10 Shows Like The Big Bang Theory That Even Sheldon Cooper Would Appreciate

If the prickly, exacting Dr. Sheldon Cooper is your favourite member of the Big Bang gang, then you're going to want to watch Young Sheldon. This The Big Bang Theory spinoff features Iain Armitage as a 9-year-old Sheldon, a child genius who struggles to find common ground with his intellectually inferior high school classmates.

Where to watch: CBS

This long-running and totally underrated YouTube web series (which features Wil Wheaton, who often appears as himself on The Big Bang Theory) revolves around a crew of outcasts who spend countless hours playing an online fantasy video game, which is changed forever after two of the guild-mates actually meet in real life. We guarantee you've never seen a better celebration of nerd culture than with this show.

Where to watch: YouTube

Though Ross Geller may be the only PhD in this crew, Friends revolves around a similar group of roommates and friends struggling together with work pressures and dating (and often dating one another). This show will have you wondering where to find friends this hilarious — as well as why CalTech physicists can't afford to live on their own, while Monica and Rachel are living in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment.

Where to watch: Netflix

This British sitcom, which features a pair of Reynholm Industries IT technicians and their tech-illiterate manager, is perfect for fans of socially inept but totally lovable geeks. Even if you think Sheldon and Leonard are the best dorky duo out there, we think that coding genius Maurice and consistently distracted Roy can give them a run for their money.

Where to watch: Netflix

Inspired by cocreator Mike Judge's experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the 1980s, this HBO series follows introverted Richard and his computer programming friends as they attempt to succeed in the Bay Area startup community, which is just like the high-stakes world of the California Institute of Technology. These computer nerds prove that they can be just as competitive as The Big Bang Theory's physicists (and just as socially challenged).

Where to watch: HBO

Just like the Big Bang gang, the New Girl crew is made up of a eccentric group of roommates who are bonded by career disappointments, family disputes, and relationship complications (oftentimes involving one another). If you've ever wondered what it would be like if your coworkers (or, in this case, your random roommates) turned into your soulmates, then this one is for you.

Where to watch: Netflix

This Syfy series takes place in the titular town of Eureka, where the country's top scientists are relocated for the purpose of innovation and creation, all under the supervision of bumbling US Marshal-turned-sheriff Jack Carter. Besides a stellar cast (which includes The Guild's Wil Wheaton and Felicity Day) and insane experiments gone wrong, we're pretty sure Dr. Douglas Fargo is going to become your new favourite supernerd.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

This sitcom revolves around a close-knit group of friends, which includes an on-and-off-again couple, a longtime married couple, and a womanizing singleton who couldn't be more different from The Big Bang Theory's perpetually single Raj Koothrappali but is just as hilarious. From dating to marriage, How I Met Your Mother explores all the stages and stresses of coupledom, and it will remind you of the struggles faced by Sheldon, Leonard, and Wolowitz as they embark on their first real relationships.

Where to watch: Hulu

This action-comedy/spy-drama NBC series revolves around computer geek Chuck Bartowski, who accidentally finds himself with access to vital government secrets and, consequently, under the protection of agents from the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. Leonard and Penny may be totally adorable, but we guarantee you've never seen a better beauty-and-the-geek pairing than Chuck and CIA Agent Sarah Walker.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Though very different in plot, 8 Simple Rules is surprisingly similar to The Big Bang Theory in tone and humour, revolving around two middle-class parents raising three teenagers in very different stages of life. Bonus: if you love The Big Bang Theory's Penny, you'll love watching Kaley Cuoco play another ditzy blonde bombshell as Bridget.

Where to watch: ABC