Young Sheldon is one of the most successful sitcom spin-offs ever. Airing for seven seasons, the prequel series tells the backstory of The Big Bang Theory character Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). But it focuses a lot on the entire family dynamic versus just being centered around Sheldon.
Along with the other main characters, including Sheldon’s family members, the show features various side characters as well. Sadly, by the time the series wrapped up its final season, many of the side character’s stories remained unresolved. In some cases, fans felt cheated because they at least wanted to know what happened to these characters beyond just a passing glance or, in some cases, a complete disappearance.
Paige Had a Promising Arc
Paige Swanson (McKenna Grace) was a pivotal person in Sheldon’s (Ian Armitage) life growing up, and one that fans feel didn’t get sufficient closure. She was the first person to threaten Sheldon’s ego, a girl as young as him who was just as smart, if not smarter. The fact that she also possessed better social and people skills than Sheldon was even more devastating to the young boy.
Sheldon first meets Paige in Season 2. She’s another 10-year-old student in Dr. Sturgis’ (Wallace Shawn) class, and he’s surprised to see someone as young as him there. He becomes jealous once he realizes she knows things he doesn’t and likely started high school when she was a year younger than he did. Mary (Zoe Perry), blind to the rivalry, invites the family over for a “play date,” thinking the kids will get along. But it’s the exact opposite. However, the two eventually warm to one another when Sheldon learns that Paige is upset that her parents are probably getting a divorce.
Later, when they run into one another again, Paige bonds more with Missy (Raegan Revord) and the pair become friends. But when they run into Paige again, things have gone south: she seems like a completely different person. Affected by her parents’ divorce, she has become rebellious and changed her style to be more edgy. She is also neglecting her schoolwork and getting into trouble. Her no-care attitude results in wasted potential, even crime as she has begun to do things like shoplift. When she and Sheldon are at the same bible camp together, they get into a huge fight.
Someone close to the original Sheldon Cooper may have inspired the character’s prequel show.
A Disappointing Lack of Closure
Once both are in college, Paige, who seems to have done a 180 back in the right direction, visits the college where Sheldon is studying and is disappointed that he is acclimating well. He has seemingly made a group of friends and is thriving. Meanwhile, Paige feels like an outsider at her own college, and she’s frustrated that Sheldon, who has no social skills, is doing better than she is. She decides she wants to leave and transfer and asks for Sheldon’s help. Sheldon calls Missy and reveals the truth, but by the time Missy and Mary arrive, Paige has left a note and she is gone.
The next time Sheldon sees Paige, she has dropped out of college, started underage drinking, and even tries to hook up with an older man. Missy takes her to Sheldon’s dorm to sleep it off. But with Missy dealing with her own anger and rebellious ways at the time, the two later steal a car and take off together. After they get pulled over and Mary comes to get them, that’s the last fans see or hear of Paige.
Given that the recurring character appeared so much throughout the series, it would make sense to get some closure about her. Older Sheldon never mentions her at all in The Big Bang Theory, since the character wasn’t written until the sequel series (though they managed to work Tam into the story). But fans would love to know that she turned her life around, and maybe even became a respected scientist. Even if the story was a sad one, having some idea of what happened to Paige would be appreciated.
It may have been challenging to fit her into the story at the end of Young Sheldon since it was so heavily focused on the untimely death of George Sr. (Lance Barber) and Sheldon going off to school. Paige popping up out of nowhere may have been a distraction. Nonetheless, because of the abandonment of this important side character, fans are left in limbo, forced to derive their own theories about what happened to her.
Other Side Characters Who Disappeared
Bobbi
There were other side characters who disappeared into oblivion or didn’t get a proper send-off. Fans will recall that neighbors Brenda (Melissa Peterman) and Herschel (Billy Gardell) had a daughter as well as their son Billy (Wyatt McClure). Bobbi (Mia Allan) was featured in an episode as the bully Sheldon alluded to having when he was a child. As it turns out, his “bully” wasn’t bigger and older than him but rather a blonde-haired, pig-tailed little girl.
