Young Sheldon Fans Think They Finally Understand The Show's Continuity Errors
When fans of the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" heard about the show going into its final season, their sadness was tempered by the presence of "Young Sheldon," which began its second season at the same time as the 12th and final season of "The Big Bang Theory." "Young Sheldon" follows Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons in "The Big Bang Theory," in his youth, with Parsons returning as a narrator, and "Big Little Lies" performer Iain Armitage stepping into the shoes of the younger character.
Fans of both shows, however, have spoken about the inconsistencies that have come up between how adult Sheldon has spoken about his childhood, and what gets depicted on "Young Sheldon." On the subreddit r/YoungSheldon, user u/LemonPie678 posited that the Sheldon in the show feels very different from the adult version fans got to know in "The Big Bang Theory."
U/diablo1128 took that theory and expanded on it, citing Sheldon's declaration of his father being an alcoholic as an example. They noted how Sheldon's father George Sr. (Lance Barber) is shown on "Young Sheldon" as having a beer with dinner every night, which is a far cry from how much an alcoholic would drink.
Fans chalked up these issues to Sheldon being an unreliable narrator. Here's what they had to say.
Viewers speculated that the differences came from Sheldon being an unreliable narrator
In response to u/LemonPie678 suggesting the Sheldon on both shows are two different characters, U/No_Communication1010 replied with a theory that the narrator in "Young Sheldon" is not a reliable one, which may account for some of the discrepancies.
U/diablo1128 cited the example of George Sr.'s supposed alcoholism to prove the point, noting that Sheldon doesn't understand the difference between drinking in moderation and drinking to excess. "As a well adjusted viewers of Young Sheldon we know his dad is not an alcoholic, but Sheldon does not know the difference between having a beer with dinner to relax and drinking beer as an alcoholic," they wrote.
Other Redditors, however, disputed the idea that Sheldon had misinterpreted George Sr. As being an alcoholic. U/Business-Drag52 said that the comment was underselling George Sr.'s reliance on alcohol and that he is always drinking when not at work, to the point that his wife Mary (Zoe Perry) has gotten angry at him for his drinking habits. In response, u/yyc_dude27 noted that George Sr.'s drinking was average for his era. "He also isn't shown drunk often, isn't angry/craving alcohol etc.," they continued. "I agree he is over consuming, but not abusing it especially [for] the times."
In addition, even Sheldon himself admitted to being an unreliable narrator, though his perspective about his father did change noticeably when he and Amy (Mayim Bialik) got married on "The Big Bang Theory." U/JonPX noted this in their post, also offering one more example of how this change many manifest. "One of those things will likely be Sheldon realizing his parent's marriage was broken, and George wasn't really cheating," they wrote.