The Big Picture

• The Young Sheldon series reveals hidden layers of beloved characters, fostering deeper connections within the Cooper family dynamic.
• Pivotal episodes showcase character growth and relationships, setting the stage for successful storytelling in The Big Bang Theory universe.
• Young Sheldon creatively intersects with The Big Bang Theory, providing emotional journeys and nostalgic connections for dedicated fans.

While Young Sheldon may be a spin-off of the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the series stands proudly on its own two feet. What started as a series aiming to provide insight into the upbringing and developmental stages of childhood for the beloved character of Sheldon Cooper, has transformed The Big Bang Theory into an expansive universe with a third series now in the works.

Audiences knew and loved the extremely smart, ultra-nerdy adult physicist Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons), however, watching young Sheldon (played by Iain Armitage) discover Star Trek or a new comic book series was a level of satisfaction no audience could've predicted. With the Young Sheldon series finale approaching, it's a good time to rediscover some of the less appreciated pivotal episodes of the series.

10 "Gluons, Guacamole and the Color Purple"

Season 1, Episode 19

It may not be obvious on the surface, but the heart of Young Sheldon comes from the deep family bonds between the Coopers. This family connection goes back to The Big Bang Theory, where audiences learn Sheldon's soft spot for his Meemaw. "Gluons, Guacamole and the Color Purple" is instrumental in developing that relationship, as Connie Tucker (played by Annie Potts), aka Meemaw, begins driving Sheldon, now 9 years old, to college each week, so he can audit a class.

It's these weekly drives that would cement the bond between Meemaw and her Moonpie (her nickname for Sheldon). However, this isn't the only relationship strengthened in this episode. We begin to see how Missy (played by Raegan Revord) and Georgie (played by Montana Jordan) respect and need each other as siblings when Missy asks Georgie for help with her grammar homework. All of these little moments of character development are actually what paves the way for the success of Young Sheldon.

9 "Graduation"

Season 4, Episode 1

After only two years, Sheldon graduates from high school as class valedictorian. Soon after, he has a breakdown when he realizes he may not be ready for college. Meanwhile, Missy is also graduating from elementary school, and Dale (played by Craig T. Nelson) tries to make amends with Meemaw.

Missy and her twin brother Sheldon are both scared of entering new schools, there's a lot of change ahead. Change is hard for anyone, but especially devastating to Sheldon, so having his sister in the trenches with him is powerful. They may be polar opposites, but there's still an unshakable bond between these two. It's this revelation that leads to a happy outcome as the twins share a graduation party, and viewers learn that it's the best graduation party Sheldon had ever been to until his own son's party. This special nugget of information comes courtesy of our famed narrator and his wife Amy (played by Mayim Bialik, reprising her The Big Bang Theory role), providing fans with a glimpse into the couple's future and even the name of their son, Leonard Cooper. These consistent little connections back to The Big Bang Theory make this spin-off extra special.

8 "An Ugly Car, an Affair and Some Kicka** Football"

Season 6, Episode 6

Georgie has knocked up Mandy, and they are learning how to co-exist as future parents. Being estranged from her own parents, Mandy moved in with Connie. Georgie, on his best fatherly behavior, is determined to win Mandy back. Mandy is still sorting between what's best for the baby and what she ultimately wants. Meanwhile, she learns about Connie and Georgie's secret gambling room.

It's hard to introduce a new character in the middle of a series, and when Mandy McAllister (played by Emily Osment) stepped onto the scene she had a lot to prove. "An Ugly Car, an Affair and Some Kicka** Football" solidified Mandy as a Cooper the second she discovered the gambling room and shouted "my kid's going to private school." Always a bit stand-offish and reserved, Mandy finally begins to let her guard down and be her authentic self. She's as resourceful and smart as Connie, as stubborn as Sheldon, but also conservative enough to balance Georgie's wackiness. All of which will lend itself beautifully in the next spin-off series in The Big Bang Theory universe, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.

7 "Mitch's Son and the Unconditional Approval of a Government Agency"

Season 4, Episode 14

After years of filing the Cooper family taxes, the IRS finds a mistake in Sheldon's work. This, of course, is unacceptable to Sheldon. On a mission to prove the IRS wrong, Sheldon ends up getting his family audited. What happens next is the most perfectly written chess match (literally) of tax code quips ever seen on television.

The Young Sheldon writing staff deserves praise. Sorting through the IRS tax code is already tedious. Researching the tax code for accurate dialogue purposes goes above and beyond. An actor's performance choices and sense of timing go a long way in comedy, but without good writing, performance and timing often fall flat. The marriage between the three, that's the magic and that's exactly what this episode is: magic.

6 "Snoopin' Around and the Wonder Twins of Atheism"

Season 5, Episode 2

There's a new youth pastor and he's shaking up the Cooper family. Mary (played by Zoe Perry) is intimidated and nervous by Pastor Rob's (played by Dan Byrd) approach. Missy is questioning the concept of God and Sheldon is suddenly invested in Sunday school. This is Mary, and coincidentally Perry's, time to shine.

