Young Sheldon debuted in 2017 as a supplemental viewing of The Big Bang Theory. As the title suggests, it centers on Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) childhood years living in Texas. Given the prequel nature of it, he features the entire Cooper clan as they deal with individual and collective issues.
With The Big Bang Theory ending in 2019, Young Sheldon has been on his own for three years. During that time, he has slowly built his own fan base and started to differentiate himself from the main series. However, they remain explicitly connected and CBS makes sure of that, until now.
In Young Sheldon Season 5, Episode 19 titled “A God-Fearing Baptist And A Hot Trophy Husband,” a lot happened, but notably, it didn’t feature the adult Sheldon narrative that traditionally underpins every outing. It also serves as an explicit reminder that Young Sheldon is tied to The Big Bang Theory.
No explanation was given as to why there was no adult narration of Sheldon in Young Sheldon season 5 episode 19. But for what it’s worth, CBS has yet to offer any reason for the voiceovers. Off-screen, it was used to set up the sitcom as a prequel to The Big Bang Theory, and the best they could do was bring in Jim Parsons, who also produces the spin-off, to do the narration.
But in terms of narrative, it’s not clear why Sheldon is recapping his life in the future. There is a theory that this is his attempt to work on his autobiography. After winning the Nobel Prize in Physics for his and Amy’s (Mayim Bialik’s) work on Super Asymmetry, he most likely gained notoriety in his field and was offered this project. Otherwise, it could be Sheldon feeding his ego by doing this project. But with no narration in Young Sheldon season 5, episode 19 contradicts this claim.
Although Young Sheldon started out as a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, at this point, he’s already made a name for himself. It’s still not as popular as the nerd-focused sitcom, but it has its own appeal in being a family comedy-drama rather than a straight comedy. Most likely, the adult Sheldon narrative will return, but it’s curious if his recent absence is an indication that Young Sheldon is starting to move away from the main series of him.
