Sheldon's cheating story about his father is coming to Young Sheldon. The Big Bang Theory prequel has just wrapped up its fourth season with a massive cliffhanger, hinting that George Sr. might finally begin his cheating ways.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Young Sheldon season 4 ran shorter than usual with only 18 episodes compared to the traditional 22. Yet, there's still a lot of things that happened throughout the year including Sheldon officially starting college at 11. Elsewhere in the family, his parents' marriage is starting to show worrying cracks. While there's limited full-blown arguing, it's clear that something is amiss with them. Considering Sheldon's infamous The Big Bang Theory story about his dad cheating, it feels as if Young Sheldon is finally tackling the dark storyline head-on.
This was heavily hinted at during Young Sheldon season 4 finale's parting shot where a disgruntled George started hanging out with their newly single neighbor, Brenda. While the series didn't explicitly set up their potential affair, the sitcom's EP, Steve Molaro confirms to TV Line that one way or another, they are honoring Sheldon's stories about his dad in The Big Bang Theory.
“Big Bang fans have heard Sheldon tell stories about his dad for years. We try to honor those stories but also like to find unexpected ways for them to play out. As we’ve learned in the first four seasons of Young Sheldon, these stories Adult Sheldon is telling us come from a new perspective — one he has gained after becoming a father himself. Sometimes life gets complicated, but we’re excited to explore these new chapters in the lives of the Coopers.”
For years, Young Sheldon danced around the specific plotline resulting in criticisms from fans of The Big Bang Theory. It doesn't help that Sheldon's constant stories about how his dad is a no-good father and that his parents were always fighting are contradicted in the prequel. Granted that George Sr. can be cranky and stingy sometimes and he can bicker with Mary from time to time, they're not nearly as bad as what Sheldon depicted in the original sitcom. That routinely creates plot holes throughout the spin-off and making it seem as if it doesn't care about previously established continuity when both shows supposedly take place in the same reality.
With three more Young Sheldon seasons already locked in, CBS has plenty of time to tackle George's inevitable infidelity storyline. Although Young Sheldon season 4 seemed to have revealed the identity of the mistress that Sheldon talked about in The Big Bang Theory, it's still possible that an affair between him and Brenda Sparks is not the cards. What it does, however, is set him down the dark path making his adultery more believable when it finally happens down the road. It would be curious what the aftermath of the cliffhanger ending is going to play out when the sitcom returns with new episodes later this year.
Source: TV Line