The Real Reason Young Sheldon Retcons The Big Bang Theory

The real reason that Young Sheldon often retcons The Big Bang Theory is tied to the divergent tones of the two shows. Since The Big Bang Theory was a multi-camera hang-out show with a laugh track and Young Sheldon is a single-camera family comedy without one, the two shows have markedly different styles.

The Big Bang Theory’s humor was broader and more over-the-top, with the characters facing zanier situations compared to Young Sheldon’s more grounded storylines. As such, The Big Bang Theory regularly made throwaway jokes about Sheldon’s traumatic childhood, but Young Sheldon avoided these dark topics.

While The Big Bang Theory could afford to make many casual references to Sheldon’s harsh childhood, Young Sheldon elected to retcon these details in the spinoff.

Sheldon made his father out to be an uncaring monster and described his childhood as a nightmare of perpetual bullying in The Big Bang Theory, neither of which would make for a fun family sitcom. Later Young Sheldon seasons even sidelined Sheldon since his life was uneventful in comparison to the dramatic stories of his family members, which is a major retcon of the traumatic youth that Sheldon recounted in the earlier show. While The Big Bang Theory could afford to make many casual references to Sheldon’s harsh childhood, Young Sheldon elected to retcon these details in the spinoff.