Saying goodbye is always hard, but CBS just made it slightly easier.
The network recently announced that two Big Bang Theory stars will return to help close out Young Sheldon‘s series finale.
This news promises a fun end to the series that will connect it to its parent series while also opening the door for next fall’s Georgie and Mandy spinoff.
Jim Parsons has been narrating Young Sheldon all along, but now he and Mayim Bialik are set to reprise their roles as the adult Sheldon and his wife, Amy.
Could this mean we get an explanation of why Sheldon has been narrating the past seven years’ worth of episodes?
Sheldon doesn’t have to be talking to anybody except the audience, of course. However, with him and Amy returning, there are two logical possibilities:
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Sheldon has been telling Amy about his childhood -
Sheldon has been telling his children about his childhood, a la How I Met Your Mother
That second option could be a fun way to wrap up Young Sheldon. It would give us a glimpse into the future when Sheldon has kids of his own, making our journey into Sheldon’s past more meaningful.
Sheldon being Sheldon, though, it’s equally likely that the series was a long-winded explanation of how he came up with whatever theory he is publishing a paper on now. Spoiler photos have the adult Sheldon showing Amy something on a computer, so this is equally possible.
Sheldon and Amy’s Appearance Is an Easter Egg For Big Bang Theory Fans
Many fans started with Big Bang Theory and tuned in because Young Sheldon is the prequel, so Parsons and Bialik’s guest appearance is a nice way to acknowledge that connection.
This isn’t the first time Young Sheldon has invited Big Bang Theory alums, or at least their childhood versions, onto the series.
Young Sheldon Season 2 Episode 22, which aired exactly five years before the finale, had a young Howard, Leonard, and Raj listening to the Nobel Prize announcements at the same time as Sheldon did.
This emphasized their future connection and being fun for fans, but their adult counterparts weren’t shown.
What Else Will We Learn About Big Bang’s Origin Story?
We know the friend group met at CalTech and that Sheldon continued to both annoy and interest the rest of the group for years afterward, but could the finale delve deeper into their origin story?
We know that Sheldon and Leonard met in 2002 or 2003 when Leonard applied to be Sheldon’s roommate. (The Big Bang Theory has contradicted itself on this point.)
The two might have crossed paths before that without realizing it, and the Young Sheldon finale could make that point clear.
Sheldon could also cross paths with some of the other Big Bang Theory stars, though nothing has been announced yet about that happening.
What We Know So Far
The Young Sheldon series finale will be bittersweet for another reason: George Sr. is slated to die during it.
This lines up with Sheldon’s recollection during The Big Bang Theory that his father died of a heart attack when he was 14. However, this is the worst way to handle that plot point.
Having George die during the series’ final hour doesn’t leave much time for developing this story. George is gone, the end.
This death will likely impact Georgie and Mandy as they move into their own spinoff, but I’d rather have more time devoted to the impact on the entire family, including Sheldon.
Sheldon has gotten the short end of the stick as it is during Season 7. The entire season has been a backdoor pilot for Georgie and Mandy, with many plots revolving around their relationship with either Georgie’s parents or Mandy’s.
I know they need to set things up for the new series, but this is a bit much. The series is supposed to be Young Sheldon, not Young Georgie and Mandy Have a Baby.
Yes, Sheldon Can be Annoying, But He’s Still The Star
Sheldon is gradually morphing into the Jim Parsons character (no, we don’t know if that will literally happen during the finale, but it would be really cool if it did!)
That means he’s becoming more annoying and self-centered as he ages, and some fans would like to have a break from him.
Still, it’s not right for the final season to be about everyone but him.
Sheldon’s trip to Germany was rushed, probably because of the shortened season thanks to the writers and actors’ strikes, and since he’s been home, the series has been about Georgie, with some nonsense about Meemaw’s legal troubles thrown in.
Hopefully, Jim Parsons’ guest appearance during the finale can change this somewhat. At the very least, he could fill us in on what adventures we missed out on between the end of the series and the beginning of Big Bang Theory.
It would be nice if he also caught us up on what happens for Missy in the future, but Missy has been such an afterthought that she most likely will be left hanging.
Your turn, Young Sheldon fanatics! What do you think about Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik’s planned appearance on the series finale?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!
Young Sheldon airs on CBS on Thursdays at 8/7c. The hour-long series finale airs on May 16, 2024.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.