Young Sheldon Season 7: Chuck Lorre Regrets One Thing About Episode 12
Mega-successful producer Chuck Lorre doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who regrets much, but on a vanity card that appears at the end of "Young Sheldon" Season 7, Episode 12, "A New Home and Traditional Texas Torture," Lorre writes, "Eighteen years ago when we were writing and producing 'The Big Bang Theory,' it seemed like a good idea to imagine that Sheldon's childhood was deeply disrupted by the loss of his father. No one could have thought that someday we would regret that decision. That someday is now."
Lorre's note refers to the death of George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) which was foreshadowed over a decade ago on "The Big Bang Theory." Sheldon explains to his friends on the sitcom that his father passed away when he was 14, making him the head of his family household while he's attending CalTech. Although "Young Sheldon" has changed several smaller things that we learn about Sheldon's life in "The Big Bang Theory," this is a fundamental building block of his existence, preplanned for years, and thus "Young Sheldon" could not avoid it.
Lorre admitted that there were tears on the set, and used the occasion to encourage viewers to love the people in their own lives. But while the death of his father is a fixed moment in time, some things about the history that Sheldon Cooper gives his friends later in life have been corrected, altered, or even ameliorated by "Young Sheldon."
The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon do not have flawless continuity
Among the number of things "Young Sheldon" changes about Sheldon Cooper's history on "The Big Bang Theory" is the notion that Sheldon walked in on his father cheating on his mother. This, Sheldon tells Penny (Kaley Cuoco), is why he knocks three times on doors and calls the name of the dwelling's occupants before entering any room — with extra time to get dressed. But we learn in "Young Sheldon" that he's mistaken about George's infidelity; the woman he sees seducing his father is actually his mother, Mary (Zoe Perry), in a wig and costume.
The series has also changed and tweaked minor things, such as Sheldon developing an interest in comic books, which occurs earlier in "The Big Bang Theory" sequence of events. But that's a small change compared to the stern-but-loving Meemaw (June Squibb) and bitter version of Georgie Jr. (Jerry O'Connell) we meet later on. These seem to be entirely different compared to the characters we meet on "Young Sheldon," but perhaps the ravages of time might explain that away.
What can't be quickly explained away is why young Georgie Jr. (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) seem to be a happy, stable couple when the former character is later portrayed as a bitter, multiple divorcee. Perhaps "George and Mandy's First Marriage" will provide a big hint toward the couple's future, including even a possible remarriage. Hopefully it all won't inspire a regretful Chuck Lorre vanity card someday.