While not new to the prequel, Young Sheldon season 6’s latest plot hole could actually save it from The Big Bang Theory. TV’s #1 comedy has come a long way since starting as supplementary viewing for its parent series. It has become more of a family comedy than a straight-up sitcom like The Big Bang Theory. Unfortunately, as it veers away from the flagship show, it also creates new continuity issues that threaten to fully break the established canon of the nerd-centric sitcom. Young Sheldon season 6’s latest plot hole could be how it can finally break free of The Big Bang Theory‘s timeline.
The Coopers have been busy in Young Sheldon season 6. Mandy and Georgie are gearing up for the birth of their daughter, while Mary and George assist the complicated couple. Meemaw’s business is thriving; she has also rekindled her romance with Dale. Meanwhile, Sheldon is still busy getting his grant database project off the ground. Amid all that, Paige returns in “A Frat Party, a Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters,” resulting in a seemingly innocuous comment from adult Sheldon’s narration that actually creates a new The Big Bang Theory plot hole.
Young Sheldon’s Narration May Not Be Chronological
In Young Sheldon season 4, adult Sheldon recalled a story about his and Amy’s son, Leonard Cooper’s high school graduation. This meant that at least, adult Sheldon would be in his early 50s — around a decade removed from the events of The Big Bang Theory finale. However, in Young Sheldon season 6, he revealed that it has just been 30 years since Missy convinced him to look after Paige, meaning he shouldn’t be more than 43 years old. Naturally, this has caused some raised eyebrows, but luckily, there’s an easy fix to it that also helps the prequel escape a couple of The Big Bang Theory-established tragedies for now.
To resolve this timeline issue, CBS can simply say that adult Sheldon’s narration isn’t in chronological order. This means he could be telling these childhood stories out of order, discussing them when a particular memory comes to him. So while he could really be in his 50s when he shared the story about Leonard Cooper’s graduation, Sheldon could also just be a decade younger when he recalled his experience of letting a drunken Paige sleep in his dorm room.
