Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard October 20, 2024

Young Sheldon is a charming and emotionally resonant family sitcom and drama. The series is a spin-off of the Warner Brothers smash-hit The Big Bang Theory, which ran for twelve seasons. The spin-off is a delight the entire family can enjoy together. Young Sheldon became a hit spinoff with audiences.

From creators and executive producers Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, Young Sheldon explores the early years of the young genius Sheldon Cooper and his time spent growing up in a small town in Texas across its seven-season episodic run. Audiences have something special on their hands with Young Sheldon: it is a heartfelt television series and one that is sure to create memories in the hearts of audiences.

Warner Bros. provides a complete series collection with the entire series run in one complete box-set: spanning all seven seasons and 141 episodes of the series. Young Sheldon is a worthwhile addition to the storytelling universe of The Big Bang Theory. The series departs from the multi-camera sitcom and situational filmmaking style of The Big Bang Theory for a single-camera comedy- drama. The change of style helps Young Sheldon to develop its own style and unique voice while still being an integral part of the storytelling canon of The Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) is in love with science. In fact, one could argue science is Sheldon’s one true love and passion. Yet Sheldon has a lot more love in him than some see at first glance – the young boy wonder has a caring and affectionate family that loves him deeply. Sheldon is raised in Texas by his adoring parents, Mary (Zoe Perry) and George (Lance Barber).

Sheldon learns a lot about life (and science) in his early years growing up in the state of Texas. Sheldon attends college early (even creating a big campaign to get himself early enrollment at a university) and has a lot of fun tackling big scientific questions at every turn. College provides Sheldon a lot of neat opportunities to explore his intellect and the world of science.

As the Young Sheldon series unfolds, Sheldon finds himself learning a lot more than just science. Sheldon has a lot in store for him. Sheldon faces new challenges and adventures with his brother Georgie Cooper (Montana Jordan) and sister Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord). Connie 'Meemaw' Tucker (Annie Potts) also plays a big role in the lives of all of the siblings. The family dynamic is one that brings each of these odd siblings together – on the surface none even have that much in common but beneath the surface the three siblings have plenty to learn from each other. Sheldon, of course, is the biggest oddball of all – genius wonderkid and someone who has a wild imagination.

Young Sheldon explores the tale while intertwining together tales of faith, football, and the TX country outdoors. Sheldon’s mother is immersed in her faith and Sheldon is more about science than religion. Yet despite these differences (explored on The Big Bang Theory and further expanded on Young Sheldon), the mother-son dynamic is a strong familial bond between the two.

The “geekdom” of Young Sheldon plays a big role on the series, too. Young Sheldon explores comic- book tropes, nerdy shenanigans, and “easter eggs” for audiences to pick up on. These easter eggs add to the series throwback style. After all, Young Sheldon shines a spotlight on early-era computers and video games (the kind that are text-based – the Oregon Trail generation).

"Logic will get you from A to Z." - Albert Einstein

The cast is one of the best elements of Young Sheldon. Iain Armitage was terrific in the central role as Sheldon Cooper. As the storyline and series progresses, Iain Armitage gained a lot of confidence in the role and became even more impressive as the series went on – adding his own impressive take to the iconic character Jim Parsons performed on The Big Bang Theory.

The supporting cast is terrific, too. Zoe Perry is perhaps the M.V.P. as Sheldon’s mother. Lance Barber is also impressive as the football coach dad in over his head with a young genius in his household. Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord) and Georgie Cooper (Montana Jordan) also get plenty of time to impress. Playing the siblings of Sheldon Cooper surely wasn’t the easiest task in the world. The actors both manage to make a good impression as the siblings of the eccentric boy genius. Annie Potts is an essential supporting player on the series, too. Potts delivers a lot of the best comedic lines.

The production design of Young Sheldon is impressive and manages to bring to life the Texas setting in a believable way. The production design by Joseph P. Lucky (Saved by the Bell, American Princess) is true to the concept and manages to play well off of the setting. The design and atmosphere of the work is certainly in-tune to the series and The Big Bang Theory origins. The art direction by Colin D. Irwin (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, House of Frankenstein) adds to the creative energy of the production as well.

The cinematography by Buzz Feitshans IV (Community, Chuck) is a highlight of Young Sheldon. The visual quality of the series is better-than-expected for a one-camera comedy-drama. The cinematography is a distinct part of the production. Young Sheldon looks unique and different from the visual style of The Big Bang Theory. The style works well and creates a nostalgic vibe that is a good throwback for the TX time-period.

