The Breakout Character: Sheldon Cooper
With a set of surprise cameos, the most popular Young Sheldon season finale inadvertently proved that The Big Bang Theory’s storytelling got stronger in its later seasons.
A young Amy Farrah Fowler reading a book in bed in Young Sheldon season 2 finale
When The Big Bang Theory began, the show was mostly focused on Leonard and Penny’s slow-burn romance. However, Sheldon Cooper soon became the breakout character of the series thanks to his scene-stealing antics. Leonard’s fastidious roommate was a fan favorite, while his friends Raj and Howard also proved popular among viewers as the early seasons wore on. This eventually resulted in a major shift in the show’s focus, with Leonard and Penny’s story occupying less screen time.
Simon Helberg's Howard, Melissa Rauch's Bernadette, Mayim Bialik's Amy, and Jim Parsons' Sheldon sit and talk on a couch in The Big Bang Theory %22The Holiday Summation%22
By the time The Big Bang Theory’s series finale aired, the show’s attention was split evenly between Leonard and Penny, Howard and his love interest Bernadette, Sheldon and his partner Amy, and the still-single Raj. This change was reflected in Young Sheldon. The fact that Sheldon was the main character of the spinoff proved just how much the show’s focus had strayed from Leonard and Penny in its later years, but it was a Young Sheldon season finale that illustrated that this change improved the series.
Young Sheldon's Season 2 Finale: A Nostalgic Reunion
Young Sheldon’s season 2 finale, “A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast,” remains one of the spinoff’s most-watched episodes. It is easy to see why, since the outing is also one of Young Sheldon’s best episodes thanks to its rare insight into Sheldon’s loneliness and his deep-seated desire to find true friends. However, Young Sheldon’s inclusion of The Big Bang Theory’s cast as children made this episode a classic.
The season 2 finale featured a look at not just Leonard, Raj, and Howard’s childhood selves, but also Bernadette, Penny, and Amy. In doing so, the prequel essentially admitted these characters were pivotal to The Big Bang Theory’s success even though Amy didn’t arrive until the season 3 finale and Bernadette was a similarly belated addition to the cast. While Leonard, Raj, Howard, and Sheldon never missed an episode of The Big Bang Theory, the show’s heroines weren’t central to the early seasons. Amy, Penny, and Bernadette reshaped The Big Bang Theory, making the show’s potential feel less limited as the sitcom explored a wider variety of stories with them.
Expanding the Cast: Impact on The Big Bang Theory's Storytelling
Adding Bernadette and Amy as major main characters diversified the sort of stories that The Big Bang Theory could focus on. Penny was always contrasted with the central quartet since they were all nerdy, anxious men and she was a glamorous, carefree woman. However, Bernadette and Amy’s complicated characters proved that The Big Bang Theory’s women could be more than straightforward foils to the show’s male heroes. This also allowed the series to view Kaley Cuoco’s Penny as more than the girl next door. As such, The Big Bang Theory’s later additions made the series a success, something Young Sheldon’s season 2 finale acknowledged by retroactively including them in the main cast.
