Young Sheldon continues a trend for five years that the next The Big Bang Theory spinoff will likely break. In its 10th year, CBS finally expanded The Big Bang Theory universe with the launch of its first offshoot. By then, the nerd-centric sitcom only had two more years in its run, but it was more than enough to establish a connection between it and the prequel, primarily since Young Sheldon was pitched as Sheldon’s origins story. Granted that it has outgrown its premise, it remains tied to its parent show as it continues to tackle the boy genius’ life in Texas before he moved to Pasadena, California.
Despite its continued popularity, Young Sheldon is set to end with season 7. Admittedly, this came as a shock, considering how successful it has been in the last several years. That being said, its prequel nature forces it to wrap up at a certain point to preserve the established canon of the main show. Luckily, The Big Bang Theory universe will continue beyond it thanks to a currently-in-development new offshoot. Not much is known about its story or when it may be released. Regardless of the specifics, however, it’s likely going to break a The Big Bang Theory record that Young Sheldon is currently preserving.
Young Sheldon Season 7 Hints At An Unexpected Character Return
A brand new Young Sheldon season 7 promo hints at the unexpected return of a divisive character that will make the Coopers’ lives a bit complicated.
Jim Parsons Likely Won’t Be Involved In The Upcoming Big Bang Theory Spinoff As Sheldon
The Big Bang Theory ended because Parsons wanted to leave.
Like Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory ended while still a massive ratings hit for CBS. The reason for its cancelation, however, was Jim Parsons’ decision to leave the series as Sheldon Cooper. While the show was technically an ensemble, the socially inept genius was its unofficial lead star. So, although they could have continued the series without him, the cast and crew understood that it was better to wrap it up. Despite The Big Bang Theory‘s end, Parsons was able to continue playing the role of Sheldon through his voice-overs in Young Sheldon, which he also produces.
Once Young Sheldon ends, however, Parsons will also be ending his stint as Sheldon — a record lasting for 17 years. It’s highly unlikely that he will be involved in Chuck Lorre’s new The Big Bang Theory spinoff, considering that he wanted to walk away from playing Sheldon in 2019. In any case, there’s a possibility that the upcoming offshoot will be about something else entirely. The comedy franchise has devoted almost two decades to tackling the character’s personal arc, with The Big Bang Theory becoming increasingly Sheldon-focused towards its final few years.
Why Jim Parsons Continued Playing Sheldon In Young Sheldon After TBBT
Parsons continues to play Sheldon, albeit in a different format.
It would be unfair to blame Parsons for walking away from The Big Bang Theory. He was so devoted to the comedy for more than 10 years that he had to pass up on so many other projects. The actor wanted to try other things, and while there was initial conflict between him and some castmates about feeling blindsided about his decision to leave, many of them have come out to say that it was the right time to end The Big Bang Theory. Despite Parsons’ decision to exit The Big Bang Theory, he continues to play the role of Sheldon, albeit in a less taxing manner in Young Sheldon.
That being said, the only reason why Parsons continues bringing the character to life in the prequel is that he has been contracted to do so. Since Young Sheldon premiered in 2017, the idea has been for the adult Sheldon from the future to narrate the events of the episode. In any case, the workload is light, since he only has to do brief narrations that bookend most of the episodes. Even then, Young Sheldon has noticeably decreased its adult Sheldon narration in the last couple of seasons, although it’s unclear if it has something to do with Parsons or if it’s a creative decision.
10 Ways The Big Bang Theory Is Better Than Young Sheldon
As its parent series, there are just a lot of things that The Big Bang Theory does so much better than its prequel spin-off, Young Sheldon.
Would Jim Parsons Ever Play Sheldon In A Future Show?
Parsons won four Emmys for playing Sheldon.
At this point, it’s anybody’s guess when Parsons will play Sheldon again. The actor got several acting nominations and won 4 Emmys in the role. Between this and the continued popularity of both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon thanks to their streaming availability, there’s interest in seeing him step back into that character again. If there’s an opportunity to do a cameo in the next The Big Bang Theory spin-off, it’s difficult to imagine that Parsons will turn it down. That being said, it’s highly unlikely that he will play Sheldon again as a lead role in any project moving forward.
