Because of its title, more than the premise or actual content, Young Sheldon was a series that was easy to make fun of, especially among the subset of punchline writers who didn't see any of the 141 episodes. The jokes were based on ignoring that Big Bang Theory The prequel was actually pretty good, a single-cam comedy that was generally tonally more geared toward that sort of thing The Wonder Years than its wider multi-cam predecessor.

CBS' Georgie and Mandy's first marriagethe spin-off for Big Bang Theory Prequel begins with a joke about tone. In the first scene of the pilot, Georgie (Montana Jordan) sits and watches with her in-laws Jim (Will Sasso) and Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones). Frasier.

“FrasierIt's a laugh show. I like laugh shows,” says Georgie. When asked to elaborate, he explains, “Some shows you can hear people laughing, some you can't.”

His generally disapproving mother-in-law replies, “Well, I'd rather laugh if I want to.”

Think of this comedy as a mix that splits the difference between the two The Big Bang Theory (a laugh show) and Young Sheldon (not a laugh show). It features some scenes accompanied by a loudly enthusiastic studio audience, and others – the more overtly emotional – are filmed without forced laughter. In this respect, it is probably most similar to the Chuck Lorre-produced project mamaan often exceptional sitcom with a great guest appearance by First marriage Star Emily Osment, and not one of the Sheldonia hits that came before.

Unfortunately, while mama came with an immediate catch (recovery from addiction and intergenerational relationships between damaged women) – as did both The Big Bang Theory (Nerds feel uncomfortable around hot women) and Young Sheldon (Young nerds felt uncomfortable in Texas in the 90s) – First marriage hasn't established a clear goal in the first two episodes sent out to critics. It has a good cast and, with Lorre, Steven Molaro and Steve Holland as creators, an appealing mastery of the format. But it feels exactly like what it is: a series that hovers on the periphery of two distinctive hits and hasn't yet figured out what makes it distinctive in its own right.

The plot, which does not require any specific knowledge of the previous series and would seem even more ephemeral without that knowledge, focuses on Georgie and Mandy (Osment), new parents who live with their parents in a medium-sized town in Texas…actually, I have no self don't know what year we have left in this universe.

Georgie, a big-hearted, dim-witted lightbulb, works for Jim, who owns a tire shop or something. Mandy, a little older and a little smarter than Georgie, dreams of becoming a television reporter but can't find a job. Jim is generally easy to get along with, while Audrey thinks Georgie has ruined her daughter's life, but she's just a general pill. The final member of their household is Connor (Dougie Baldwin), Mandy's music-loving brother, whose affect is somehow reminiscent of Sheldon.

It's a comparison that Sheldon's big brother Georgie makes several times in the first two episodes, which feature many character references and cameo appearances Young Sheldon Universe. There are appearances from Zoe Perry's “Mary,” Annie Potts' “Meemaw” and Raegan Revord's “Missy,” as well as a scene in which Georgie freaks out in outrage at the possibility of leaving the fictional Medford – as if to reassure her that she can will do at any time First marriage loses its moorings, an allusion to this Young Sheldon won't be far away.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing since viewers are already attached to these characters. Perry and Potts are very funny, while Revord delivers a really excellent dramatic beat in the second episode. But it's not always a good thing either. You don't have to see it though Young Sheldon or The Big Bang Theory make sense First marriageyou definitely need to see one or two to fully understand why CBS would look forward to a show so inoffensive in character and drama.

The references to the earlier texts are at the same time irrelevant to the plot and yet intrusively important. They fill space that could instead be used to develop these new relationships and this new situation, which are ultimately what the series needs to be successful, unless one assumes that in every single installment a “Hey!” occurs, remember things that happened on that other show!” guest appearance. But CBS hasn't sent out episodes that attempt to stand on their own.

Take away the connection to the characters played by Perry and Potts, take away the emotional resonance of several scenes set at the gravesite of Lance Barber's late George Sr., and you're left with – what exactly?

Jordan and Osment have nice chemistry, but it's bizarre how much more of it comes through in the opening sequence, in which Georgie and Mandy dance a sexy tango around a living room in domestic disarray, than in the series itself. That the title and previously determined Big Bang Theory The lore has made it clear that this marriage is doomed, and conveys a looming sense of melancholy that the narrative cannot yet grapple with – although I think that is a thing that should come to pass First marriage apart.

Incidentally, I felt the same way in the first few chapters Young Sheldon and the looming prospect of the death of George Senior, the Big Bang Theory Fans knew it was on the horizon, and Young Sheldon I actually handled it pretty well. So it's not that I would rule out successful sound navigation, just that I can't believe a review of a new series on the topic.

The immediately repetitive familiarity of the Jim/Audrey dynamic is more of a hindrance. I'm sure comedy will find more at some point Dear Evan Hansen Tony winner Jones has no choice but to play a character who has to constantly apologize for being wrong about Georgie and Mandy, even when she may actually be right about it, which ultimately leads to failure their marriage leads. As it stands, however, Audrey is mostly a nagging wife.

Jim is mostly Fred Flintstone, which forced me to look up whether Will Sasso has ever played Fred Flintstone, right in Quibi, so to speak Flint Series that I would really like to watch now. Honestly, given that Georgie and Mandy are somewhat grown-up Pebbles and Bam-Bam, I think I've just written a Halloween fantasy storyline for this show.

If Connor ever becomes more than just another opportunity to evade portrayals of supposed autism and serves as an excuse for references to Sheldon, he could become an interesting character. So far he isn't.

If Ruben (Jessie Prez), the other employee at Jim's tire shop, ever becomes more than the guy who resents Georgie for usurping him in a job he's not qualified for, he could be an interesting character become. So far he isn't.

One thing that Chuck Lorre rarely gets enough credit for – although, in the immortal words of Don Draper, that's where the money is – is deftly adapting his shows on the fly. The Big Bang Theory was terrible for most of his first season and then became a good example of that form, especially in the middle. Young Sheldon And mama Both evolved into the best-case scenario suggested in their pilots.

So maybe it's there Georgie and Mandy's first marriage will go? The first two episodes are flat and lack uniqueness, but they have some deep-rooted warmth and humor that could be channeled into something good at some point.