SERIES PREMIERE: Because today is the official start of the 2017-18 TV season, CBS is following its season premiere of The Big Bang Theory with that show’s new prequel series, Young Sheldon. Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon on Big Bang, is here as well – in voice, at least, providing his adult perspective of his own childhood, as this new series revisits his past. It’s a filmed show, as was The Wonder Years, and has a tone commendably similar to that superb period sitcom. It also makes some very smart moves from the start. Iain Armitage, who played the young boy at the center of some behavioral controversy in HBO’s Big Little Lies, is perfectly cast in the title role. Sheldon’s mother, played hilariously by Laurie Metcalf on Big Bang, is portrayed spot-on here as well – and with a genetic advantage, since she’s played by Zoe Perry, who is Metcalf’s real-life daughter. And finally, the writers and producers of Young Sheldon are mining the large backlog of childhood stories referred to during the decade of Big Bang stories. For example: When young Sheldon watches TV, he watches Professor Proton – the TV science host played by Bob Newhart, who originated the role on Big Bang. Terrific touch. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.