Culture 2 min read By Lauren Baxter
Chuck Lorre Nearly Scrapped Young Sheldon Before Its First Episode Was Shot
Co-creator Chuck Lorre says he was ready to abandon Young Sheldon unless one key detail came together, and the prequel later became a hit.
Co-creator Chuck Lorre says Young Sheldon came close to being scrapped before a single episode was filmed. According to Lorre, he was prepared to drop the project unless one detail of the prequel was right, a condition that shaped whether the series would move forward at all.
The show, which follows a young Sheldon Cooper growing up in East Texas before the events of The Big Bang Theory, went on to run for seven seasons on CBS. Lorre's account points to how close the series came to never reaching the screen, despite the success that later made it one of the network's most-watched comedies.
The question of whether a prequel could work at all was a real concern for the producers. Young Sheldon had to establish a character audiences already knew while building a story of its own, and the balance was delicate. Lorre's comments suggest that the creative standard he set before production began was high enough that he was willing to walk away if it was not met.
The series' behind-the-scenes history has drawn further attention through a new book. In Jessica Radloff's Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw's-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, the author chronicles the making of the series. The book also includes a detail about cast member Emily Osment, who requested an intimacy coordinator because of her concern about the age gap with co-star Montana Jordan. Radloff writes that Osment was uncomfortable, and Osment herself has said, "He was a baby!" There were no sex scenes in the show, but the request reflected how seriously the production treated questions of on-set boundaries.
The revelations arrive as Young Sheldon continues to draw interest from fans and industry watchers, years after its finale. Lorre's remarks about the early doubts surrounding the project add a new layer to the story of a prequel that many expected to fail, and that ultimately earned a durable place in the CBS sitcom lineup.
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