Top 20 The Big Bang Theory Questions That Got Answered in Young Sheldon

For much of the series, our young genius was typically partial to checkered or striped shirts. This fashion choice follows him through childhood and into his teen years. But in “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon is known for his love of graphic tees. So, when did his tastes change? In the season five finale of “Young Sheldon,” Sheldon faces an adolescent existential crisis. Missy comforts him, saying that all parts of growing up are worth embracing. This reassurance helps him face the changes he's experiencing and start finding his identity. We can only imagine that after meeting like-minded people over at Caltech, he decided to fully adopt this new style.

As any fan knows, Sheldon enrolled at Caltech for grad school when he was just 14. He sticks around, gets a job, and meets the friends who would become his close-knit group. However, his history with the university goes way back. Sure, it seemed like love at first sight when Sheldon first visited in season three. Later that season, he’d find out that Caltech was pretty keen to have him, too. However, when it comes to choosing grad schools, it’s not like it was a no-brainer for the young prodigy— heck, he even considers MIT! However, Boston’s frostier climate sends him straight to Pasadena, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon often refers to physical intimacy as “coitus.” Most of us might think it’s just his matter-of-fact way of talking. However, there’s a story behind his choice of language. In season five of “Young Sheldon,” Missy’s natural curiosity about the birds and the bees causes quite a stir. Sheldon and Dr. Sturgis try to get to the bottom of what it is about the subject that makes people so squirmish. Unfortunately, their experiment costs Dr. Sturgis his job. So, Sheldon decides the best solution is to find a word so mechanical and devoid of emotion that practically no one will get flustered at the sound of it.

Few people like hospitals. However, Sheldon seems to really hate them to the point where you might even call it a phobia. So, where did that all begin? Well, if you cast your mind all the way back to season one, episode three, you may recall that George Sr. suffers a minor heart attack. Anxious about their father, the Cooper kids sneak out to the hospital. While looking for a place to wash his hands, Sheldon happens to catch sight of the doctors treating his father. Poor kid, no one wants to think of their parent in such a vulnerable position, let alone have to see it! No wonder he becomes so averse to hospitals!

While we’re on that episode, let’s talk about how the Cooper kids got to the hospital. Georgie, a freshman in high school at the time, swipes their Meemaw’s keys and gets behind the wheel. Their journey hits plenty of bumps or, should we say, trash cans along the way. Narrator Sheldon chimes in, citing this very event as the reason he was never keen on learning to drive. Luckily, they make it to the hospital in one piece. Still, we imagine Connie’s accident a few seasons later didn’t help either. Sheldon eventually learns to drive but keeps it on the down low because, well, it’s more fun to be chauffeured around, right?

“TBBT” fans may have noticed that the home Sheldon visits in East Texas isn’t the same one we see in “Young Sheldon.” In the prequel’s series finale, it’s revealed that, as many of us suspected, adult Sheldon had been writing his memoir, and we’ve been watching the chapters about his childhood. In a touching transition, adult Sheldon walks through the Coopers’ home, reflecting on everything that he now holds close to his heart. He explains that his mom moved out some time after his father passed away, and he’d moved to Pasadena. Luckily, before he left, he captured every part of the home to safely store away in his eidetic memory.

Who could possibly forget Bob Newhart’s multiple appearances as Professor Proton on “The Big Bang Theory”? When the guys hire him to come to the apartment, we’re given a glimpse at Sheldon’s childhood hero. He digs out an old autographed photo of the professor, and tells the story of how he watched Proton every day after school. Sure enough, during the pilot episode of “Young Sheldon”, we find multiple references to Sheldon’s adoration for Newhart’s character. We see Sheldon panic when he can’t find his bowtie to wear to school, citing Professor Proton always wearing one. And finally, we see Sheldon watching him on TV every day when he gets home, just as he had described to him as an adult.

Leonard & Sheldon had their share of fights over the “roommate agreement”: a contract signed by both of them dictating the terms of their living arrangement. From what they watched, to the thermostat settings, the two consistently found themselves at odds. For Sheldon however, the structure of these “agreements” somehow seemed to help him structure his world. He even drafted one for him and Amy. We would come to learn in “Young Sheldon” that his obsession with contracts originated with his meemaw. He helped her and Dr. Sturgis work out the “ground rules” of their courtship by providing a list of rules formulated as a contract. Narrator Sheldon tells us how it helped him remove confusion around social relationships.

Comic book references were a staple in “The Big Bang Theory,” reflecting the guys’ avid collector status. It would be easy to assume their adoration for the books came from the typical “geek” culture stereotype - yet for Sheldon, his origins started far differently. In a very early season one episode of “Young Sheldon,” he spots his friend Tam reading one and scoffs at them as childish. Yet when he gets dragged to a psychiatrist’s office, an X-Men comic book piques his interest. Soon enough, he, too ends up at a comic book store, looking for the follow-up issue. Similarly, his foray into video games began skeptically until Meemaw’s influence got him hooked.

When Mary visits Sheldon during the parent series, the few tidbits she drops about her late husband are never particularly complimentary. Sure, they had their share of ups and downs, but we never doubted their love for each other. So, why does Mary seem to have such a sour view of him? Well, after Mary and Sheldon return from Germany, their relationship is arguably at its strongest. When George passes away, Mary’s completely and understandably crushed. It seems like it’s easier for her to channel her grief into anger. So, next time we watch “The Big Bang Theory” and hear Mary criticize George, it will hit differently, knowing she’s really just hurting deep down.

