Two of the most popular sitcoms on TV, The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon will be giving fans the ultimate crossover soon. When it happens, it'll almost definitely rank as one of the most-watched TV events of the year. Fans are curious how the show's different timelines will allow a crossover to happen, though. CBS dropped some clues by releasing the episode's official synopsis, though its title "The VCR Illumination," is already a big hint.
From the sound of things, Big Bang Theory fans will get to see Iain Armitage's Sheldon Cooper as a videotaped blast from the past. Check out the full synopsis for "The VHS Illumination" below.
Sheldon and Amy are still down about their theory being disproven, but a VHS tape from Sheldon's past inspires him not to give up. Also, Bernadette turns into a pageant mom when she tries to help Wolowitz ace his Magic Castle audition.
If anyone is going to be able to pull Sheldon from the dumps by his bootstraps -- assuming Sheldon has even been in the same room as someone's bootstraps -- it's either going to be Bob Newhart in a dream, or Sheldon himself. In this case, no subconscious manifestations are needed, because outdated technology is on the job!
Sheldon and Amy are still disappointed about having their big co-authored paper on super asymmetry get negated and disproven by a Russian study. It's not clear how they'll come across the VHS tape housing Sheldon's presumably inspirational words to himself, but maybe he's got another storage unit out there that's filled with only electronic devices and accessories from his childhood. Perhaps we'll also get to see Sheldon and Amy playing each other in Pong.
It won't actually be just Iain Armitage's Sheldon who will show up on that video. The Big Bang Theory is also bringing in Young Sheldon's Montana Jordan and Lance Barber. We've already seen Jerry O'Connell (and his A+ mullet) making a cameo or two as an adult Georgie Cooper Jr., so this won't be that character's first rodeo on here.
Find out what actually happens with all the crossover fun when "The VHS Illumination" airs on CBS on Thursday, December 6, at 8:00 p.m. ET. While waiting for Double the Sheldon, Double the Fun, be sure to keep current with all the great fall TV shows and midseason TV premieres on the way.
However, this will mark the first time that Jim Parsons' Sheldon will share the Big Bang screen with any version of his father George Sr., who died when Sheldon was just 14 years old. Granted, George won't actually be there in person for Sheldon to talk to or connect with, but it will still mark a major first for the long-running sitcom.
And who knows? Maybe the videotape will itself lead to a dream sequence where young Sheldon and older Sheldon do get to co-exist with Lance Barber's George for a while. That would be a truly special moment for The Big Bang Theory's final season, and fans wouldn't even have to wait until the series finale.
The episode's fourth major guest star probably won't have much to do with the Cooper crossover connection, but The Good Fight's Christine Baranski will forever be welcomed back as Leonard's mother Beverly. We're really not sure where she'll fit into the fun, since the rest of the synopsis is about Bernadette helping Wolowitz trying to get accepted into the Magic Castle. Maybe Beverly is actually a slight-of-hand expert.
