It has taken seven seasons, and over a hundred episodes with a few more to come, butYoung Sheldonis wrapping its run after telling of the childhood adventures of a young Sheldon Cooper. Played byIain Armitagein the series, the character, in his later years would be the center of the beloved sitcom,The Big Bang TheorywithJim Parsonsplaying the lead role. A blend of comedy and science is theme shared by both shows, as isthe value of family. Having premiered in September 2017,Young Sheldonstarted out with an extremely young cast which have truly become a family, while teaching an older cast member invaluable life lessons, according toAnnie Potts.
Throughout the entiriety of the comedy series so far, Potts has played the ever charming, witty, andsomewhat criminally adjacent, grandma to the Cooper kids, their beloved Meemaw. Speaking withPeopleas the show’s cast edges ever closer to the series' end, Potts reflects on the time spent with her co-stars, and the invaluable lessons she gleaned from being around them. “It’s such a delicate thing, because they’re kind of free when they say and do things,” she explained. “One of the first shows I was in,I was sitting next to Raegan at this dinner table, and during the shooting, she just put her little hand up my sleeve andplayed with the back of my arm that was kind of loose. She examined it and rubbed it, and I just love that she felt safe enough and she just unfettered. It was the sweetest thing.”
It is clear that over the course. of the seasons spent on air, the cast had truly bonded into a real family as highlighted bythe emotional scenesin the aftermath of Georgie’s (Montana Jordan) wedding. It is not something everyone would understand with Potts adding, “I told another actor that story. They said, ‘Well, why didn’t you ask her to stop?’I went, ‘Stop. That’s gold. I would never stop her.’ But yeah, they teach you how to just be real.’”
The show haswrapped filmingon its final season, and all that is left to enjoy the ride all the way tothe series finale. Armitage first featured as Sheldon Cooper when he was only eight, with co-star,Raegan Revord(Missy Cooper), taking on her role ashis twin sisteronly a year older. Potts goes on to highlight just how much they had grown. “They were so little when we started. They were this big, and now look at them,” Potts said, with Armitage now 15, and Revord at 16. “My God, they all turned out so beautiful and so sweet, and we feel likewe had a hand in raising them… When we started out, they would sit in my lap and just play with my fingers and kiss me and tell me they love me all day long. That, and they still do actually.They’re a little big for my lap, but they still love me and kiss me all day long and tell me they love me. That’s not a bad way to live.”
The final episode ofYoung Sheldonairs on May 16. Past seasons are streaming now on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Young Sheldon
This television series is a prequel to a popular sitcom, focusing on the childhood of a gifted young boy in East Texas. Navigating school and family life with a unique intellect far beyond his years, it humorously explores his early endeavors to be understood by his conventional family and classmates.
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