Sheldon makes no secret of his disdain for practically every field but his own. Sure, it could just be his snobbiness, but “Young Sheldon” tends to unearth the exact moments these opinions are formed. Take season one, for instance. Sheldon meets Libby, who opens his eyes to the world of Geology. Whether it’s a crush or he’s just happy to meet someone intellectually stimulating, Sheldon decides to dig Geology. However, when he overhears that Libby sees him as a little kid, he’s heartbroken and essentially ends their friendship. We’re not comparing Sheldon to a supervillain, but this seems to be an origin story as good as any.

When Sheldon and Amy finally decided to get married, audiences got to meet Sheldon’s older brother, Georgie. He’d been mentioned occasionally throughout the show, but we had never seen his face. We come to learn that Georgie owns a very successful tire business and that he and Sheldon rarely speak. The origins of Georgie’s affinity for tires can be traced back to the ending of a season two episode of the prequel series. Inspired by the pottery scene from “Ghost”, we see Georgie communing with a tire to try and find where the leak is. Jump forward several scenes, and wouldn’t you know it, Georgie’s new father-in-law just happens to own a tire store!

In one of “TBBT’s” longest-running gags, whenever someone would point out Sheldon’s, let’s call ‘em, quirks, he’d typically respond: I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested. Indeed, “Young Sheldon” confirms this in a season three episode. After Dr. Sturgis has a breakdown and is hospitalized, Mary worries that Sheldon, who’s as gifted as his mentor, might experience similar struggles. She takes it upon herself to try and determine Sheldon’s mental state, but the pair ultimately wind up in a psychologist’s office. There, Mary finds reassurance while Sheldon learns the true cause of his mother’s concerns. The scene ends with a tender hug, but who knows what might’ve happened had Mary pursued the follow-up offer in Houston.

Despite his sometimes robotic behavior, Sheldon Cooper is not beyond showing compassion for those around him. When his rival Paige is saddened by her parents’ divorce, Sheldon decides to make her a hot beverage to provide some kind of comfort. As George learns of what his son is doing, he smiles and says [“I’m proud of you”]. Older Sheldon, as the narrator, tells the viewer he was surprised to hear his dad’s words, but enjoyed them nonetheless. Fast-forward to “The Big Bang Theory” and Sheldon’s obsession with consoling hot beverages would be the norm (encouraged on occasion by his mother). Could it be his own way of keeping his dad proud?

As smart as he is, both young and older Sheldon both seem to have an affinity for a childhood lullaby called “Soft Kitty”. Sung to him when he is sick, this tune surfaces time and time again over the course of the original show’s 12 year run. In another “Young Sheldon” season one reveal, we see his mom taking care of him, and her pulling out this classic tune to help cure Sheldon of his ailments. Fans had heard him mention the origins of the song before, but to hear her sing it to him as a young child was a nice way to show us the origins of this classic song in

“The Big Bang Theory” would have us believe that George Sr. was a lazy oaf who cared more about football, beer, and TV than his own family. That couldn’t be further from the man we meet on “Young Sheldon.” George is a dedicated family man who goes to great lengths to make his loved ones happy, even at a personal cost. Sure, maybe didn’t always get Sheldon, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about what mattered to him. Adult Sheldon admits he didn’t always appreciate his father or recognize his efforts. Only with hindsight, and now a parent himself, does he realize that while George didn’t always get it right, he always tried his hardest.

We all know Sheldon loves being the smartest person in the room. However, when he enrolls in an engineering class, he meets his match in the tough-as-nails Professor Boucher. During their first assignment, Sheldon proudly presents his bridge design, only to have it torn apart figuratively and literally. This continues as the professor refuses to go easy on him or even throw him a bone. Just when Sheldon thinks he’s finally got it right, he finds himself locked out of class. We’ve all had that one teacher who gave us a lifelong aversion to a certain subject. Still, we’ve never taken it out on a friend who just happens to work in the same field.

During the earlier seasons of “The Big Bang Theory,” fans would never have predicted Sheldon would end up with a girlfriend, let alone his own family. Yet the writers found a brilliant way to introduce the character of Amy, and Sheldon’s life would never be the same. Narrator Sheldon first mentions having kids in the season one finale. Then, in a later episode, we learn that he named his son Leonard— maybe after his best friend, maybe after his comic book hero; it really depends on who you ask. Then, in the series finale, Amy reveals they also have a daughter who wants to be an actress. We love the idea of them raising a mini Penny.

Even if you’re not a fan of the show, you’ve at least heard of the word “Bazinga” thanks to “The Big Bang Theory”. Although it has been around for a while, it cemented itself into pop culture by becoming Sheldon’s catchphrase when he’d crack the occasional joke or pull a prank. The word is so closely tied to his character that it would be easy to think he created it himself. But after a visit to the comic book store as a child, Sheldon spots a display of silly gags made by the “Bazinga Novelty Company.” And just like that, the famous catchphrase was born!

In season 10, Sheldon tells Penny why he always knocks three times. However, after getting to know George Sr. in “Young Sheldon,” something just didn’t add up. Yes, he had an emotional affair of sorts with the neighbor, Brenda Sparks, but nothing more ever developed between them. Still, “TBBT” fans knew that this plot point would have to be addressed eventually. In season seven, Sheldon comes home, enters his parents’ room, and…. Yes, in a retcon to champion all retcons, the writers cleverly reframed the incident, clarifying it had been one big misunderstanding. We can only assume Sheldon eventually learned the truth since he inexplicably included it in his memoir.

Are there any questions you had about “The Big Bang Theory” that weren’t answered in “Young Sheldon”? Let us know in the comments.