After making an impressive debut in the US late last year, Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon is proving to have some international power as well after it made its German TV premier on Monday, becoming ProSieben’s ” best series start of the millennium”.
The Big Bang Theory is already a hit in Germany, so a spinoff wasn’t entirely shocking, but the new show did manage to draw in a larger audience. Young Sheldon made its debut immediately following the season 11 premier of The Big Bang Theory, where it bested the 3 million viewers with 3.53 million of its own and pulled in a 25.7 percent share of the 14-49 key demographic.
The successful premier of Young Sheldon comes at an important time for ProSieben as the German network’s decision to focus on airing American TV has set itself up for direct competition from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. Adding a new hit to join top earners The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons should keep the network’s lights on a little longer as it continues to make its existence today relevant.