What happened to Paige in Young Sheldon? Absence explained
Young Sheldon producer Steve Holland opened up about Paige's fate in The Big Bang Theory prequel.
Though Young Sheldon fans in the UK are yet to get their hands on season 7, the Big Bang Theory prequel's final episode has already aired in the US.
The finale marked the end of the series, and saw Jim Parsons reprise the titular role's older version for a special flash-forward scene.
The shortened seventh season also set up Georgie and Mandy's spin-off, and featured the dreaded death of a major character.
One familiar face was missing, however. Many fans were shocked when child prodigy Paige Swanson didn't return for the final season.
Played by Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), the fan favourite character was last seen in season 6, when she was enlisted by Sheldon's sister Missy to help her run away to Florida.
The pair were caught before they could cross state lines, and though Missy is reprimanded, Paige's fate is never explained, prompting fans to wonder whether the fact her name is never mentioned in The Big Bang Theory means she met a dark end.
Young Sheldon producer Steve Holland recently shed some light on Paige's absence, though - read on for more.
What happened to Paige in Young Sheldon? Absence explained
Holland addressed fans' questioning of Paige's absence during a recent interview with TVLine.
"People ask about Paige all the time, and she was only in [nine] episodes of Young Sheldon," he said, before addressing suggestions that she could've been mentioned in the final Big Bang Theory season.
"[By the time her role was expanded,] Big Bang was done, and there was no way to go, 'Can we go back and retrofit [her] into Big Bang Theory?’" he explained.
As for why Grace wasn't brought back for season 7, it sounds like it was a scheduling conflict.
"People online respond to Paige, and I think that’s because Mckenna is incredible," Holland added.
"The downside of Mckenna being incredible is that Mckenna is a movie star, and that makes Mckenna very difficult to get."
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Young Sheldon seasons 1-6 are available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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