'Young Sheldon' and 'The Good Doctor' Score Full Season Orders; The Best New Shows on TV?
Are "Young Sheldon" on CBS and "The Good Doctor" on ABC the best new shows on television? Both series scored full season orders after just one or two episode airings.
"Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" kicked off their run with impressive ratings at 17.2 million and 11.2 million respectively. When the television landscape today offers 500 different shows, "Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" are standing out and making a mark and that's always the challenge for a new series.
"Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" are resurging broadcast networks as well. Industry insiders are happy that viewers still tune to new broadcast network shows when there are tougher competitions from cable networks and streaming platforms.
While it's too early to say with finality that "Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" are the best new shows on TV, their performance in the ratings, as well as the feedback from critics and social media followers, show promise. Curiously, however, "Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" belong to different categories as one is a family comedy, while the other is a medical drama.
"Young Sheldon" is a spinoff to "The Big Bang Theory," but it doesn't follow a sitcom treatment. Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons and Emmy-winning showrunner Chuck Lorre are behind the show, which takes place in 1989 and features a 9-year-old lead.
"The Good Doctor," on the other hand, is based on a Korean drama series about a person with autism who is training to be a surgeon. "House" creator David Shore developed the series for U.S. viewers with the help of "Hawaii Five-O" actor Daniel Dae Kim, who has Korean roots.
What makes "Young Sheldon" and "The Good Doctor" more appealing to viewers is its feel-good element, according to Salon. Viewers are looking for shows that are the opposite of what's happening in reality. They seek comfort from these programs because real-life events can be horrific and depressing these days.
"Young Sheldon" returns for episode 2 on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS. "The Good Doctor" airs on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
