The spin-off to the hit CBS sitcom, Young Sheldon follows the upbringing of young genius Sheldon Cooper with his non-intellectual family in Texas. The series, starring Iain Armitage in the titular role, includes several cameos from the original show.
While most cameos were subtle voice-overs, the showrunners kept one of them a secret from the audience, Kaley Cuoco, who had a brief cameo in Season 3. Co-creator Steve Molaro later revealed that the actress wanted her cameo to be kept under wraps to surprise fans.
Kaley Cuoco Did Not Want to Disclose Her Young Sheldon Cameo
Episode 10 of Young Sheldon Season 3, Teenager Soup and a Little Ball of Fib follows Sheldon facing his fear of swimming. When told that he would be having a swimming lesson, he has a nightmare, where he has a conversation with the pool.
The pool assures a hesitant Sheldon that it is clean for his swimming lesson. The voice of the pool water monster in the sequence is none other than Kaley Cuoco herself, who played the role of Penny in the original series.
However, while working on the cameo, the actress chose to keep it a secret after the creators suggested that such surprises should not be revealed in promotional materials or trailers for the show.
Penny and Sheldon | Credit: CBS
As per TV Line, co-creator Steve Molaro specifically wanted Cuoco for the part. When he reached out to her, she eagerly agreed. He also discussed The Big Bang Theory star’s preferences for secrecy.
Kaley wanted to hold it under wraps as well so that if you figured it out it would be a little Easter Egg for you, so we were all on the same page about that.
The cameo pleasantly surprised many fans, who were quick to notice that the pool water monster was no one other than Cuoco herself. However, there were also many who missed out on the uncredited cameo, only to find out about it following Molaro’s revelation.
Jim Parsons Reflected on His Return in Young Sheldon
Jim Parsons, who originally played the role of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, returned to the character in the series finale of Young Sheldon nearly five years after the original show concluded.
Talking about reprising his role in an appearance on Today, he said, “[It was] very weird [but] also very beautiful.” He further explained that it felt a bit odd, as he was used to embody the character in front of a live audience, which was not the case for the spin-off series.
The Big Bang Theory was always a live-audience show and Young Sheldon is a single-camera show, and I got to do it with Mayim — To do it in that situation, it was just different enough that it wasn’t creepy.
Despite a bit of discomfort, the Emmy-winning actor shared that he enjoyed the experience, describing it as sweet and fulfilling. The creator of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, Chuck Lorre, has also hinted at another potential spin-off. He shared that while discussions are ongoing, no concrete plans have been confirmed yet.
Young Sheldon is available to stream on Prime Video.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
