The Big Bang Theory's canon dictates that a lot of major events will happen in Young Sheldon season 7, but the spinoff may struggle with these plots.
SUMMARY
- Young Sheldon season 7 must address major canon inconsistencies, such as Georgie and Mandy's breakup and Sheldon's college career.
- The differences between Meemaw's personality in Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory need to be explained and justified in season 7.
- Season 7 must also explain why Missy and Sheldon grew apart and justify the shift in Mary's personality between the two shows.
While Young Sheldon season 7 could wrap up the show’s story well, there are numerous canon plot holes caused by The Big Bang Theory that the spinoff will need to eventually address. Like most sitcom spinoffs, Young Sheldon has an inconsistent relationship with the canon of its predecessor.
Some elements of Sheldon’s character are pretty consistent, like his obstinacy, his lack of social graces, and his petty competitive streak. However, many character details have been changed among his family.
George Sr is no longer the thoughtless, philandering drunk described in The Big Bang Theory, but rather a decent, kind everyman.
Similarly, Meemaw is much more rebellious than the earlier series ever led viewers to expect, while Mary is sweeter and less bitter than her incarnation in The Big Bang Theory. On the whole, all ofYoung Sheldon’s cast of characters is subtly different from their iterations in the earlier series. To an extent, this makes sense.
The Big Bang Theory had a broader sense of humor and a more heightened tone, so the characters could be zanier and less complex. However, this means that Young Sheldon season 7 has a few major canon inconsistencies that the show must fix before The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff ends.
Mandy & Georgie’s Breakup
Mandy and Georgie spent Young Sheldon seasons 5 and 6 in a tumultuous romantic relationship as both characters struggled to decide on their feelings for each other. When Georgie finally stopped pining over Mandy and moved on, she realized she did love him and proposed. In Young Sheldon’s season 6 finale, Mandy and Georgie got engaged.
However, The Big Bang Theory’s canon dictates that Georgie and Mandy's marriage ends in divorce. When Georgie’s older self appeared in The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” there were references to his ex-wife. This means that Georgie and Mandy’s breakup is inevitable, an awkward fact that Young Sheldon season 7 can’t ignore.
Sheldon’s College Career
Sheldon spent the entirety of The Big Bang Theory looking down on Howard, Leonard, and Raj for their respective alma maters, but the show never clarified where Sheldon did his undergraduate degree before working at Caltech. As of Young Sheldon season 6, Sheldon was still attending East Texas Tech, but the spinoff will need to explain when and why Sheldon transferred to Caltech.
This could come about via graduation, especially when an earlier episode already chronicled Sheldon’s fear of college after he graduated from high school. However, Young Sheldon could also reveal that Sheldon attended another institution between Caltech and East Texas Tech.
Connie vs. TBBT’s Meemaw
In between both shows, Young Sheldon’s version of Meemaw seemingly transformed into the much sterner, less playful version of Sheldon’s grandmother seen in The Big Bang Theory. In her appearance on the earlier show, Meemaw was effectively an older Mary Cooper, but her Young Sheldon character could not be less like her uptight daughter.
Viewers might learn that Missy’s rebellious teenage years led Meemaw to adopt a less carefree lifestyle lest she be seen as a bad influence on her granddaughter. However, Young Sheldon season 7 will need to start this storyline early, since the destruction of Meemaw’s gambling room in the season 6 finale has already set up the plot.
Missy & Sheldon’s TBBT Relationship
Missy and Sheldon are much closer in Young Sheldon than they are in The Big Bang Theory, so season 7 of the spinoff needs to explain when and why this shift happened. This character change could be attributed to the pair moving out of their parent’s house and choosing very different life paths, but Young Sheldon has devoted too much time to the pair’s sweet dynamic to forego explaining their growing distance in adulthood. Since The Big Bang Theory failed Missy, this could be an opportunity for Sheldon to explain exactly why he and his sister grew apart.
Mary’s Personality Change
Zoe Perry’s version of Mary Cooper looks a lot like Laurie Metcalf’s take on the character from The Big Bang Theory, but the Young Sheldon heroine has a very different personality from her older counterpart. She is defined by her harsh cynicism and devout religion in the earlier show, but Young Sheldon’s version of Mary is much more demure and soft-spoken.
The spinoff’s Mary has her occasional moments of mild meanness, but she would be horrified by many of the sharper gags that came from her earlier incarnation. As such, Young Sheldon season 7 needs to explain when this major attitude shift occurred between shows.
George Sr’s Affair
One reason for Mary’s bitterness might be the fact that her husband cheated on her and, to make matters worse, her son walked in on this illicit affair. Sheldon mentioned seeing his father betraying his mother in The Big Bang Theory and, while Young Sheldon explained why George might cheat, the show has not yet depicted this event onscreen. However, since this was the moment that led Sheldon to side with his mother and view his father as an incorrigible person for years after his death, the spinoff can’t simply ignore the story. As such, season 7 must address George Sr's affair more directly.
The Death Of George Sr
As if working out how to handle George Sr’s affair wasn’t bad enough, Young Sheldon season 7 also has to address the character’s sudden death. Canonically, George Sr died when Sheldon was still a young teen. The Big Bang Theory set this demise in stone, but the spinoff has been fastidiously avoiding the plot for years since Sheldon hit puberty.
Young Sheldon season 7 must address George Sr’s death, but it is tough to see how the show will incorporate such a bleak story into its light-hearted final outing. Even if The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff leaves the event until the finale, George Sr’s death will still be tragic.
Paige’s TBBT Absence
McKenna Grace’s child prodigy, Paige, is a fan-favorite Young Sheldon character thanks to her sweet relationships with both Missy and Sheldon. However, Paige was never mentioned in The Big Bang Theory and the earlier show doesn’t even acknowledge her existence, which seems strange when she was a formative friend, rival, and eventual crush for Sheldon.
As such, season 7 needs to make sense of this discord. Paige’s absence is arguably Young Sheldon’s biggest canon plot hole, as the spinoff must explain why Sheldon would go years without mentioning such an important character from his past. Otherwise, Young Sheldon will leave behind a major Big Bang Theory inconsistency.
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