The story was one of many that proved how much Sheldon embellished stories of his childhood or spun them to fit his own narrative. Bobbi, nothing more than a precocious little girl (albeit one who was unkind to Sheldon), was the closest thing Sheldon ever saw to a bully. But most notable about her storyline is that Bobbi wasn’t seen at all in later seasons.
After Brenda and Herschel split up, Brenda was only ever seen at home with Billy, even though she would reference her “kids.” Neither seemed to talk about the sibling. The only logical explanation would be that she left to live with her father after the split, or any time Brenda was seen, Bobbi was away at camp, a sleepover, or at home and in another room.
Tam
Tam’s (Ryan Phuong) disappearance was explained away in The Big Bang Theory when an older version of the character appeared on that series in a cameo. As it turns out, Sheldon was so upset when Tam revealed that his family was moving away that he cut all ties with the only friend he had. At least this side character story got some resolution. The appearance also explains why Sheldon never mentioned Tam to his adult friends, only ever telling them that he had no friends in high school. It was all part of Sheldon’s defense mechanism, cutting all memories of Tam out of his life once he felt Tam abandoned him.
Hot off the heels of The Big Bang Theory’s massively successful 12 season run, devoted fans were treated to the charming prequel series Young Sheldon.
Libby
While Tam was Sheldon’s first and arguably only friend, Libby (Anjelika Washington) was his first crush. An intelligent high school student, Sheldon seemed enamored with her intellect and opened up to her more than he had anyone else. Being around her was the only time Sheldon seemed like a “normal” teen, and the only time it seemed like he might have had feelings for someone. But she was only there for a fleeting moment. A full circle moment that would see her return would have been nice.
June (Reba McIntire) became a big character in the later seasons, the ex-wife of Connie’s (Annie Potts) boyfriend, Dale (Craig T. Nelson). Instead of despising one another, the two ladies grew to become good friends. They had dinner and drinks together frequently, and even traveled for fun ladies’ weekends. They shared intimate details about their lives, too, and even about Dale.
However, once Connie’s storyline switched to running the underground gambling business, June seemed to disappear. She was only seen sparingly, as though the pair had a rift and stopped talking, or maybe just grew apart. It’s possible Connie didn’t have as much time to hang out anymore because of the businesses. Plus, she was dealing with a lot following her house being wrecked. Nonetheless, it would have been nice to see some closure with June beyond just a fleeting appearance at George’s funeral.
A few others worth mentioning: Ira Rosenbloom (Richard Kind), Connie’s on-again, off-again boyfriend; Mrs. MacElroy (Valerie Mahaffey), Sheldon’s teacher who was perpetually frustrated with him; and Erica (Ella Anderson), Paige’s sister who befriended Missy and Georgie (Montana Jordan) at one point.
Could They Pop Back up in the Spin-Off?
There’s potential to correct some of these problems. With the spin-off series Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage coming to CBS on October 17, 2024, some of these characters could re-appear. The series will center around Georgie and Mandy (Emily Osment) who, while not living in the same home, will still be in Texas raising their daughter CeCe.
Since it has been confirmed that Missy will appear on the show, it’s possible Paige could come back in some capacity to visit her old friend. She and Missy, after all, were closer than she and Sheldon, sharing a love for typical “teenage girl” things like make-up, magazines, and boys.
The upcoming Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage will be the first Big Bang-verse show without Sheldon Cooper. How exactly will this work?
Assuming Connie makes at least a cameo or two, June could pop in as well. She could be a neighbor or customer at the family tire shop. The same could be the case for others like Libby, Ira, Miss MacElroy, Erica, and even a now-grown Bobbi. Maybe she could be a local babysitter for CeeCee.
Appearances from any of these side characters would be a nice Easter Egg further connecting the shows and paying fan service. But most importantly, it would give them a fitting end to their stories. They’d feel more like part of the fabric of the show and less like meaningless, temporary plot devices. At least some of these side characters deserve more than that.
Stream Young Sheldon on Max.
