Young Sheldon: 15 The Big Bang Theory Easter Eggs You Missed
After The Big Bang Theory ended after 12 seasons, its prequel series Young Sheldon picked up the slack and proved popular in its own right. Following the childhood and adolescence of one of Big Bang's main characters, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Young Sheldon is basically The Wonder Years meets The Big Bang Theory—a fluffy slice of nineties nostalgia with just the right amount of nerd content.
Since Young Sheldon provided the backstory for one of the most important and influential characters in The Big Bang Theory, the show inevitably referred to the original series on many occasions. Most of the series' main characters—including Mary Cooper, Missy Cooper, Georgie Cooper, and Connie "Meemaw" Tucker—appeared on The Big Bang Theory throughout the series. Other references might have been easy to miss, but they helped round out the prequel in surprising ways.
15 David Saltzberg In The Finale
The Science Consultant Appears
There were a lot of Easter eggs in the Young Sheldon season finale, including a ton of them in Sheldon Cooper's office. However, there was also one at the end that most fans never caught on to or even knew about. After Sheldon explained how he looked at his old house one last time to ensure he remembered it when he got older, it flashed back one more time to young Sheldon going to CalTech for the first time. He stood looking at the CalTech sign and seemed happy.
"It's really just a nice way for us to honor David and all the contributions he's made to both of these shows for the last 16 years".
Then, a man stopped and asked if he was lost. Sheldon said he wasn't, he was where he was meant to be. That man was David Saltzberg, the science consultant for The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. "We realized [Saltzberg], other than Chuck [Lorre] and Jim [Parsons], has been with this character the longest, because he worked on the first Big Bang Theory pilot," co-showrunner Steve Holland said (via PEOPLE). "It's really just a nice way for us to honor David and all the contributions he's made to both of these shows for the last 16 years."
14 George Sr.'s Affair Might've Been Intentionally Left Out
The Show Hinted At The Affair With Brenda Sparks
There were two major things that Big Bang Theory fans were looking for in Young Sheldon. The first was George Sr. cheating on Sheldon's mom, and the second was George's death. While the show delivered on the death, the cheating scandal mysteriously never happened. According to Sheldon, he walked in on his dad while he was cheating on his mother, and this messed the boy up. However, this didn't seem to really happen, and that made it confusing and a possible plot hole.
George's Cheating Story In Young Sheldon Season 7 Explained & How It Changes The Big Bang Theory
Young Sheldon season 7, episode 4 finally tackles Sheldon's infamous George cheating story from The Big Bang Theory, but with some clarifications.
However, some moments hinted at it happening, such as when George Sr. and Brenda Sparks were nearing the idea of cheating. If anything, Mary came closer to cheating than George on the show. With all that said, the Easter eggs that hint at the cheating were there, but why was it never shown? In the final episode, it turns out that Young Sheldon is writing his memoir, and that is what the show is about. It is possible Sheldon left it out since his dad is dead and can't defend himself.
13 Sheldon's Love Of Dr. Spock
Sheldon Identified With Spock
Sheldon Cooper has a great love for Star Trek. As a matter of fact, one of his proudest moments from The Big Bang Theory saw him meeting his hero, Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Dr. Spock on Star Trek. Seeing a scientist and self-professed nerd like Sheldon love Star Trek was not a surprise, but his depth of love and admiration for Spock was something that Young Sheldon decided to focus some attention on.
While it would be many years before Sheldon met Nimoy, there was a scene in the first season's ninth episode where Sheldon was talking to Meemaw about his love of Star Trek and Spock in particular. According to Sheldon, “Spock is half-human and half-Vulcan [and] ashamed of his human side… That’s why I identify with him.” Meemaw was there to comfort her grandson, but it all paid off years later when Sheldon got Nimoy's DNA, thanks to a Cheesecake Factory napkin.
12 The Flash T-Shirt
Sheldon Wanted To Look More Grown Up
Interestingly, Sheldon Cooper seems to go in the opposite direction of what most people think in most areas of his life. One example is that when kids are growing up, they often wear t-shirts with cartoons, superheroes, or movies on them. Then, when the child becomes an adult, they begin to wear button-up shirts, suits, or other adult-themed attire. However, it was the opposite for Sheldon when he was growing up. In the first few seasons of the show, young Sheldon wore button-up shirts.
Young Sheldon Season 5 Finale's TBBT Easter Egg Explained By Producer
Young Sheldon co-creator Steve Molaro explains the significance of the season 5 finale's Flash T-shirt Easter egg and how it will affect Sheldon.
However, in the season 5 finale, Sheldon was getting close to adulthood and knew that he needed to start dressing like an adult and not like a kid anymore. For Sheldon, that was the opposite of most people. Growing out of childhood, Sheldon decided to take off the button-up shirt and instead put on a red t-shirt with a Flash logo. This is the same shirt that Sheldon loved to wear on The Big Bang Theory as he grew up and decided comic book t-shirts were better than button-up shirts.
