Much like any other spinoff, Young Sheldon has been known to make references to the show that made it possible. Whether it's through showing locations, members of the cast, or story lines, the CBS series has found many ways to pay homage to The Big Bang Theory, though it may do so in a darker way in the future.
That's what co-creator Steve Molaro has said anyway in a recent interview. Molaro didn't give an explicit yes or no in his interview with TVLine, but did say there is a way for Young Sheldon to cover the time where Sheldon walked in on George Sr. with another woman.
I don’t know what we’re going to do about that. I’m aware of it, I know it exists. I also know that… Adult Sheldon may not want to tell the audience that story. So maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t. That doesn’t mean we need to see it. Also, maybe there’s a path where what he thought happened then, and what he finds out now, [is] different. I don’t know… It’s an interesting area of the show.
The reveal was first made in The Big Bang Theory, when Sheldon confided in Penny that he walked in on his father with another woman at age 13. It's a pretty heavy subject for Young Sheldon, though as Steve Molaro said, there are ways to tell the story through the lens of a child that adult Sheldon can narrate the actual truth of what he later learned as an adult.
After all, it's not like Young Sheldon can keep things light forever. The spinoff is continuing its slow march towards the death of George Sr., which will only get more emotional for fans the longer this show goes. Steve Molaro was asked if the infidelity story is an integral part to understanding Sheldon and Mary's resentment towards George Sr. decades later, and the co-creator doesn't think so.
I think there’s resentment about him dying… Also, did I know we were going to be writing this show when we put that in Big Bang? No.
In truth, it sounds like Steve Molaro and the Young Sheldon crew haven't entirely put together a plan for addressing that story going forward. They might if they're able to find a way to do it that respects the overall tone of the show, but Molaro also straight up said that it's a story that isn't integral to understanding the family's feelings about George Sr.'s eventual death. Fans will just have to wait and see whether or not the writers will pull the trigger in a future season.
Young Sheldon airs on CBS Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for updates on the series, and for other news happening in the world of television and movies.
