Young Sheldon’s Jim Parsons Cameo Is Good, But I Won’t Be Happy Unless 1 Other TBBT Actor Returns
Young Sheldon’s series finale will feature Jim Parsons as Sheldon, but his appearance will ultimately be disappointing if the prequel doesn’t bring back another The Big Bang Theory character. In about three months, Sheldon’s origins story on CBS will officially wrap up its successful run. Admittedly, the decision to pull the plug on the series is odd, considering its continued success, especially after it became available on Netflix. That being said, Young Sheldon’s cancelation stems from The Big Bang Theory canon, and although it has long outgrown its premise, Chuck Lorre and his team believe they must adhere to continuity.
There are several lingering stories that the spinoff needs to address before it officially bows out — some of them don’t even concern Sheldon. However, as an attempt to return to its original form, it will prioritize wrapping up the boy genius’ arc in Texas and transitioning him to his eventual life in Pasadena, California. One way to do that is by bringing in Parsons’ Sheldon and Mayim Bialik’s Amy in the Young Sheldon series finale. As great as seeing the couple, however, it wouldn’t be a satisfying The Big Bang Theory tribute if Sheldon is not reunited with Leonard.
Young Sheldon Finale Needs To Bring Johnny Galecki’s Leonard With Parsons’ Sheldon
Sheldon’s best friend needs to make his Young Sheldon debut.
As Sheldon’s prequel story, a big part of his story in Young Sheldon tackles the origins of some of his oddest quirks and preferences, while also fleshing out many of his childhood anecdotes. While Amy’s introduction in The Big Bang Theory did instigate significant changes in the character, her arrival was long pre-dated by Leonard’s friendship. It’s uncertain how the boy genius coped with his new living arrangements in Pasadena when he moved at 14 years old, but as insinuated in the nerd-centric sitcom, things started to change for Sheldon when he met his roommate and best friend.
Not only did Sheldon find someone who had similar professional and personal interests, but he also met someone willing to stick around for him. In addition to that, Leonard also brought in Raj and Howard with him, effectively creating Sheldon’s go-to social circle. Young Sheldon has paid tribute to several aspects of his life in The Big Bang Theory, with both Howard and Amy making voice cameos, offering updates about the status of their relationship with Sheldon. However, it’s odd that the prequel has yet to feature arguably the most vital person in his adult life.
Leonard Was More Important To Sheldon’s The Big Bang Theory ArcThan Amy
Sheldon’s life would have been very lonely if he hadn’t met Leonard.
Amy was introduced in The Big Bang Theory season 3 and was promoted to a series regular. Her arrival made a romantic story for Sheldon possible — something that even Lorre was skeptical about. She was patient and understanding about the socially-inept genius’ oddities, and just as how the fortune-teller told Sheldon, his life did change for the better with her by his side. That being said, while Amy’s existence in his life was a pleasant surprise, Leonard was a necessity. Without him, Sheldon’s life would have been very different, and likely sad, as proven by Paige’s Young Sheldon arc.
Traces of Sheldon’s loneliness are already starting to show in the latter seasons of the prequel as Young Sheldon’s storytelling diversifies. As the Coopers deal with their respective arcs, the boy genius is left mostly to his own devices. It doesn’t help that Tam, the only good friend he’s had in the series has been phased out. Had Sheldon not met Leonard, this would have continued to be the case in The Big Bang Theory, and while he claimed to be just fine on his own, he would eventually realize how lonely his life was.
How The Young Sheldon Finale Can Fix Its TBBT Leonard Mistake
Young Sheldon can make up for Leonard and Penny’s divisive finale.
A potential Leonard cameo in the Young Sheldon series finale will be great for Sheldon’s story. That being said, it also has a big benefit for Johnny Galecki’s fan-favorite character. It’s no secret that The Big Bang Theory finale had divisive elements when it came to how Leonard and Penny’s story wrapped up. Their surprise pregnancy revelation was met with pushback since it was rushed. Even Kaley Cuoco was against it. Leonard’s Young Sheldon finale appearance could somehow fix that by offering an update about the status of the Hoftstadters’ current life.
Doing this offers some kind of reprieve for those who were worried that Penny was just trapped into having kids after she and Leonard got accidentally pregnant. Leonard’s appearance in the Young Sheldon series finale doesn’t need to be long, but it would be great if it included a reference to how his wife is doing. Better yet, the prequel can also just bring in Cuoco with him.
