Summary

• Young Sheldon struggles to create a balanced Meemaw character across both shows with a shift towards seriousness in its latest season.
• Meemaw, portrayed by Annie Potts, has a more fun-loving role in Young Sheldon compared to her stern depiction in The Big Bang Theory.
• Season 7 of Young Sheldon connects Meemaw's character and introduces plot changes, setting up for a transition towards the Meemaw in The Big Bang Theory.

Young Sheldon has struggled to match the canon set up in The Big Bang Theory. The CBS prequel has sometimes struggled to balance creating a wholesome family comedy and connecting the narrative to the story told by Sheldon Cooper in the sequel.

Sheldon's grandma, Meemaw was played much more serious in The Big Bang Theory than in Young Sheldon, and a recent plot in season 7 explains why. Season 7 finally connects the free-spirited Meemaw in Young Sheldon with the version Sheldon often tells his friends about in The Big Bang Theory.

Meemaw, real name Connie Tucker, is played with a naughty joy in the prequel, a rich contradiction from her uptight daughter Mary. In The Big Bang Theory, she is depicted as a sweet old lady who doted indulgently on her three grandchildren. It's hard for fans of the two shows to connect the characters together.

In the following, we break down how Meemaw's personality is different in Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory. We also talk about how Young Sheldon's final season is connecting the Meemaw plot holes and what Meemaw actress, Annie Potts says about playing Sheldon's grandma.

How Young Sheldon's Meemaw Differs From The Big Bang Theory's Meemaw

In The Big Bang Theory, Meemaw is portrayed as being a stern Southern grandmother, unlike the fun-loving and risk-taking Meemaw Annie Potts plays in Young Sheldon.

Not much is known about Meemaw’s life after Young Sheldon. Although Sheldon speaks about her fondly, he doesn't divulge much about her life after he moves to California. In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon mostly corresponds with his Meemaw via letter, where it is revealed she calls him Moonpie because "[he's] nummy nummy, and she could just eat [him] up."

In The Big Bang Theory, Connie is more like Mary than the younger Meemaw from the prequel. She is homely, religious, and judgmental, although she is clearly very caring and loving towards Sheldon Cooper.

In TBBT, Sheldon says that when his grandfather Pop-pop died, his mother set Meemaw up to go to a senior center to socialize with other people. This is very different from the show, where she still has a thriving social life after her husband's passing and goes on dates over the seven seasons

Meemaw only appears once in The Big Bang Theory, played by June Squibb. She visits Sheldon in "The Meemaw Materialization" to check out Amy, whom she does not like due to her previously breaking up with her grandson. While Meemaw agrees not to stand in the way of Sheldon proposing to Amy, she isn't too keen on her future wife.

Annie Potts, who plays the younger Meemaw in Young Sheldon has addressed the balance the creators found in addressing the character already created in the sequel and making their own version in the prequel.

“We have the great benefit of having some of the map been laid down in terms of character, but really it’s its own thing, so I felt like I had free range — a clean slate — within the context of what Chuck [Lorre] and Steve [Molaro] had created."

Young Sheldon Season 7 Leads Up To Meemaw's Character Change

Young Sheldon season 7 sets up numerous plots that connect the Coopers from Young Sheldon to the family Sheldon talks about in The Big Bang Theory. The show is setting up George Sr's death, Missy's rebellious nature, and Mary's strict religious beliefs. It also sets up a shift in Meemaw's character.

After the season 6 finale of Young Sheldon saw Meemaw's house destroyed by a tornado, she becomes desperate to make money and turns to increasing her illegal gambling.

In the second episode of the seventh season, Meemaw gets a roulette table for her gambling den, tempting Georgie with the possibility of being able to afford more diapers and even a nanny.

However, adding a roulette table makes Meemaw's business even more illegal, opening Meemaw up to more risk. After losing much of her possessions during the tornado, Meemaw becomes more risk-averse out of desperation.

In “A Proper Wedding and Skeletons in the Closet,” the police raid the gambling room and catch Meemaw. This arrest deflates Sheldon's grandmother and causes her to start taking life more seriously. This incident could have triggered Meemaw to be more cautious and less carefree, putting her on the path to being the sensible, loving grandmother depicted in TBBT.

What Annie Potts Says About Playing Meemaw

Meemaw has been played in theYoung Sheldon by Ghostbusters actress Annie Poots since the series started in 2017.

One of her favorite things about playing the Cooper children's grandmother role is working with the young actors who play Missy, Sheldon and Georgie.

“I love the children, and it's been a privilege to watch them grow up. [Iain is] so grown up, and when we started, he and Reagan would get on my lap and kiss me and play with my fingernails and my ears."

"They were tiny, and all day long, they just say, he would say — and they still do — ‘I love you. I love you, Miss Annie.’”

The actress was involved in helping create Meemaw's look. Originally, they wanted her to have the same colour hair as her daughter, instead of the iconic gray style she ultimately wore throughout the show. Potts also did her own makeup, coming up with the idea of Connie wearing blue eyeshadow.

“I’m from the South, and I have known these women all my life. There were numerous people in my own family circle and outside of it that I have had to draw from. She’s really kind of like putting on my bedroom slippers and going to work. It just felt real comfortable," the actress, who also appeared in Designing Woman, explained.

Annie Potts admits that good writing has made her job easier for her. “The characters are so well written you don’t have to do much but show up. The job of an actor is to memorize the lines, and when they’re good you hardly have to look at them at all. It’s easy."