After five years, Young Sheldon is getting back at Sheldon for the way his character’s story was handled in The Big Bang Theory’s final stretch.
Young Sheldon season 7’s treatment of Sheldon is payback for his final The Big Bang Theory storyline. It has been five years since The Big Bang Theory ended with a surprisingly emotional finale. Since then, the universe that Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady co-created has continued to thrive thanks to its first prequel spinoff. Although born from the popularity of Sheldon’s penchant for sharing childhood stories, not to mention the interest in the Coopers, Young Sheldon has now found its own identity as a family comedy series. Unfortunately, CBS has to cancel it because of continuity.
So, despite its popularity and long outgrowing its original premise, Young Sheldon will end with a shortened season 7. Much has already happened to the Coopers this year, with a multitude of storylines playing out — some a continuation of multi-seasonal arcs, like the wedding of Georgie and Mandy, while others are tying loose narrative ends from The Big Bang Theory, such as retconning George’s cheating scandal. There are still a few plots that need to be properly addressed before Young Sheldon wraps up. However, amid all of this, Sheldon’s position in the show continues to be threatened.
Sheldon Is Barely The Focus Of Young Sheldon’s Final Season
Young Sheldon Continues To Make Sheldon Irrelevant.
As it enters its final stretch, Young Sheldon has a clear storytelling focus problem. Since it is wrapping up because Sheldon’s time in Medford is coming to an end, one would assume that the boy genius will once again be the center of its storytelling. However, that isn’t the case. In Young Sheldon season 7, episode 8, “An Ankle Monitor and a Big Plastic Crap House,” and in past episodes since he returned from Germany, Sheldon’s arcs have been mostly B-plots. Occasionally, he doesn’t even have a prominent storyline, which is a testament to how much the show has changed.
Young Sheldon’s storytelling evolution in the last several years was kickstarted by Sheldon’s own arc. Once he finished high school and started college at East Texas Tech, he spent the majority of his time away from home. This has made it difficult to incorporate him into what’s happening in his family, and at that point, the writers were starting to craft compelling storylines for the rest of the Cooper family.
The Big Bang Theory Season 12 Devoted Too Much Time To Sheldon’s Nobel Arc
Sheldon Winning The Nobel Was A Foregone Conclusion.
Sheldon’s current Young Sheldon role is quite ironic, considering his positioning in The Big Bang Theory, especially in its final season. The last year of the nerd-centric sitcom suffered from imbalanced storytelling because it spent too much time developing his Nobel Prize in Physics bid, which was long expected to succeed anyway. Because of this, other plots weren’t given their due. Leonard and Penny’s controversial pregnancy arc could have been saved had The Big Bang Theory devoted enough time to exploring the nuances of their contradicting stances. Raj could have ended up with Anu if they had more time together.
Now, Sheldon is sidelined in his own series with Young Sheldon focusing on other characters in its final year. While there are still six episodes left that may very well be dedicated to wrapping up his time in Texas and transitioning him to his life in California, it’s still odd that he hasn’t been the focal point of a show that he headlines. In any case, Young Sheldon diversifying its storytelling has been for the better as it became more appealing to a wider range of audience and not just those who watched The Big Bang Theory.
Why Young Sheldon Still Needs To Shift Its Focus Back To Sheldon Before It Ends
Sheldon Has Some Lingering Plots That Should Be Addressed.
Young Sheldon may have long outgrown its premise, but it doesn’t mean that it can totally just discard its titular character. While The Big Bang Theory prequel nears its end, there’s still time to bring the show full circle by ending with Sheldon as its focal point. There are still a few storylines that concern him that need to be addressed, starting with his graduation from college at East Texas and acceptance at Caltech, which is both going to be a cause of celebration for the Coopers.
Finally, Young Sheldon should address Sheldon’s contradicting feelings about George in light of his upcoming death.
Secondly, despite Dr. Sturgis missing the first half of Young Sheldon, the prequel must give him the credit that he deserved after The Big Bang Theory ignored him. Sheldon’s first mentor was not even mentioned in his Nobel Prize speech although he paved the way for the boy genius to choose his academic specialization. Finally, Young Sheldon should address Sheldon’s contradicting feelings about George in light of his upcoming death. Their relationship has been integral in the prequel that it needs to decide what Sheldon really thinks of his father years removed from his death via Jim Parsons’ adult version.
