Big Bang Theory: Amy’s New Young Sheldon Cameo Makes One Theory More Likely
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 5, episode 16.
Mayim Bialik's latest return as Amy on Young Sheldon further supports a popular theory about The Big Bang Theory's spin-off show. Debuting in 2017, the premier CBS comedy was launched as an extension of its parent series. But ever since The Big Bang Theory ended in 2019, Young Sheldon has been standing on its own. And while it primarily focuses on its titular character played by Iain Armitage, the project also features Jim Parsons' original version who provides the show's narration.
Unlike her initial appearance on Young Sheldon season 4 premiere, Amy's latest voice cameo was previously announced by CBS. A snippet of her back-and-forth with her husband was used to promote the episode. Nevertheless, fans were excited to tune in, hoping that her cameo would reveal new information about the Coopers' life after The Big Bang Theory. It's worth remembering that during her original cameo, it was confirmed that she and Sheldon have a kid named Leonard Cooper. While there isn't any substantial information similar to that in the new outing, Amy mentions something that lends additional credence to an ongoing theory about Young Sheldon.
Amy's voice-over cameo appears during Young Sheldon season 5, episode 16, "A Suitcase Full of Cash and a Yellow Clown Car." She and Sheldon talk about a few things that affect a relationship. At one point, Sheldon asks if she's jealous of what he's doing, referring to narrating the events of The Big Bang Theory spin-off. Amy doesn't answer his question directly but reveals that they have a microphone in front of them. This means that Sheldon's voice-overs are for something more official; it isn't just him casually recalling his childhood. This further supports the theory that Sheldon is actually in the process of working on his autobiography. Based on his latest conversation with Amy, she isn't a part of it, so it might not be something that's born out of their joint Nobel Prize in Physics win. Instead, it could just be a book deal specifically for Sheldon.
An earlier Simon Helberg (Howard) cameo on Young Sheldon previously reinforced this hypothesis. The Big Bang Theory's resident engineer appeared earlier in season 5 as part of Sheldon's attempt to talk about his struggles with his engineering class in college. During the pair's bickering, Howard revealed that he was merely asked by Sheldon to come up with an introduction to engineering for the story. This convinced fans that there's a rhyme and reason for Young Sheldon's voice-overs. Assuming that this is the case, the question now is whether or not this autobiography is a self-funded project or for a corporation. It's safe to assume that after winning the Nobel Prize in Physics, he became famous — at least in his field. Couple that with his fascinating childhood, it's possible that a publishing or media company reached out to sign a deal for his memoir.
With Young Sheldon confirmed to run until at least season 7, don't expect CBS to explicitly address this ongoing mystery. Instead, the show could gradually drop hints about it via cameos from other The Big Bang Theory characters like Amy and Howard. Perhaps the sitcom could even feature Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Leonard (Johnny Galecki) or Raj (Kunal Nayyar) as voice-over cameos.
Young Sheldon season 5 airs every Thursday on CBS.