The Sheldon and Amy wedding episode in The Big Bang Theory season 11 was probably one of the most awaited and anticipated episodes by fans. It brought together Sheldon’s whole family except for Meeemaw. Here’s why Sheldon’s Meemaw was absent from the cornerstone event.
The Wedding Bells Finally Rang
The Big Bang Theory‘s Season 11 finale, was a culmination of Amy and Sheldon’s on and off yet long-lasting relationship. The wedding bells finally rang for the both of them but sans a crucial family member. Any guesses who? Sheldon’s beloved Meemaw was not in attendance for the nuptials. Obviously, she wasn’t just forgotten about, showrunner Steve Holland explained exactly why Meemaw was missing from the wedding episode.
He quoted:
“Unfortunately this episode came in very long and we had to start making hard decisions about what was serving the story and what we could lose. We had recorded a phone message from Meemaw explaining why she couldn’t be there (she is in her 90s after all), and sadly we had to cut it for time. It was a hard cut to make, not only because it was a sweet moment but also because I know people are going to wonder why Meemaw didn’t get mentioned, but at the end of the day we had to make the best episode we could and a 30 second phone call was going to be 30 seconds less wedding we got to see. I know that CBS is planning to post some bonus content online after the episode airs, and I think Meemaw’s phone call will be one of the things they put up.”
Sheldon frequently mentions her throughout the series but Meemaw did not make her first on screen appearance until Season 9 in the fourteenth episode. Academy Award nominee June Squibb played the role back then, while Annie Potts plays her in The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff prequel series, Young Sheldon. Wasn’t it hard to see Sheldon walking down the aisle without Meemaw? Well, it did happen and fans were definitely sad and a tad bit disappointed to see that outcome.
It is amazing how the producers had to consider the time spent on every single moment surrounding The Big Bang Theory wedding episode. The whole idea behind not including Meemaw was because the makers wanted to give fans maximum coverage of the wedding as it was highly anticipated. Even a small scene adds up and a mention of Meemaw would have also taken time and attention away from the wedding.
The Battle of the two Meemaws
The good news is, nothing bad has happened to The Big Bang Theory‘s Meemaw. She’s still very much alive, and was missing from The Big Bang Theory’s season 11 due to writing and time constraints, rather than a clichéd accident or death. Holland also added that The Big Bang Theory’s creative team didn’t want to confuse people with two versions of the character since Young Sheldon aired immediately following The Big Bang Theory. In Young Sheldon, Annie Potts plays a significantly different version of Meemaw than June Squibb’s.
Aside from the direct implications of Meemaw’s absence from Sheldon’s wedding in The Big Bang Theory’s season 11 finale, it also highlights a major issue and plot holes that the spin-off show Young Sheldon faces, which is maintaining continuity. Holland too admitted to this and quoted:
“The fact that they expected people to be confused between Potts and Squibb’s version of the character means they knew that they are vastly different, almost as if they’re entirely two different people. This is the reason why The Big Bang Theory fans aren’t exactly keen on the prequel spin-off, which frankly is totally understandable.”
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