Young Sheldon has been renewed for three more seasons, which means that it will inevitably tackle Sheldon’s saddest personal story in The Big Bang Theory. Almost two years after the long-running CBS sitcom wrapped up after 12 seasons, the universe it exists in continues thanks to its prequel spinoff. Now, thanks to the recent announcement that it’s confirmed to run at least until 2024, Young Sheldon will now have to cover George Sr.’s cheating scandal and eventual death.
The cancelation of The Big Bang Theory came as a surprise to many considering that the sitcom continued to rack ratings for CBS. It all boiled down to Jim Parsons’ decision to leave the show, resulting in the unanimous decision to wrap it up altogether instead of moving on without its true main lead. With its most popular sitcom ending, the network started making moves to position Young Sheldon to be its replacement with a two-year renewal. As it nears the end of that previously ordered season, it appears as if the offshoot is doing well enough to merit an impressive three-season extension.
However, as exciting as this is for avid viewers of Young Sheldon, it also means that the show will have to finally explore the darker aspects of Sheldon’s childhood. In The Big Bang Theory, the socially-inept genius liked sharing stories about his life with his family in Texas. It’s the reason why even before the sitcom debuted, characters like Mary, Missy, and Meemaw were already established in the universe. One particular story, however, was specifically integral to Sheldon’s arc and something that Young Sheldon is expected to tackle — George Sr.’s cheating. However, considering how different Sheldon’s father is in the spin-off, this renewal guarantees that it will ultimately have to tackle his spiral, otherwise, the show risks creating more plot holes in The Big Bang Theory.
Sheldon is currently 11 years old and is in his first year of college in Young Sheldon. Based on the known timeline, he catches his father cheating at age 13 and while there’s no big confrontation about it, this was a turning point in their otherwise good relationship. A year later, the Cooper patriarch died, leaving them no time to talk about the incident and forcing Sheldon to keep his father’s cheating a secret to Mary. Unfortunately, as much as CBS would want to extend Young Sheldon‘s run given its popularity, they’re unable to slow the aging process of their young cast; they already subtly did it in the first four seasons and Missy already looks so grown-up. Assuming that time progression is also the same in the show as in the real world, George’s infidelity and his subsequent death will have to be explored in seasons 6 and 7 respectively.
