Young Sheldon Hints At George & Mary’s Big Bang Theory Future

Young Sheldon‘s latest episode hints at Geoge and Mary’s future as previously revealed in The Big Bang Theory. The CBS sitcom may be primarily about its titular character, but it also builds on what’s known about his family. That includes his parents who supposedly had a difficult marriage — something that hasn’t really been seen in the show but may very well happen in the near future.

Long before the spin-off prequel was ordered by CBS, the Coopers have already established characters in The Big Bang Theory universe. Sheldon often talked about his life in Texas before he moved to Pasadena and met his friends; that meant consistent references to his family: George Sr., Mary, Missy, Georgie, and Meemaw. All of them eventually appeared on the long-running sitcom before it wrapped up after a 12-season run in 2019 — even Sheldon’s father despite being already dead. But with more focus on them in Young Sheldon, new information about them is constantly being revealed — and with the spin-off show renewed at least until season 7, viewers can expect even more stories about them in the future.

The Big Bang Theory established some basic details about the Coopers. Granted that Young Sheldon hasn’t done a good job preserving continuity, it will be expected to adhere to significant plot points, including Mary and George Sr.’s marriage. Young Sheldon season 4 revealed that Billy Sparks’ parents are going through marital issues, with Herschel leaving the house. It’s worth noting that the Sparks somewhat mirror Sheldon’s parents. Like George Sr., Herschel is oftentimes dominated by his wife — something that two men realized they had in common so they bonded over it. Meanwhile, both matriarchs are very religious. Given this, it’s possible that the Sparks’ ongoing crisis is a preview of what lies ahead for Mary and George Sr.

As Sheldon recalled in The Big Bang Theory, his father was no-good, which was backed up by his mother who had barely anything good to say about her husband. Then it was revealed that when Sheldon was 13 years old, he caught his father cheating with another woman. This traumatic incident is still a couple of years away considering that the kid genius is just 11 years old; however, given the other stories about his dad, it’s imperative that Young Sheldon reconciles its version of the Cooper patriarch with how Sheldon and Mary remembered him in The Big Bang Theory. At this point, they’re currently very different: in fact, George Sr. has been mostly a loving and devoted dad. However, if the spin-off is building towards his infidelity storyline, it needs to start setting it up. That may mean more marital problems for George Sr. and Mary too in the foreseeable future — something that will motivate the former to cheat.

With three more additional seasons, Young Sheldon can slowly develop this storyline which was an important formative experience for Sheldon. As he explained to Penny in The Big Bang Theory, it’s why he started knocking twice as he didn’t want to simply barge on a room and be surprised by what he sees. For what it’s worth, the spin-off has also hinted that George Sr. isn’t truly happy in his life anymore. While he didn’t specifically cite his marriage, it’s a narrative opening that could lead to him having issues with Marry and motivating him to be unfaithful.