Young Sheldon: 10 Big Bang Theory Inconsistencies

Love it or loath it, The Big Bang Theory is objectively one of the most successful American sitcoms ever. So it’s perhaps not surprising that as the show wound down, a spin-off appeared. From Happy Days and Frasier to Friends, some of the most beloved sitcoms of all time have spawned spin-offs to varying degrees of success.

It’s also no surprise that of all The Big Bang Theory’s characters, it was distinctive oddball Sheldon Cooper who became the focus of his own show, Young Sheldon. What might have been more surprising, for fans tuning in to the show’s premiere episode way back in 2017, is how Young Sheldon diverges from its source material. In place of the earlier show’s traditional three camera, studio sitcom set-up, complete with a live audience, Young Sheldon opts for a more naturalistic single camera style, with no laugh track.

While that might be the most obvious inconsistency between The Big Theory and Young Sheldon, it’s far from the only one. Neither have these discrepancies gone unnoticed. Young Sheldon’s writers may have thought they could get away with a few changes, or maybe they didn’t even realise their mistakes. Or is the whole thing set in an entirely alternate universe? Whatever the reason, fans online have been quick to pick up on the differences.

A moment in the spin-off show’s third season see’s the future Dr Cooper telling Missy and Paige about the contents of his backpack. Apparently the bag contains:-

“Earplugs to drown out the crowd noise, wet naps to wipe down escalator hand rails, a compass, a map of the mall and a whistle in case he gets lost or get approached by a woman holding a perfume bottle”

So far, so Sheldon. There’s nothing particularly unexpected here or anything that diverges from how adult Sheldon is portrayed. Take another look at the list however and you might spot that the key item here is the whistle.

In an episode of The Big Bang Theory Sheldon says he carries around a whistle given to him by love interest Amy Farrah Fowler. So why does he already have the whistle years earlier as a child?

Yes, technically it could be that he had stopped carrying around whistles at some point, only to start again with Amy’s gift. But Sheldon Cooper is a creature of habit, notoriously so. Plus the items in his childhood backpack are clearly a source of security and comfort. Would he really just stop carrying around a whistle, then receive one years later and not make the connection? Particularly if the whistles are identical?