The new introduction for Young Sheldon season 5 highlights a big problem that The Big Bang Theory never had. The prequel series returned for a brand new outing a little bit later than usual this year. Despite this, the latest season of Young Sheldon not only answered lingering questions from the season 4 finale, but it also debuted a fresh opening title.
After multiple discussions about whether or not George Cooper (Lance Barber) and Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman) would start an affair, the sitcom revealed that nothing happened between them during their night out at the pub. But that doesn't mean that they didn't do anything wrong. What started as an innocent conversation eventually progressed to flirting as revealed in the Young Sheldon season 5 premiere. In the end, Brenda suggested they go back to her place so they could be alone. Before George could respond, however, he suffered a mini heart attack. In the days following his health scare, the pair has continued to keep their small incident a secret, but doing so seems to only pull them closer together.
This narrative lays the groundwork for George's affair story as told by adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) in The Big Bang Theory. After seasons of dancing around the matter, Young Sheldon is forced to tackle this narrative based on the known timeline. CBS awarded the prequel a three-year renewal, locking its run until at least season 7 in 2024. Sheldon is currently 11 years old and in his first year of college; he catches his father cheating at age 13, and a year later the Cooper patriarch died. The show needs to devote one season per year as, unfortunately, they can't stretch out the sitcom's narrative. As seen in Young Sheldon season 5's new intro, the child actors look significantly grown-up. Georgie (Montana Jordan) is almost an adult now, while Missy (Raegan Revord) and Sheldon (Iain Armitage) are growing up quite rapidly. Given this, the offshoot will need to explore the crumbling of George and Mary's (Zoe Perry) marriage sooner rather than later — before the Cooper kids don't look like their supposed ages.
The Big Bang Theory didn't have this overarching narrative problem. CBS was able to stretch it out as far as they could without the need to tackle certain plot lines since they made it up as they went. The network slowed down or fast-tracked its timeline because the ages of the main cast didn't really matter in terms of the storytelling. It was solely based on the story they wanted to tell. Given how popular the sitcom was, CBS understandably wanted to continue the series, and it's safe to say that had it not been for Parsons' decision to leave, it would still be on the air now. Young Sheldon may not have as big of a following as its parent series, but it's still the station's premier sitcom. So, of course, they'd want to keep it running. But they can't just continue to renew it without a clear storytelling plan. Of course, they can go beyond the death of George, but it needs to be done in a thoughtful way. It would have to be about Sheldon becoming the person he was at the start of The Big Bang Theory, essentially bridging the gap between the two shows.
It's still unclear what lies ahead for George and Brenda's relationship, but regardless of what happens to them, it sets up the Cooper patriarch's cheating scandal. Admittedly, it's quite a dark plotline to tackle in a lighthearted sitcom like Young Sheldon. But with the clock ticking, CBS doesn't have that much of a choice but to tackle it head-on. Otherwise, the prequel would further damage The Big Bang Theory's established continuity.