5 Best Dr. John Sturgis moments from Young Sheldon

The first TBBT spinoff, Young Sheldon premiered in 2017 and, through a 7 season run, depicted the early life of Sheldon Cooper. The show is entertaining and heartwarming, and also showcases Sheldon’s childhood.

By depicting his childhood, we get to see more of the Cooper family and also get to meet several new characters that played an important role in Sheldon’s early life. One of those characters is Dr. John Sturgis, played by Wallace Shawn. A guest lecturer of physics and Sheldon’s pen pal, Sturgis, was known for his passion toward science and also his love for Meemaw.

As one of the beloved characters from Young Sheldon, Sturgis had left a lasting impact on Sheldon by being a great mentor who understood the child prodigy when no one else could. Here’s a list of the 5 best moments of Dr. John Sturgis from Young Sheldon.

Disclaimer: This entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

5 Best Dr. John Sturgis moments from Young Sheldon

5) Dr. Sturgis and Meemaw’s first meeting (Season 1, Episode 19)

Annie Potts and Wallace Shawn in Young Sheldon | Image via Chuck Lorre Productions

In this episode of Young Sheldon, we are introduced to Dr. Sturgis when Sheldon attends his lecture on quantum chromodynamics. Sturgis notices Meemaw sitting outside his class and approaches her by talking about knitting, and then invites her to sit in the.

Dr. Sturgis’s admiration for Meemaw was visible from the first moment he laid eyes on her, and also went on their first date in the episode. Although she has a nice time with him, she finds him just like an older version of Sheldon. However, they did end up dating and going on many dates later.

4) Dr. Sturgis’s instantaneous reflexes (Season 2, Episode 9)

Wallace Shawn in Young Sheldon | Image via Chuck Lorre Productions

In this episode titled, Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero, Dr. Sturgis joins the Coopers for Thanksgiving dinner, which doesn’t go well initially due to the news about George thinking of moving the family to Oklahoma. However, it ends on a happy note when George declines the offer.

Sturgis, in the episode of Young Sheldon, impresses the Coopers with his fast reflexes when he goes to play football with George and Georgie. Although he appears to be terrible at throwing the ball, his ability to catch a ball impresses Meemaw, as at the end of the episode, she throws several food items at Sturgis for him to catch them instantly, showing his instantaneous reflexes, which made Meemaw happy.

3) Dr. Sturgis learns to drive (Season 2, Episode 10)

In this episode of Young Sheldon, we get to see Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis’s relationship become more real as John asks Meemaw to teach him how to drive. After his driving written test, John gets nervous while driving as he gets confused with the traffic lights and the many vehicles on the road, declaring that it would be a difficult task for him.

He apologizes to Meemaw for letting her down, but she tells him it is fine. He isn’t letting him down, and she’ll still love him, whether he can drive or not, creating a beautiful moment in their relationship.

2) Dr. Sturgis’s dinner with the Coopers (Season 3, Episode 5)

The episode of Young Sheldon titled, A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship, is one of the important episodes for Sturgis as he comes back after spending some time at the hospital due to his mental struggles. As he dines with the Coopers, he tells them that it might be awkward for all of them and is open to questions that they might have in their minds about his situation to help de-stigmatize the issue, as speaking about it will make others understand mental health more.

Although Missy, Georgie, and Sheldon ask silly and funny questions, he patiently answers, without getting offended, depicting his calm and unflappable personality, which makes him one of the best Young Sheldon characters.

1) He cheers Sheldon up after his failure (Season 6, Episode 15)

We have seen several times in TBBT how difficult it is for Sheldon to accept failure. In Young Sheldon, we get to see another similar incident when Sheldon’s database fails.

However, Dr. John Sturgis, being the great and optimistic mentor he is, tries to cheer Sheldon up. While cheering him up with a song, Pick Yourself Up by Fred Alastair, Strugis also gives profound advice to Sheldon by telling him to try different things to understand the failure, prompting Sheldon to try several different things, such as helping Mandy with Constance, and also learns to throw a football from Georgie.