Amy’s Dad's Cameo Isn’t A Young Sheldon Plot Hole (But TBBT's George Is)

Teller, who previously played Amy's dad, appears in Young Sheldon, but it isn't a plot hole like George actor's cameo on The Big Bang Theory.

Amy’s Dad's Cameo Isn’t A Young Sheldon Plot Hole (But TBBT's George Is)

Warning! SPOILERS for Young Sheldon season 5.

The appearance of Amy’s (Mayim Bialik) dad in Young Sheldon is not a plot hole, unlike George’s cameo in The Big Bang Theory. CBS’ comedy wraps up season 5 with a special episode that mainly focuses on Sheldon (Iain Armitage) and his fear of what comes ahead in his life. With that, Young Sheldon season 5 finale also brings in two special guests, Penn and Teller — the latter may be familiar with The Big Bang Theory viewers as he also played Amy’s father, Larry Fowler.

In the Young Sheldon season 5 finale titled “A Clogged Pore, a Little Spanish and the Future,” the show shifts the focus back on Sheldon following weeks of sidelining the boy genius. After getting his first pimple, Sheldon becomes obsessed with the idea of hitting puberty and developing a fear of growing old. George (Lance Barber) and Mary’s (Zoe Perry) current predicament aggravates his trepidation. In an effort to interject some humor into an otherwise darker Young Sheldon episode, CBS brings in the magician duo to personify Sheldon’s pimple, with Teller playing the voice of Pus while Penn brings Acne to life.

Since Teller already exists in The Big Bang Theory franchise as Mr. Fowler, there’s an argument that his appearance in Young Sheldon as Pus breaks continuity. This is supported by the fact that Lance Barber, who plays George in the CBS prequel, had previously appeared in The Big Bang Theory as Leonard’s bully, Jimmy Speckerman — something that is deemed a plot hole. That being said, Teller’s Young Sheldon cameo doesn’t actually create any inconsistency because the character he plays is imaginary. Pus and Acne only appear in Sheldon’s dreams and don’t have any real-life impact on his life in Young Sheldon. Meanwhile, Barber’s The Big Bang Theory character didn’t only exist in real-life, he also had an interaction with Sheldon, and regardless of his eidetic memory, he should have recognized Leonard’s bully as someone who looked eerily similar to his dad.

This isn’t actually the first time that the prequel brought in someone from the geek-centric sitcom for an imaginary cameo. In Young Sheldon season 3, The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco voiced the pool water that Sheldon was dreading for his PE class. Cuoco’s voice cameo went uncredited, but viewers immediately recognized her voice. Ultimately, executive producer Steve Molaro confirmed it. Like Teller’s Young Sheldon appearance, this also doesn’t create any plot holes because the pool water’s ability to have a conversation with him was all in Sheldon’s mind. Although unconventional, this is actually a fun way to incorporate The Big Bang Theory actors into Young Sheldon without risking creating narrative issues.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like CBS is actively looking to explain Barber’s two different characters in the franchise, and this is arguably for the best. After all, there is a string of other plot inconsistencies between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory that it can focus on. That includes reconciling the conflicting depiction of its shared characters, including George.