The costume designs by Linda M. Bass (To Live and Die in L.A., Crash) add to the production value, too. The costumes are true to the characters – both new and old – from either the original run of The Big Bang Theory or as introduced on Young Sheldon. The designs fit the time-period and Texas setting throughout while also showing the differences between the characters and their aesthetic vibes.

Young Sheldon also features a solid score composed by Jeff Cardoni (Silicon Valley, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) is another impressive part of the production. The score adds both charm and a dash of whimsy. The music recalls the 80s and 90s in spades. The music and soundtrack also plays a big role on the series.

Created by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory) and Steven Molaro (The Big Bang Theory), Young Sheldon is an entertaining prequel to The Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite sitcoms – one I cherish – and it is wonderful to see a prequel that continues to expand on the original sitcom. Young Sheldon doesn’t even necessarily aim for the same exact audience – though there is a crossover element.

Fans of The Big Bang Theory will enjoy Young Sheldon. So will family audiences looking for a great series to watch with the family – perhaps unfamiliar with The Big Bang Theory. Fans of Young Sheldon who have never seen The Big Bang Theory might feel encourage to check out The Big Bang Theory after seeing the conclusion of Young Sheldon and find even more adventures await with Sheldon Cooper. There’s plenty of comedy and engaging drama for everyone.

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Warner Bros., Young Sheldon: The Complete Series is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The complete series collection features the entire run of episodes. The video quality is excellent and there are a lot of wonderful things to appreciate about the presentation quality.

The cinematography is well-reproduced and the high-definition transfers remain faithful to the source image. Colors are robust, crisp, and beautifully reproduced. The presentation has deep color depth, texture, and fine detail.

The encoding quality is worthwhile. There are no egregious compression woes and the presentation remains consistently pleasing. The box-set provides a nice release of the series for fans. Streaming can sometimes have more variables at play (such as fluctuating bit-rates and encoding issues due to data-stream from your internet provider). For enthusiasts wanting to "eek out" (and nerd out like Sheldon Cooper and others like him), the physical media option provides significant value for fans and collectors alike.

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release provides a lossless audio presentation. The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio quality on the release is quite pleasing overall. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The release capably presents the soundstage and works well for the comedy-drama dynamics of the series.

The score composed by Jeff Cardoni is well reproduced and integrated into the sound mix. The audio is enhanced with the soundstage being opened up nicely for the surrounds during select sequences. The soundstage and audio sound effects are well handled on the release, too. The encoding is well- done.

Optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a jumbo oversized DVD case. The case is clear and has a flip-tray with the 14-disc set inside. Discs overlap on the flip-tray (and the disc tray is removable from the jumbo clear case). A standard o-card slipcover is provided. The slipcover features the Blu-ray banner at the top of the slip. The cover-art is the same on the slipcover as on the cover-art underneath the slip. My only real gripe is the average packaging – it certainly isn't as much fun as the deluxe set The Big Bang Theory received – bazinga, I guess?

On disc supplements include:

Season 1, Disc 2:

Young Sheldon: An Origin Story (HD, 9:45)

Sibling Revelry (HD, 4:07)

Season 2:

No extras.

Season 3, Disc 2:

The Coopers, East Texas, and the '80s (HD, 5:28)

Season 4, Disc 2:

Cooped Up with the Coopers (HD, 8:24)

Season 5, Disc 1:

Time Flies When You're Having Fun: Young Sheldon at 100 (HD, 8:16)

Season 6:

No extras.

Season 7, Disc 2:

Sheldon's Secret Origins and Easter Eggs (HD, 11:25) is the lone new supplement for the seventh and final season of the series. The bonus feature is all about the easter eggs and finding them in the 7^th season of the series. The cast and crew talk about the easter eggs and the most standout ones as featured in the seventh season. For "easter egg" junkies and Young Sheldon aficionados alike, it certainly is worth a look as the cast reminiscences about the final season and the series run while talking about the biggest easter egg moments. Can you catch all the Easter eggs?

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Young Sheldon is a heartwarming television series with a great ensemble cast. Young Sheldon has great writing and the comedy-drama is entertaining. Young Sheldon follows in the footsteps of The Big Bang Theory (theoretically, of course – the series is actually a prequel to The Big Bang Theory – wink, wink).

Young Sheldon: The Complete Series includes all 7 seasons and 141 episodes of the series television run. Fans of Young Sheldon looking for a permanent copy for their physical media collection should strongly consider a purchase. The release features quality video and audio across the seven seasons in the box-set.

The Blu-ray release also includes an extensive array of bonus features (bazinga!) – including an "easter egg" hunt supplement for all the egg fans out there. The box-set has tremendous value for a series fan who wants the entire series run and is well worth owning. Highly recommended.