doesn’t last for long, though, setting up what becomes one of the best friendships in the show, proving to each other that caring despite all the odds is always time well spent.
There’s also a major Big Bang Theory connection in Young Sheldon Season 3, with George taking Sheldon to see Caltech for the first time. The series marks the start of possibilities, with the cast able to balance having a good time with figuring out what’s next, meaning that the drama never gets too bogged down in seriousness. Extra points go to Missy for dunking Pastor Jeff in the church water tank seven times… he deserved it.
1. Season 1 (2017)
Of course, the best season of Young Sheldon has to be its first, back when everything — including Sheldon himself — was still shiny and fresh. Many fans would probably agree that tiny Sheldon was the best Sheldon, and watching a nine-year-old in a bow tie walk into his first day of high school is unforgettable TV.
It’s also the season that provides fans with the most iconic moments that influence how the rest of the show plays out. Meemaw and George fight over her famous brisket recipe, Missy and George have their daddy-daughter date to Red Lobster, and Sheldon attends his first (and last) house party completely by accident. If you’re reeling off an episode from memory, chances are it happened in Season 1.
Fans who have seen George’s death will know that Young Sheldon Season 1 deserves to be top of the pile for one reason — Sheldon’s dad dedicates his time to understanding his son. While on a fishing trip gone wrong, George lets Sheldon wax lyrical about rain clouds, watching his son in loved-up awe. Almost in a promise to himself, George sets himself up to not let Sheldon down, and he never did.
Young Sheldon Season 7 is now available to stream on Paramount Plus, while Seasons 1-6 are on Netflix. You can check out everything we know about Young Sheldon Season 8, as well as why the Young Sheldon finale wasn’t even about George or Sheldon at all and other binge-worthy TV shows to add to your list.
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