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Young Sheldon poster

Shows that feel likeYoung Sheldon (2017–2024)

The early life of child genius Sheldon Cooper, later seen in The Big Bang Theory.

If you loved Young Sheldon, the closest series we have are High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019), The Wonder Years (1988) and Sex Education (2019). All three share Young Sheldon's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Freaks and Geeks (1999).

12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

If Young Sheldon hit the spot, these will too

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series poster
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
2019–2023 · 4 seasons · Disney+
★ 7.1family · comedy · dramaDisney+

Earnest kids, gentle jokes and comfort-food warmth around the whole thing

The difference: A mockumentary musical about a drama club — songs and teen romance, no family

A group of East High students countdown to the opening night of their school’s first-ever production of “High School Musical.” Showmances blossom; friendships are tested while new ones are made; rivalries flare and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only a high school drama club can provide.

The Wonder Years poster
The Wonder Years
1988–1993 · 6 seasons · ABC
★ 8.3comedy · drama · familyHulu

A childhood narrated from adulthood, so every small thing carries weight

The difference: More bittersweet than funny, and rooted in the sixties rather than the eighties

The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.

Sex Education poster
Sex Education
2019–2023 · 4 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.2comedy · dramaNetflix

A clever misfit teenager permanently out of step with everyone around him

The difference: Frank and explicit about teen sex — a long way from family-hour comfort

Inexperienced Otis channels his sex therapist mom when he teams up with rebellious Maeve to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

Hey Arnold! poster
Hey Arnold!
1996–2004 · 5 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 7.6animation · comedy · dramaParamount+

A thoughtful kid narrating a neighbourhood full of adults

The difference: Animated, and quietly much sadder

The daily life of Arnold--a fourth-grader with a wild imagination, street smarts and a head shaped like a football.

The Nanny poster
The Nanny
1993–1999 · 6 seasons · CBS
★ 7.2comedy · familyPrime VideoHulu

A household comedy built around one very particular personality

The difference: Multi-cam nineties New York, adult and much louder

That flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air poster
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990–1996 · 6 seasons · NBC
★ 7.9comedy · familyHulu

A family sitcom that keeps sneaking real feeling past the jokes

The difference: Multi-cam nineties comedy, and much funnier

Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.

Love, Victor poster
Love, Victor
2020–2022 · 3 seasons · Hulu
★ 7.9comedy · dramaHuluDisney+

A kid quietly working out who he is while the household reshuffles around him

The difference: Coming-out drama with real ache — heavier, and aimed at older viewers

Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation. When it all seems too much, he reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school.

Freaks and Geeks poster
Freaks and Geeks
1999–2000 · 1 season · NBC
★ 8.7drama · comedyPrime VideoParamount+

A clever misfit and the family who love him without understanding him

The difference: Much sadder and more truthful, and it was cancelled too soon

High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the "freaks"), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the "geeks").

Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide poster
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
2004–2007 · 3 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 7.4comedy · kidsParamount+

School survival told through a bright kid who has a system for everything

The difference: A kids' sitcom, faster and much broader

The whacky adventures of Ned Bigby and his best pals Moze and Cookie at James K. Polk Middle School, as "every-kid" Ned shatters the fourth wall to share tips and tricks on navigating middle school or junior high hurdles. Ned's not super cool, and he has no superpowers. He is, however, witty, well-groomed, upbeat and self-aware. Moreover, with more than a little help from his two best friends, he's equipped to conquer middle school minefields. From crushing bullies to crushes, from off- the-wall, mean and cool teachers to pop quizzes, elections and detentions, Ned knows that nothing, including the seventh grade, is as bad as it seems, and friendship matters most.

Atypical poster
Atypical
2017–2021 · 4 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.2drama · comedyNetflix

A family rearranging itself around a son who sees the world differently

The difference: Present-day and more serious about the strain — less comedy, more reckoning

Sam, an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, takes a funny, yet painful, journey of self-discovery for love and independence and upends his family.

Full House poster
Full House
1987–1995 · 8 seasons · ABC
★ 6.8comedy · familyHulu

Two things both keep coming back to: family and sitcom

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Young Sheldon does

After the death of his wife, Danny enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.

Anne with an E poster
Anne with an E
2017–2019 · 3 seasons · CBC Television
★ 8.6drama · familyNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: growing up

The difference: Trades the wit of Young Sheldon for an angle of its own

A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

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The best-reviewed series that share Young Sheldon’s defining feeling.