Young Sheldon dives into the early years of Iain Armitage’s young genius, Sheldon Cooper, exploring his life in Texas during the 1980s and early ’90s. However, viewers expecting a seamless connection with The Big Bang Theory might be surprised. One notable character, Paige Swanson (played by Mckenna Grace), is a brilliant child prodigy and Sheldon’s intellectual rival and first crush in Young Sheldon, yet she doesn’t appear in The Big Bang Theory. Why is that?
The simple answer lies in timing. The Big Bang Theory wrapped up after its 12-season run, leaving no opportunity to incorporate Paige’s character into the show. According to Steve Holland, a producer of both series, Paige appeared in only nine episodes of Young Sheldon, most of which aired after The Big Bang Theory had concluded. As Holland explained to TVLine, there was no way to revisit and integrate her into the original show:
“‘Big Bang’ was done, and there was no way to go, ‘Can we go back and retrofit [her] into ‘Big Bang Theory?’”
With The Big Bang Theory season 13 unlikely to happen, Paige’s story remains a mystery that fans would love to see resolved. However, her life didn’t take a tragic turn after Young Sheldon—though she did face challenges.
Paige Swanson’s Fate After Young Sheldon
In season 6 of Young Sheldon, Paige experiences a rough patch following her parents’ divorce. This culminates in her making poor choices at a college party in the episode “A Frat Party, a Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters,” where she drinks and smokes. Fans have speculated that Paige may have gone off the rails or even died, but Holland dispelled those theories, telling TVLine:
“I know there are some dark theories about what happened to Paige and why Sheldon doesn’t mention her [in ‘Big Bang’]. I don’t think she’s not mentioned because she went down a dark path and is dead in ‘Big Bang Theory.’ For us, it was just an interesting way to explore another kid who had a similar thing to Sheldon and the different roads that they could take.”
Though Young Sheldon is a prequel, it leaves Paige’s future in question. Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, has made it clear that he has no interest in reprising the role, so fans may never hear about Paige through him. However, Paige was close to Sheldon’s sister, Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord), and Missy has been featured in the spin-off, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. If the show’s writers choose to delve into it, Missy might be the one to spill the details about what happened to Paige.
Young Sheldon is currently available for streaming on Max.
