Sheldon Cooper’s family and childhood were painted in broad strokes in The Big Bang Theory, but their episodes offer a better idea about them as people. We knew Sheldon had a religious upbringing in Texas, adored his mother but disparaged her beliefs, and was generally the brilliant black sheep of the family. This left a lot of room to flesh out Sheldon’s family, especially his older brother Georgie and twin sister Missy, in the follow-up prequel spin-off series: Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
The optimistic young man in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage feels like a different character than the estranged George we meet ahead of Sheldon’s wedding in The Big Bang Theory. However, Missy’s character as an adult very much tracks with the spitfire young girl with a growing rebellious streak in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Revisiting the limited time we see of George and Missy as adults in The Big Bang Theory is an interesting exercise in guessing where the franchise still has to go to get them to where we know they end up decades later.
4. Season 1, Episode 15, “The Pork Chop Indeterminacy”
Adult Missy Is Just As Self-Assured As Young Missy Ever Was
The adult Missy we meet in The Big Bang Theory season 1 is just as self-assured as the sharp, spirited child we know from Young Sheldon. Missy may not share Sheldon’s scientific genius, but she’s whip-smart in ways that matter, quickly putting Sheldon in his place when he thinks he has a say in who she dates. Missy rejects both Leonard and Howard with a simple, straightforward, “no” — polite but firm without leaving an opening for negotiation.
Sheldon shares a metaphor where he thinks of himself as a cuckoo baby bird, a parasitic egg placed in the nest of another bird who starves the other eggs. This carries a darker ring now, knowing how often Missy felt overlooked due to Sheldon’s special needs growing up. Missy invites Sheldon to be a more present brother, but she is self-sufficient without him.
3. Season 11, Episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment”
Adult “George” Is Shockingly Different From Young, Sunny Georgie
The adult George we meet in The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 23 is far more bitter than the sunny Georgie we know from Young Sheldon. George’s resentment stems from feeling unacknowledged for the sacrifices he made after George Sr.’s death while Sheldon left to pursue his academic future. Sheldon remembers Georgie as a bully, but George reframes it as protecting Sheldon from himself, like throwing out his Marie Curie Halloween costume to shield him from the real bullies.
When the brothers finally air their grievances, George reveals the emotional weight he’s carried alone. Sheldon, unaware and moved, offers a rare and sincere apology, asking him to attend his wedding to Amy Farrah Fowler. While I’m sad the brothers spent a decade estranged, George’s pain is valid, and their bond, however fractured, can be salvaged.
2. Season 11, Episode 24, “The Bow Tie Asymmetry”
George Is Still A Flirt With A Texas Drawl (Which Amy Farrah Fowler Loves)
Once George and Sheldon make up ahead of Sheldon’s wedding to Amy, George finally starts to feel like the charming, gregarious Georgie we know from Young Sheldon and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage. He’s funny, a little cocky, and quick with a quip, saying Sheldon got the brains, but he got “the bod… and the face… and the hair.” Amy is instantly charmed by his Texas drawl, even wishing Sheldon sounded more like his brother.
It’s interesting that George has seen all the Star Wars movies, showing that perhaps there are some common interests between the two vastly different Cooper boys.
When Mark Hamill is the surprise officiant of the wedding, George asks a delightfully on-brand Star Wars question that even stumps Luke Skywalker himself: why aren’t there tires on any of the vehicles in Star Wars? It’s a perfect observation from a lifelong tire salesman, and a clever reminder that George has his own brand of curiosity and attention to detail. It’s interesting that George has seen all the Star Wars movies, showing that perhaps there are some common interests between the two vastly different Cooper boys.
Missy’s Relationship With Her Mother Continues To Be Complicated
Missy shows she’s grown into the headstrong, independent woman her younger self in Young Sheldon always promised she’d become at Sheldon’s wedding in The Big Bang Theory season 11 finale. Now pregnant with her second child and separated from her husband, Missy doesn’t shy away from her reality, even when her deeply religious mother, Mary, disapproves. Like her brothers, she doesn’t subscribe to Mary’s strict beliefs, and she clearly has no interest in conforming to anyone’s expectations but her own.
We don’t know how Missy’s life gets better after her final Big Bang Theory appearance, but the details are kept vague. Hopefully, we’ll be able to learn how her story continues in the upcoming spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, set after the events of The Big Bang Theory.
1. Season 12, Episode 4, “The Tam Turbulence”
No One Can Stay Mad At George’s Well-Intentioned Ignorance
George might be grown up, but his mischievous sense of humor and laid-back charm remain intact. Trying to help Leonard, Raj, and Howard figure out who Sheldon’s childhood friend Tam is, George fondly recalls “Sheldon’s little Vietnam buddy” but is clueless about their falling out, thinking he had an extended conversation he thought he had with Tam at the wedding. He points them to Sheldon’s “enemies list” for answers.
George says if they find the enemies list, his name will be on there for peeing in Sheldon’s shampoo bottle. He laughs, saying to keep his name on the list, as it was a good prank. That playful spirit and big-brother energy are pure Georgie, making it easy to trace the line between the boy in Young Sheldon and the man in The Big Bang Theory.
