Young Sheldon Nearly Introduced Amy's Prequel Replacement (Why It Didn't)

Published Oct 27, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Mads Misasi is an entertainment journalist and marketing content creator. Before joining the ScreenRant team they wrote for TellTaleTV for 9 years working their way up from contributor to Associate Editor. TV has been a passion of theirs since a very young age. Mads typically watches all of the things, especially dramas and sitcoms. Young Sheldon spent seven seasons expanding the story of Sheldon Cooper, offering additional context for the character Jim Parsons made famous on The Big Bang Theory. The younger version of the character was played by Iain Armitage, who did a tremendous job bringing the character to life with enough similarities to the original without copying everything. As such, this was also true in terms of Young Sheldon's overall storytelling in relation to The Big Bang Theory. The prequel introduced several characters who never appeared in the original sitcom, including one who was Sheldon's first true rival. Debuting in Young Sheldon season 2, Paige Swanson (Mckenna Grace) was a fellow child prodigy whose intelligence rivaled Sheldon's. Their competitive relationship quickly became a recurring storyline, highlighting their shared experiences and contrasting personalities. As their relationship evolved, Young Sheldon occasionally hinted at a potential romance between the two. Such a development would have given Sheldon a girlfriend long before he met Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik). However, the series ultimately avoided pursuing that storyline. In Jessica Radloff's Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw's-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, Iain Armitage and Grace explain why they were relieved their characters never became romantically involved. Young Sheldon Nearly Built Up Sheldon & Paige's Romance Throughout Young Sheldon, Paige represented something unfamiliar to Sheldon: someone his own age who could match his intelligence. Although their relationship was largely competitive, their shared experiences occasionally brought them closer together. Their connection became particularly interesting in season 6, episode 13, when Sheldon encountered an intoxicated Paige at a college party. The episode demonstrated his concern for her well-being, but Armitage admitted he was apprehensive about where their relationship might be heading. Iain Armitage: Absolutely. Yes. I’m so glad they didn’t do anything with Sheldon and Paige. Anytime they hinted at weird love stuff, especially for Sheldon, I would always be like, “Uh . . .” I remember the episode where Paige was drunk, and reading it like, “Uh, where is this going?” I’m so glad it wasn’t weird. But it was great to play a character who is love-challenged. Montana and Rae handled it like champs, but I’m very glad to have not had to do that. It must have been very hard. Grace similarly welcomed the decision, explaining that fans still mistakenly believe Paige was Sheldon's former girlfriend. McKenna Grace: I get that in my comment sections all the time, like, “Where’s young Sheldon? Isn’t this, like, Sheldon’s ex-girlfriend?” So I was honestly very glad they never gave us that plotline because we had that one bit where it was [hinted at]. But I can’t imagine at that stage in their lives that she would have wanted to date Sheldon. I think she would have killed him. [Laughs] Though I do think there was a nice connection between the two, even though he was kind of a dingus when it came down to it. They knew what it was like to be the smart kid, but they were just on very different paths. Why Young Sheldon Was Better Off Without Sheldon & Paige's Romance A romance between Sheldon and Paige might have been interesting, but it would have undermined what made their relationship compelling. Their connection wasn't built around romantic compatibility, but their shared understanding of growing up intellectually gifted. Despite their similarities, they approached their circumstances very differently. While Sheldon generally embraced his intelligence, Paige struggled with her parents' divorce, loneliness, and the expectations accompanying her abilities. Her experiences demonstrated that being academically gifted didn't guarantee happiness, offering a compelling contrast to Sheldon's childhood. Introducing romance could have distracted from Paige's personal struggles, reducing her character to another milestone in Sheldon's development. Instead, she remained an independent character whose experiences challenged his understanding of what it meant to be a child prodigy. There was also The Big Bang Theory's established continuity to consider. Although dating Paige wouldn't necessarily have contradicted his eventual marriage to Amy, a significant childhood romance could have complicated Sheldon's established difficulties with romantic relationships. Ultimately, Sheldon and Paige didn't need romance for their relationship to matter. Their differences made their interactions memorable, and keeping their connection platonic preserved Paige's importance without diminishing Amy's eventual role in Sheldon's life. Release Date 2017 - 2024-00-00 Network CBS Directors Jon Favreau Cast Iain Armitage Sheldon Cooper