Why Jim Parsons thought he was a mediocre producer on Young Sheldon

In the canon of successful TV spinoffs, we now always have to mention “Young Sheldon.” Happening in the same “Big Bang Theory” universe The sitcom focused on young Sheldon Cooper, who grew up in Texas long before he became the man audiences knew as portrayed by Jim Parsons. When it came time to give his character new life through a newer lens, Parsons was directly involved not only as the show's narrator, but also as an executive producer. But while he's relatively confident as an actor, Parsons didn't have the same confidence as a producer.

in a 2017 interview with CBS NewsParsons sat down with “Young Sheldon” star Iain Armitage to discuss the show as well as their relationship. Parsons mentored Armitage heavily to help him become the new Sheldon Cooper. But when asked about the executive producer position, Parsons was not shy about his feelings.

“I'm very mediocre at it,” Parsons replied, although Armitage quickly interjected and disagreed, saying: “Not true.” Speaking a little further. Parsons elaborated on his new role and explained why it has been a challenge for him. It just so happened that he didn't want to tell another actor how to do his job:

“It's very strange and takes a lot to get used to, even talking to another actor, in this case Ian. I've never been comfortable directing another actor. I don't know what makes another actor tick. necessarily, and I don't want to break or he!

“I'm not that fragile. I'm fragile, but not that fragile,” commented Armitage. Parsons then agreed, replying, “No, you're not actually.”

For what it's worth, it all worked out regardless of Parsons' feelings about himself as a producer. “Young Sheldon” ran for seven seasons on CBS before its conclusion in May 2024. That's episode 141 for those keeping track. It's not quite as long as 12 seasons and 279 episodes as The Big Bang Theory, but to say the spin-off was anything shy of a surprisingly successful run would be unfair.

Parsons largely allowed Armitage to put his own stamp on Sheldon Cooper, even from the start. Yes, we know the old Sheldon, whom Armitage referred to as “big Sheldon” in an interview, but this was a very different version of the character. Parsons talked a little about that, explaining that watching the younger Sheldon discover everything he loves will keep the show going:

“It's really his own character. What you're seeing is how he became what we see in the adult show, and so that's kind of the creature that (Iain) is portraying here. There's an overlap, but we're looking at how he discovers things like comic books and his clothes will change styles as he goes through it, you see how it got through him.

Although he was only the narrator for most of the show, Parsons did appear as Sheldon Cooper in the series finale of Young Sheldon. He helped finish what he started, and Armitage can now build a career after a highly successful seven-year run on the hit show. Everyone won. So it can be difficult when you consider that Parsons is a poor producer.

“Young Sheldon” is now streaming on Max, or you can get your favorite season on Blu-ray/DVD via Amazon.