When does Young Sheldon take place?

Young Sheldon Seasons 7 is currently airing on CBS – but when does The Big Bang Theory prequel take place?

Debuting in 2017, Young Sheldon stars Iain Armitage as the child version of Jim Parsons’ on-screen character in The Big Bang Theory. With the original sitcom having introduced Sheldon’s twin sister Missy and older brother George, Young Sheldon provides the answers to what his childhood was like.

Raised in Texas, Sheldon is far from ordinary among the people in his family. He has an extraordinary mind that comes once in a generation. But just as Sheldon battles to understand basic social cues, his family also struggles to understand him.

In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon is a grown adult living in his own apartment. He also has a swanky job as a physicist and makes his own money. Young Sheldon shows him years before the hit 2007 sitcom. With Young Sheldon hitting Netflix, here’s what you need to know about the timeline.

What year does Young Sheldon take place?

Young Sheldon takes place years before The Big Bang Theory in 1989 in the fictional town of Medford, Texas. 

The timeframe of Young Sheldon is easy to figure out. It’s all thanks to Sheldon’s opening monologue being, “Nobody I knew in East Texas in 1989 cared about Newtonian physics.” 

At the time the prequel series takes place, Sheldon is nine years old and begins attending high school with his older brother George. Remember, Sheldon is a child prodigy with a highly intellectual mind who later becomes Mensa-certified. He began attending college at 11 years old.

Throughout the seasons of Young Sheldon, the timeline goes into the early 90s and there are plenty of pop culture references to catch. Sheldon talks about new episodes of Stark Trek, reading Watchmen comics, and even Dungeons & Dragons, the famed fantasy game that was at the center of the Satanic Panic of the 80s.

By Season 6 of the series, it’s 1992 to 1993. With CBS airing Young Sheldon Season 7, the prequel is set to end its run in 1993 through to 1994.

Young Sheldon Season 7 continues on March 7, 2024.