If The Big Bang Theory wants to create another prequel series similar to Young Sheldon, Penny is the best character to focus on. The sitcom about a group of socially awkward scientists and friends is still popular several years after it ended, leading to speculation that there will someday be a The Big Bang Theory revival. In the meantime, it has already spawned two spinoffs. Young Sheldon, which focused on Sheldon's childhood, ran for seven years on CBS before making way for Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which is the first spinoff not to revolve around Sheldon.
Young Sheldon's phenomenal success has led to speculation and debate over ranking prequel ideas starring other The Big Bang Theory characters. Theoretically, any of the main characters could be spun off into a prequel series, as little is known about any of their childhoods or the events that shaped them into the people they are during The Big Bang Theory. While a case could be made for any of them, Penny has one advantage over the others that would make her ideally suited to star in a hypothetical new prequel series.
A Lot Of The Big Bang Theory Prequels Would Be Too Similar To Young Sheldon
The Details Might Differ, But They Would All Star Boy Genuises
While it might be entertaining to learn about Leonard, Raj, or Howard's childhood, that type of Big Bang Theory prequel premise would get old fast because it would be too similar to Young Sheldon. Like Sheldon, all three of these men were once highly intelligent boys whose families likely had no idea what to do with them. Of course, no other family is the Coopers. The dynamics or the problems the family faces might be different but ultimately, the premise would be the same, making it feel like a reboot starring another The Big Bang Theory character.
Additionally, a lot of the humor in both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon came from Sheldon being Sheldon. Thus, a Young Leonard, Young Raj, or Young Howard prequel would likely fall flat because these boy geniuses wouldn't have Sheldon's idiosyncrasies. These shows would come off as being poor imitations of the original, which would make it challenging for them to hold the audience's attention. Even if these shows somehow managed to succeed, they would always be overshadowed by Young Sheldon, making them less than ideal premises for new shows.
A Young Penny Spinoff Would Be Very Different To Young Sheldon
It Would Be Closer To Classic Teen Girl Sitcoms
Penny, however, is not like the other characters in The Big Bang Theory. She's not a scientist or super genius, which means that Penny's childhood would be more like a typical American girl's in the 1980s and 1990s. Thus, a Young Penny sitcom would not seem like a knockoff of Young Sheldon, although it might feel similar to other teen girl sitcoms such as Girl Meets World or 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter, the latter of which starred Kaley Cuoco.
The plots in a Young Penny hypothetical sitcom would be more typical as well and would most likely revolve around Penny's growing awareness of and interest in boys. It could make an interesting coming-of-age sitcom that sometimes delved into serious topics without losing sight of the fact that it's supposed to be a comedy. This sitcom idea would give the audience a unique perspective on teenage girlhood in America that a Young Amy show could not because Amy likely didn't relate to typical teenage life.
Young Penny Is The Best TBBT Prequel, But Sequels Would Be Better Now
There Is Little Need To Explore Any Other Character's Childhood
Although Penny's prequel would be more interesting than that of any other The Big Bang Theory character, there's little point to developing another prequel. Young Sheldon worked because Sheldon was a unique character whom many in the neurodivergent community identified with, and exploring his childhood gave context to the way he behaved as an adult while creating a new set of beloved characters such as his parents and brother. However, the prequel also caused massive continuity problems with The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon was boxed into killing off George Sr. because of the backstory in The Big Bang Theory.
Thus, it makes more sense to move forward with sequel series. These series can tell present-day stories about characters from The Big Bang Theory and are not constrained by the backstory set up in the original. Additionally, Georgie & Mandy's FIrst Marriage is a prequel series featuring Sheldon's older brother, so it would be redundant for The Big Bang Theory to create any more spinoffs set in the past instead of focusing on the present and future.
