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People always found Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory interesting, which is exactly why the character got his very own spin-off, focusing on his childhood and how he grew into the man-child everyone knows him as. In doing so, the show explored the character’s family, with whom the audience also fell in love.
The Cooper family in a still poster of Young Sheldon | Credits: CBSHowever, out of all the characters, there was one that people didn’t quite understand how they ended up becoming the version seen in The Big Bang Theory, and that character is Meemaw.
Why Meemaw feels like two different characters in Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory
Meemaw has always been a fan-favorite character in Sheldon Cooper‘s world, but her portrayal across Young Sheldon by Annie Potts and The Big Bang Theory by June Squibb leaves fans scratching their heads.
In Young Sheldon, Meemaw is an energetic and extroverted personality who loves her beer, thrives on social outings, and is far from overprotective when it comes to her grandchildren. In short, she is the cool type, so much so she, even runs a secret gambling room behind her laundromat.
June Squibb as Meemaw in Episode The Meemaw Materialization on The Big Bang Theory | Credits: CBSCut to The Big Bang Theory and the Meemaw fans meet in Season 9, Episode 14 (The Meemaw Materialization) feels like a completely different person. Here, she is a warm, protective, and slightly feisty old-school grandmother with a more traditional vibe.
For years, Meemaw existed only in Sheldon’s stories, making her eventual debut in The Big Bang Theory a big moment. However, fans noticed the sharp contrast between the two versions. While Young Sheldon had plenty of opportunities, especially in its finale, to address how or why Meemaw transitioned, the spin-off avoided the question entirely. Leaving fans debating how these two versions of Meemaw can coexist in the same universe.
How Young Sheldon continuously missed opportunities to explain this drastic change!
Meemaw has always been the backbone of the Cooper family, the unapologetic glue holding everyone together. In Young Sheldon, she is bold, carefree, and full of life. But by the time fans meet her in The Big Bang Theory, she’s transformed into someone fans never thought she would be, an ordinary grandma. And Young Sheldon fails to explain why.
The answer lies in missed opportunities. The series touched on events that could have justified Meemaw’s evolution but didn’t fully commit to connecting the dots. For instance, George Sr.’s death seemed like the perfect turning point.
Annie Potts in Young Sheldon | Credits: CBSIf Meemaw had stepped in to take on a more parental role for the three kids could have naturally explained her more grounded demeanor later on. But instead, Young Sheldon kept her as the same feisty, beer-loving daredevil, leaving her The Big Bang Theory personality unexplained.
Another potential catalyst was her long-term relationship with Dale. A breakup could have triggered a shift toward introspection, but the show chose not to go there. Even moments like Rhonda’s influence or Meemaw’s arrest could have added some reason to her personality shift.
Ultimately, Young Sheldon failed to explain what might have shaped Meemaw into the more subdued, protective figure as seen in The Big Bang Theory.
Both Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory are streaming on Max.
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