Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory supposedly take place in the same reality, but there are several things in the prequel series that contradict what happened to its parent show creating plot holes. Kicking off in 2007 — 10 years after the original CBS sitcom debuted, Young Sheldon tackles the life of Sheldon during his years living in Texas with his family. With that, all members of the Cooper family are also in it, and for the most part, they, too, have their respective character arcs.

Recently wrapping up its fourth year, Young Sheldon was initially greenlit as an accompanying show to The Big Bang Theory. But ever since the long-running sitcom surprisingly ended after 12 seasons in 2019, the prequel has been carving its own path, with CBS positioning it to be their new flagship comedy in an effort to continue capitalizing on the popularity of its parent series. The problem with this, however, is that Young Sheldon isn't exactly known for preserving continuity previously established in The Big Bang Theory, effectively turning off loyal viewers of the original project. Interestingly, this is despite essentially having the same creative team.

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That being said, ever since The Big Bang Theory wrapped up, there's a noticeable effort on Young Sheldon's part to reconcile its story with what's already been revealed as canon, resulting in clever foreshadowing in terms of where Sheldon and the rest of the Coopers would be in a couple of decades since their time living in Medford. This is important as Young Sheldon continues to season 5 and beyond. Unfortunately, their renewed efforts to have the two shows be better connected are simply not enough to address previously created plot holes.

Sheldon's Family Is Different in Young Sheldon

Young sheldon season 5 what to expect

From the get-go, it's clear that the Cooper family members are different in Young Sheldon than when they appeared in The Big Bang Theory. Throughout its 12-year-run, the geek-centered series had brought in all members of Sheldon's family to Pasadena. It's difficult to imagine that Laurie Metcalf's version of Mary is the same person as Zoe Perry's; the same could be said for June Squibb and Annie Potts' Meemaw. However, this issue is more prevalent in George, as the Cooper patriarch never appeared physically in The Big Bang Theory because he was already long dead by then, but both Sheldon and Mary regularly, albeit briefly, brought him up. According to the mother and son's description, he's a no-good man who's irresponsible and useless. However, Young Sheldon reveals him to be a devoted father and husband, and although he has his flaws, he's not nearly as bad as what he was described as.

Young Sheldon's George Is Also Leonard's Bully

Young sheldon saddest story dads death big bang theory

Before Lance Barber was cast to play Sheldon's father in Young Sheldon, he already appeared in The Big Bang Theory, playing Leonard's bully in high school who appeared in season 5. Leonard and the boys would go to confront this character, including Sheldon - who didn't even say anything about how his best friend's adversary looked a lot like his father, even though he's supposed to eidetic memory. Aside from not commenting about this detail, it's also highly unlikely that Sheldon wouldn't have any kind of reaction to seeing someone who resembles his father considering their less-than-ideal relationship in the final year of George's life.

George and Mary Cooper's Marriage In Young Sheldon Isn't That Bad

Sheldon in Big Bang Theory and George and Mary in Young Sheldon

Sheldon had a lot of eccentricities in The Big Bang Theory, and some of them were a direct result of his childhood experience. That includes his aversion to intense arguments; at one point, he asked Leonard and Penny to stop fighting as it brought back memories of his mom and dad's constant arguing. However, that's really not the case in the prequel series. Granted that George and Mary do get into serious conflicts like what happened in Young Sheldon season 4 finale, but for the most part, they have a civil, and sometimes even loving marriage. To be fair, this may change moving forward, however, as the ongoing CBS series finally starts tackling the Cooper patriarch's predestined infidelity storyline — something that it has been dancing around for several years now.

Related: Young Sheldon S4 Finale Finally Begins George's Big Bang Theory Story

Sheldon Claims He's Forced To Sleep With Amy

Amy and Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory

One of Sheldon's many eccentricities is that he's a notorious germophobe — to the point that he won't even hold his dad and brother's hands without his mittens during their meal prayers. So, it's expected that he's not exactly a fan of shaking hands either, but in Young Sheldon season 4, episode 9, "Crappy Frozen Ice Cream and an Organ Grinder's Monkey" he was forced to do so during a donor's dinner meeting set up by East Texas Tech. While the kid genius was hesitant, realizing that his scholarship and other additional funding were dependent on how he performed, he forced himself to reach out his hands and do it. In the scene, it's actually the adult Sheldon's narration that inadvertently created a The Big Bang Theory plot hole as he claimed that his younger self shook the man's hands for sake of science, the same principle he had when he slept with Amy during their honeymoon. Viewers of the original series know that this wasn't the case at all, as the pair had been doing so long before they got married. Additionally, Amy didn't force him to hit the sheets during their New York trip, as he was actually willing and even interested in consummating their marriage.

Young Sheldon Changes When "Soft Kitty" Can Be Sung

Shledon sings Penny soft kitty in The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory popularized several things from the show, including the song "Soft Kitty" which was first performed in season 1, episode 11, "The Pancake Batter Anomaly." Originally, it's a 19th-century Polish lullaby called "Wlazł kotek na płotek" about a kitten on a fence which was written by Oskar Kolberg and composed by Stanisław Moniuszko. CBS actually got sued for using the song after the estate of Edith Newlin who modernized it as "Warm Kitty" claimed that they have the rights to the track and the network was illegally using it. Eventually, the case was dismissed, allowing Young Sheldon to continue featuring "Soft Kitty." However, the prequel show actually changed Sheldon's original rules to singing the song; Young Sheldon season 4, episode 4, titled "Training Wheels and an Unleashed Chicken," he sang it to soothe himself following a bicycle injury — something that he wasn't supposed to do. Previously, Sheldon revealed in The Big Bang Theory season 3, episode 8, titled "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency" that having an injury isn't technically mean someone is sick.

More: Young Sheldon Sets Up Georgie & Sheldon’s Big Bang Theory Conflict