Young Sheldon Vs. The Big Bang Theory: Which One Is Better, According To IMDb

"Young Sheldon" would not exist without "The Big Bang Theory" and the success the sitcom experienced during its 12-season run. The prequel sitcom was born out of a desire to dive into Sheldon's past and tell different stories within the same universe. However, there are some critics who would argue that over its seven seasons, it has actually surpassed the success of its predecessor. Fans of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon" have also spent years debating which show is superior, but the IMDb rankings for both shows tell us which one wins out, and it's the parent show that takes the crown.

Of course, there's a caveat, as the original sitcom has considerably more votes on IMDb than its successor. "The Big Bang Theory" boasts an average rating of 8.1 out of 10, based on 870,000-plus votes, compared to the 7.6 average rating of "Young Sheldon," which is taken from over 104,000 votes. However, while this is a pretty big disparity, we're dealing with votes in the hundreds of thousands, so finding an average is more than fair, even if these weren't the results proud "Young Sheldon" fans were hoping for.

It is "The Big Bang Theory" series finale, "The Stockholm Syndrome," which takes the top spot as the show's highest-rated episode. The episode celebrates momentous achievements for Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) as they win the Nobel Prize, and for Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who have some exciting baby news. It boasts a 9.5 out of 10 rating, meaning it outranks all episodes of "Young Sheldon." But the prequel sitcom takes a close second place with its penultimate episode, "Funeral," which sees the Coopers and their friends come together to mourn George Sr.'s (Lance Barber) death. The episode has a rating of 9.4 out of 10 and is closely followed by Season 7, Episode 12, "A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture. The 9.2-rated episode sees the Coopers receive the sad news about George's passing.

Both of these episodes outrank the second highest-rated episode of "The Big Bang Theory," Season 2's "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis," which is a comical Christmas episode. The success of these "Young Sheldon" episodes perhaps comes down to the fact that they are more substantive and emotionally charged — something the spin-off has been praised for doing so well. However, "Young Sheldon" has a lower overall rating compared to its predecessor, and this may be due to the one major difference between the shows. 

As viewers know, "Young Sheldon" is filmed using a single-cam setup rather than multi-cam, which means it ditches the signature laugh track and live audience of "TBBT." This was a popular move in comedy at the time, but it may not have been the right one in hindsight. Co-creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro plan to rectify this with the upcoming spin-off, "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage," which will switch back to multi-cam.