It's pretty clear that the showrunners intended for 'Young Sheldon' to be a prequel to 'The Big Bang Theory.' And at first, fans were thrilled. More Sheldon is better than less Sheldon, especially after 'TBBT' wrapped.
But once they started watching it, fans started to pick out small details that suggest 'Young Sheldon' really isn't a prequel at all. And they're not happy about it.
Is 'Young Sheldon' A 'Big Bang Theory' Prequel?
The showrunners say yes, 'Young Sheldon' is a prequel to the popular 'Big Bang Theory' show. Technically, it's a "spin-off prequel," which makes sense. Rewinding back to the '80s, the storyline follows Sheldon and his sister growing up, and of course, Jim Parsons narrates.
It's a winning combination, right? Especially because Iain Armitage, who plays young Sheldon, is a superb young actor. It likely helps that Jim is still involved, too; he can probably offer tips on how to be more authentically Sheldon.
But, authenticity is the precise problem that fans have discovered while watching 'Young Sheldon.'
Fans Say That 'Young Sheldon' Doesn't Add Up
There were a number of plot holes that fans uncovered in 'The Big Bang Theory' itself. Like that one date-timeline issue that made fans question Leonard and Sheldon's friendship. But fans say the same applies to 'Young Sheldon'; some facts just don't make sense in the sitcom universe.
One fan opened the conversation by sharing a meme that points out a discrepancy that could be noteworthy. The meme highlighted that as a child, Sheldon dressed like a small adult. As an adult, he wore double layers of t-shirts, more like a child would.
Some fans brush that off easily, pointing out that children often change as they grow and it didn't indicate anything was 'off' about the Sheldon-TBBT timeline. But fans weren't done yet; they had more clues to pick apart, and more complaints to make.
Some Fans Speculate That 'Young Sheldon' Is In Another Universe
Some fans confidently speculate that 'Young Sheldon' has very weak ties to 'TBBT' in the first place. One commenter alleged, "YS is not a prequel to BBT but is simply inspired by it and is basically set in an alternate universe."
Though other fans might argue that theory doesn't make sense, yet another fan pointed out that Jim Parsons himself has already given 'Young Sheldon' a pass. Jim has previously made it "clear" that the show isn't a prequel, say fans, and that "they would ignore BBT canon when they felt like it."
Of course, some fans have long said that there was a specific moment when the show just plain died. So maybe it's best that the premise of 'Young Sheldon' does diverge from its source of inspiration after all.