11 Sheldon's Mom Is Played By The Original Actor's Daughter
It Was Perfect Casting
The casting of Sheldon Cooper's mother in Young Sheldon is a great Easter egg on its own, but it wasn't something the producers planned out in advance. In The Big Bang Theory, several of Sheldon's family members show up. Jerry O'Connell played his big brother Georgie Cooper, Courtney Henggeler played his sister Missy Cooper, June Squibb played Meemaw, and Laurie Metcalf played his mother, Mary Cooper. That last actress has a connection to Young Sheldon.
That is because Zoe Perry plays Mary Cooper on Young Sheldon. For anyone who doesn't know, Perry is Laurie Metcalf's daughter. The fact that the show cast Metcalf's daughter to play a younger version of herself is perfect. However, Perry auditioned for the role, and it wasn't handed to her (via THR). "I’m definitely in a privileged position, so whatever extra pressure comes is in my own head."
10 The Origin Of Bazinga
It Was The Name Of A Prank Product Company
The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper has plenty of quotable lines and even quite a few catchphrases, too. Arguably, one of his most well-known and most-used catchphrases is the simple word "Bazinga!" whenever he finds something funny. As much as he used it throughout the series, The Big Bang Theory never explained precisely what "bazinga" meant or where it came from. Thankfully, Young Sheldon resolved that mystery.
In the tenth episode of the second season, "A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts," little Sheldon Cooper sets out to try and behave more like his age group out of fear that he may become an emotionally stunted adult. As part of his adventures in childish behavior, Sheldon visits a joke shop and learns about a line of prank products called Bazinga. The tagline for the products? "If it's funny, it's a Bazinga!" And thus, a catchphrase was born.
9 "He's Blossom's Brother"
Missy Hints At Sheldon & Amy
Sheldon and his twin sister, Missy, couldn't be more different. Longtime fans of The Big Bang Theory universe could already tell that before Young Sheldon premiered, given Missy's brief appearance near the very beginning of the series. But Young Sheldon has only further highlighted the extreme differences between these siblings, with Sheldon as an academic wunderkind and Missy as a pop culture-obsessed young woman, although she was smart in her own way.
"A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to Alf," the second season's eleventh episode, features a scene in which Missy is trying to come up with possible fantasy boyfriends for her Cabbage Patch doll, Celeste. One of her suggestions is Joey Lawrence, "Blossom's brother." Of course, Blossom starred none other than Mayim Bialik, who would go on to become Big Bang's Amy Farrah Fowler, Sheldon's future wife.
8 Mary Singing Sheldon "Soft Kitty"
Mary Cooper Sings Sheldon's Favorite 'Sick Days' Song
Sheldon Cooper is a raging germophobe and is unabashed about it. He's also very particular about his routines to begin with, and when he comes in the slightest bit of contact with germs, he becomes even more set in his ways and difficult to deal with. All throughout The Big Bang Theory, any time that Sheldon is remotely sick, he requires someone to sing him the lullaby "Soft Kitty," whether it's his mother Mary, best friend Penny, or eventual wife Amy who gets to do the singing.
"A Sneeze, Detention, and Sissy Spacek," the first season's thirteenth episode, introduces Sheldon's hyper-fixation on remaining healthy in the presence of germs. Of course, the episode ultimately ends with Sheldon contracting the cold that's been making the rounds. But it also ends with a truly beautiful, heartwarming scene of young Mary Cooper serenading a sleepy, sick Sheldon with his beloved "Soft Kitty."
7 Young Amy is Reading Little House on the Prairie
Amy's Flashback To Her Childhood On Young Sheldon
Airing the same night as The Big Bang Theory's highly watched and much-lauded series finale, the second season finale of Young Sheldon, "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast," included a touching, one-of-a-kind tribute to the long-running series. After no one showed up for his Nobel Prize-themed party, Sheldon was very upset and wondered whether he would always be alone. He ultimately realized that he wouldn't, much like the quarks of science he understands so well.
Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Should Have Ended Up With Young Sheldon’s Paige
The Big Bang Theory found Sheldon the most ideal partner in Amy, but he could have been better off had he married Young Sheldon's Paige.
But Young Sheldon offered a moving further exploration of this fact, including a montage of glimpses of all of Sheldon's eventual friends and loved ones during their own childhoods. One of those such glimpses showed a young Amy Farrah Fowler reading what we know to be Amy's most beloved book, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
6 Vernee Watson's Recurring Roles
She Appeared As The Same Character In TBBT
It was fairly common for older sitcoms to feature the same guest actors in different roles. As sitcoms have moved toward more continuous storytelling, however, that trend has sadly gone the way of the past. But The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon universe offer a glimpse of this adorable little quirk of casting when it comes to the legendary television and stage actress Vernee Watson.
On The Big Bang Theory, Watson appears in a few episodes as Althea Davis, a no-nonsense nurse forced to deal with the guys in some of their more bizarre adventures. Johnson also appears in several episodes of Young Sheldon as the younger version of Nurse Robinson, who encounters the Cooper family in the 1990s Texas setting.
