Young Sheldon Gave Insight into Why TBBT's Sheldon Was So Much Worse
The reasons behind adult Sheldon's insufferable character lie in his childhood.
At some point, Young Sheldon became a distraction of sorts for those who missed The Big Bang Theory too much.
However, the sitcom about Sheldon's childhood has proved to be a separate hilarious family show deserving the love of the audience. While viewers continued to learn about the boy genius, they met and fall in love with other members of the Cooper family.
And looks like the main reason for adult Sheldon being – well – Sheldon lies in his childhood and the relationships in his family.
The character of Young Sheldon has developed a lot throughout the six seasons of the spinoff. And it may seem strange that at the beginning of The Big Bang Theory, adult Sheldon is so much worse and socially inept than his younger version.
However, Young Sheldon might have given the explanation for such a dramatic change of character. The milestone 100th episode titled A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth didn't feature any big nods to The Big Bang Theory as many viewers were expecting it to, but it may have hinted at the reason behind adult Sheldon's insufferable character.
In the episode, Sheldon goes to East Texas Tech and meets Paige Swanson, another kid genius from his past. But the girl doesn't show her sunny disposition anymore. She is clearly struggling with her college life and the separation of her parents.
Paige has turned to rebelling because she blamed herself for ruining their marriage. Considering how much one child prodigy was affected by family issues, it is totally natural to assume that another one can also have a hard time coping with similar problems.
The Big Bang Theory viewers know that at some point, George Sr. cheated on his wife and it led to the divorce, the events that Young Sheldon is yet to feature. Besides, Sheldon's father passed away from heart issues. Such tragic events can definitely affect a child. To cope with them, Sheldon could embrace his inner weirdness.
The Big Bang Theory further proves this conclusion. The audience knows that Sheldon't many peculiarities and behaviors were masking his real emotions. For example, in one episode, Sheldon revealed to Penny that his annoying habit of knocking thrice had originated from the time when he walked in on his father cheating on his mother.
Perhaps, his parents' breakup and father's death led to Sheldon's alienation as a means of protecting himself from getting hurt ever again.