Young Sheldon's Co-Creator Was Concerned About A Key Creative Decision

"The Big Bang Theory" prequel "Young Sheldon" is all about Sheldon Cooper's (Iain Armitage) path from a child prodigy to Jim Parsons' adult version of the character. The prequel approach allows for the inclusion of familiar elements like Parson's narration and numerous allusions to the character's well-known traits and tics, but it also gives creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro an opportunity to approach the popular Sheldon in an entirely fresh way. However, making the show wasn't completely without challenges. In an interview with The New York Times, Molaro described one of the things about "Young Sheldon" he initially worried about the most:

"At the time, there were lots of concerns — Chuck and I were just trying to figure out how a single cam worked."

Apart from the obvious changes in setting, tone, and characters, the single-camera approach is indeed one of the most obvious differences between "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon." In fact, the former is so notorious for its multi-cam approach that in 2019 it became the longest-running multi-camera sitcom ever. As such, it's fairly understandable that there were concerns about the single-camera production approach.

Steven Molaro wasn't the only one who found the single-camera experience unnerving at first. Chuck Lorre also admitted that the experience was deeply unnerving, stating in a 2017 interview with Deadline:

"It's an entirely different animal, and the working process is very different. It's much slower."

However, multi-cam veterans Lorre and Molaro didn't make "Young Sheldon" a single-camera show just to challenge themselves. On the contrary, Lorre also noted that they specifically subjected themselves to it because they felt that single-camera was easier on Iain Armitage and the show's other young actors. As Lorre put it:

"I also knew we were going to be working with a cast of young children, including one in the starring role. It is a more appropriate way for them to do their best work — in a closed setting.

Incidentally, the creators of the show weren't the only ones who had certain concerns about the prequel series. At first, "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons almost rejected "Young Sheldon" because he didn't feel the need to revisit the eponymous character. However, just like Lorre and Molaro embraced and mastered the single-camera approach, the series won Parsons over. He ultimately stayed with the show throughout its seven-season run, and even made an on-camera cameo in the "Young Sheldon" finale.