The Mary Cooper audiences get to know in Young Sheldon seems vastly different from the Mary Cooper (played by Laurie Metcalf) seen in The Big Bang Theory. Funny enough, Perry is actually the real life daughter of Metcalf. This leads to similar facial expressions and physicality, but what Perry brings to the series breathes so much life into the role. As Paster Rob says, "when you come at things from unexpected angles, people pay more attention," and that's precisely what Perry's performance does in this episode. Viewers learn how flawed and insecure Mary actually is, and how hiding behind religion empowers her. The real highlight is how this episode approaches religion. Being open to accepting, or at least addressing, whether other concepts of belief are acceptable. It's a beautifully written episode over what is often a very sensitive conversation.

5 "A Fancy Article and a Scholarship for a Baby"

Season 7, Episode 9

George Cooper Sr (played by Lance Barber) may not have book smarts like Sheldon, but this episode proves he can be just as smart in other ways. After being published in a very prestigious physics journal, it's time for Sheldon to consider graduate school options, and this has campus recruiters from across the country pounding on the Coopers' door. George Sr knows all about recruiting blue-chip talent and seizes the opportunity to pit these schools against each other. The bidding war includes an endless amount of collegiate merchandise, perks like a car and driver, and a scholarship for a not-yet-conceived baby.

George Sr is often the butt of the joke throughout Young Sheldon, but when Coach Cooper steps up to the plate it's always a home run. Providing the perfect balance between Mary's uptight parenting approach, and Meemaw's more laid back advice, George Sr often bridges the gap that saves the day. Barber's calm, cool and casual approach to George cashing in on Sheldon's future is comedy gold. In the end, it all boils down to Sheldon's decision, and he's torn between MIT and Caltech. A very curious dilemma given all the years Sheldon teased Howard for being a MIT graduate on The Big Bang Theory.

4 "An Introduction to Engineering and a Glob of Hair Gel"

Season 5, Episode 7

There are many quirks of adult Sheldon that audiences want more information about. In this episode, fans finally unravel Sheldon's distaste for all things engineering. It's mainly rooted in the fact that Sheldon meets his intellectual match in his engineering professor, who consistently finds Sheldon's work to be wrong. Professor Boucher (played by Lance Reddick) is just as strong-willed as Sheldon, and despite multiple efforts from others to give Sheldon the correct answer, he sticks to his guns as "coddling him won't prepare him for the real world."

The real world has always been a tricky place for Sheldon to navigate. His mind is very logical, everything is a science or math problem to be solved, and this inability to read body language, understand sarcasm, and other more emotional responses is a challenge he constantly navigates. Watching Sheldon form an engineering chip on his shoulder might be the biggest use of the right hemisphere of his brain we see. It also explains the 12 seasons of consistent jokes about the field of engineering, which is quite the cathartic moment for this episode's co-narrator, Howard Wolowitz (played by Simon Helberg, who returned to reprise his The Big Bang Theory role).

3 "A Strudel and a Hot American Boy Toy"

Season 7, Episode 3

By Season 7, each member of the Cooper family is dialed in and holding their own storyline. Connie lost her home in the tornado and has moved in with Dale, placing Mandy, Georgie and the baby in Sheldon's room. Sheldon and Mary are in Germany for the summer, Missy has taken over as head of the house and George Sr is, well, paying the bills. The whole family began writing letters between Germany and Texas.

Writing letters is a long-lost art form. There are things the written word can capture better than the spoken word. Here it starts as a money-savings tactic for George & Mary, as long-distance phone calls were still astronomically priced in the '90s, but it winds up serving many other purposes. For George & Mary, it's romantic and inspires Georgie to write one to Mandy. For Connie, it's therapeutic. For Sheldon, it's a way to ease his consciousness as he sneaks around Germany by train unbeknownst to his mother. The train ride ends up about as bad as his solo train experience in The Big Bang Theory. A wonderful callback, or perhaps, more accurately, a foreshadowing of something already known to occur.

2 "The Geezer Bus and a New Model For Education"

Season 4, Episode 13

Connie Tucker is really the heart of this entire series. Potts steals every scene she's in, while also driving the story forward. "The Geezer Bus and a New Model For Education" is no exception. Connie wrecks her car and ends up having to take the church's shuttle service made for people who can't get around, which happens to be mainly seniors. Meanwhile, President Hagemeyer (played by Wendie Malick) is spoiling Sheldon too much for Mary's liking.

In Hollywood there aren't a lot of roles for older actors that aren't characterized by words like "senile" and "geriatric." These roles are often accompanied by assisted living type settings, or incoherent speech, lack of mobility and/or hearing, etc. Young Sheldon put a shuttle full of these types of characters together and then flipped the script by showing viewers, by way of a salon visit courtesy of Connie, how young and vibrant these seniors can be. It's not just these three co-star roles though. Young Sheldon has many senior actors throughout the series, each of them portraying roles with varying degrees of extreme intellect, independence and overall competence. It's a rising trend after the success of shows like Grace & Frankie and a trend that will hopefully stick around.

1 "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast"

Season 2, Episode 22