The Big Bang Theory’s Steve Molaro Now Regrets Adding Sheldon’s Knocking Habit – Looper

Sheldon’s knocking habit isn’t something he always did. On “The Big Bang Theory,” he reveals to Penny the traumatic manner in which it began. At 13, the child prodigy returned home early from college spring break because they ran out of math to teach him.

“My mother was in Bible study. I walked in the house expecting to find it empty and I heard a sound coming from my parents’ bedroom,” he tells Penny. “When I opened the door, I saw my father having relations with another woman.”

This is why he never opens a door without knocking three times. Though this explanation certainly provides much depth to Sheldon, “The Big Bang Theory” creators didn’t anticipate the unfortunate impact this would have on the child version of Sheldon (Iain Armitage) in the prequel series “Young Sheldon.” Since the extramarital activities of George Cooper (Lance Barber) are part of the canon, they must be included. Though George hasn’t cheated on Mary (Zoe Perry) just yet, he’s getting a little too cozy with Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman).

In the book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” producer Steve Molaro said, “[W]e were just trying to find a way to add some weight and importance to the scene when he said it [to Penny] and that was a way to do it. Had I known it would end up having an impact on Young Sheldon, I might have thought twice about it.”

Still, some fans are optimistic that Sheldon didn’t witness what he thinks he did, and that “Young Sheldon” can take this plotline in another direction. On Reddit, u/SweaterWeather4Ever said, “On TBBT Sheldon tells Penny he saw his father ‘having relations with another woman.’ The discreet euphemism is in keeping with Sheldon’s character but it is also vague enough to give the YS writers a lot of leeway as to what to depict.”