Why Sheldon “regresses” between Young Sheldon & The Big Bang Theory

By the end of Young Sheldon, he seems to be in a better place emotionally and socially; he’s still a know-it-all, but he can connect with people and be (somewhat) compassionate. So, what happened before The Big Bang Theory?

When we meet Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory pilot, he’s a creature of regimented habit: he has his spot on the couch that nobody else is allowed to sit on, and he has a reflex to yammer about ‘fun’ facts that are incomprehensibly detailed.

We soon discover all of his other quirks, like his impossibly strict takeout orders, his lack of patience for any grammatical errors, and his fragile sense of self-worth (which is obliterated and rebuilt after a 15-year-old comes to Caltech).

Through Young Sheldon’s seven seasons, we see him battle his worst instincts (and often give in to them), but as a teenager, he’s more well-rounded than ever. As pointed out by fans on Reddit, he “regresses socially” when he becomes an adult — so what happened before The Big Bang Theory?

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There’s a few reasons. When he goes to Caltech, he’s on his own; he doesn’t have Missy, Georgie, Mary, Meemaw, or even Paige in sporadic appearances — all of whom keep him in check and remind him how to be a normal, nice person.

There’s another causality: while he felt like a boy genius at high school and East Texas tech, his experience in Germany humbled him. This seemed like a good thing, but when we meet him in The Big Bang Theory, he has a fractious relationship with other members of the university, whether it’s Leslie Winkle or Eric Gablehouser — both of whom take no hesitation in mocking him, either overtly or sneakily.

That, plus his grief over George’s death (as his adult self narrated, he tried to ignore his feelings as much as possible and only came to acknowledge his true love for his dad decades later), make for a harsh mix. It’s no surprise he became a bit of a hermit, seeking comfort in his rituals and stringent organization of every aspect of life.

“His dad died and he didn’t really have a support system to process that as he moved out soon after. Some regression was inevitable,” one fan wrote.

“CalTech Sheldon was in a new state and a new college where no one cared that he was a prodigy. It lost its significance… IMO, the stress of losing his dad and the new environment without his family to call him out on his BS led to him adding more rituals into his OCD. The rituals comforted him and as he got more isolated the more he regressed,” another speculated.

Make sure you check out our breakdown of the Young Sheldon ending, what we know about Young Sheldon Season 8 and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, and other new TV shows to stream this month.