The dramatic young to old character transformations from Young Sheldon to Big Bang Theory

Young Sheldon gives us a glimpse at what some of our favourite characters from Big Bang Theory looked and behaved like when they were younger, and as a result, there are some pretty major transformations. The showrunners for Young Sheldon did a great job casting as the younger versions of the characters really resemble their older counterparts, with Mary even being played by the daughter of the actress who played her in Big Bang Theory!

Alongside Sheldon, we even get to see some of the iconic Big Bang Theory core members as little kids in Young Sheldon and tiny Leonard with his oversized glasses is too adorable to deal with. There’s around a 15-20 year difference between the shows so we get to see them go from little kids to fully-fledged adults. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane and compare the young to old character transformations of the characters between Young Sheldon and Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon

Via Channel 4

Sheldon dressed like an adult with a pension fund and 8pm bedtime when he was younger, but by the time we see him as an adult in The Big Bang Theory, he’s reverted to a more childlike way of dressing with comic themed shirts and wearing pyjamas during the daytime.

Missy

Via Channel 4

When we see Missy in Big Bang Theory she certainly looks a lot different than she appears in Young Sheldon, with Raj, Leonard and Howard all attempting to ask her out. But in Young Sheldon, she’s just your classic teenager by the end of the series who is trying to deal with the devasting loss of her dad’s death.

Georgie

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Via Channel 4

When we are introduced to a much older Georgie in Big Bang Theory he explains the toll that looking after Mary and Missy took on him after their father’s death and that he always resented Sheldon for being the golden child, despite the sacrifices Georgie made for his family.

We know he has two ex-wives so who knows whether Georgie and Mandy’s spin-off will end in a divorce? Even in Big Bang Theory he still kept his iconic bushy hair from Young Sheldon.

Mary

Via Channel 4

It turns out the character of Mary is actually played by a mother-daughter duo. Laurie Metcalfe played the role of Mary Cooper in Big Bang Theory before her daughter Zoe Perry auditioned for the role of Mary in Young Sheldon and successfully got the part.

While she insists she didn’t get the audition because of nepotism, Zoe admits knowing her mother’s mannerisms on the show and being able to easily imitate them helped her in the audition process. And it turns out it’s not even the actress’s first time playing a younger version of her mother’s character either, so she’s a dab hand at it. This has to be the most accurate Young Sheldon to Big Bang Theory character transformation you could possibly get!

Meemaw

Via Channel 4

I swear Meemaw is going to live forever in this cinematic universe, although in Big Bang Theory she does look considerably older and less stylish, Meemaw in Young Sheldon is such an icon.

Leonard

Via Channel 4

I genuinely cannot deal with young Leonard, why is this such an adorable picture? The dedication to the glasses and robe really brings it all together.

Bernadette

Via Channel 4

I swear Bernadette is just an endless mood, and she’s obviously been a fan of the florals from an early age. She found a hairstyle and fringe she liked and has stuck with it ever since!

Raj

Via Channel 4

Once a sweater vest man always a sweater vest man.

Amy

Via Channel 4

This has to be one of the best young character castings, the actress playing the Young Sheldon version of Amy looks so much like her it’s insane.

Penny

Via Channel 4

Painfully accurate.

Young Sheldon is available on Netflix now – For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes about Big Bang Theory character transformations like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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Featured images via CBS and Instagram.