was a very successful show for the CBS network. The show ran for an impressive 12 seasons until it finally came to an end in 2019. When first premiered in 2007, fans fell in love with the quirky, nerdy, and brilliant characters. Being a geek and loving sci-fi was suddenly cool, and the cultural shift was all due to the characters of Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, and Raj Koothrappali.

Though the beloved show is over, the world of continues with The show is currently airing its 6th season and tells the story of Sheldon Cooper growing up as a genius. Fans also get an inside look at the Cooper family dynamics, and what his father was like.

Let’s get into all the characters that also appeared on

8 Jim Parsons Narrates

The most obvious connection between and is the presence of Sheldon Cooper himself. acts as the character’s backstory, and fans finally get to understand why Cooper acts as he does.

Even more exciting for fans is the constant company of actor . Parsons played Sheldon Cooper in the original show, and now he returns to narrate . Parsons is also an executive producer of as he is passionate about the character he played for over a decade.

However, Parsons was the reason ended, and . Despite this fact, fans still love having Parsons be a part in the spin-off show.

7 Who Is Professor Proton In And ?

showed Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter bonding over the fact that they both watched Professor Proton while growing up. , played by Bob Newhart, in for regular appearances, and is staying true to Cooper’s love of the scientist.

Throughout Professor Proton has been seen through voice and physical cameos as Cooper watches his shows.

Cooper even made a club at his college for Professor Proton. Fans are glad the show is keeping this aspect of Cooper accurate to and the cameos of Professor Proton feel like a nod to the original source marerial.

6 The Original Gang In Cameo

While not characters of the makers of the show wanted to acknowledge the original characters of At the end of season 2, . Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, and Raj Koothrappali, Penny, Bernadette Rostenkowski, and Amy Farrah-Fowler are all shown in their younger forms to viewers.

Howard Wolowitz’s character had another character later on, as actor Simon Helberg helped Jim Parsons narrate an episode in season 5, which showed why Cooper hates engineering so much. The actress who played Penny, , also played the voice of the “talking pool water” in Sheldon’s dream in season 3. Mayim Bialik, who played Amy Farrah-Fowler, also joined Parsons in the season 4 premiere narration to reveal they have a son named Leonard.

5 Sheldon Cooper’s High School Friend Tam Nguyen

Sheldon Cooper is a hard person to make friends with, but character Tam Nguyen did it when Cooper was in high school. They were very close during Cooper’s time at the school, but then do not speak for 20 years until Nguyen appears in

The character of Tam was first seen in in 2017, and the writers chose to bring him into for one episode in 2018. In the character is played by Robert Wu. Ryan Phuong plays Nguyen in

4 Mary Cooper Appears In

As for true characters that previously appear in

an older Mary Cooper was seen several times in and the younger version the character is at the heart of

In the matriarch of the Cooper family is played by Laurie Metcalf. Zoe Perry plays the character in If fans are wondering why they look so similar (and have the exact same mannerisms), it’s because .

3 Cooper Siblings Grown Up In

The characters of appear in both and The writers of both television shows are very consistent with their characters, and fans love seeing what they were like at a younger age in

The adult versions of Missy Cooper and George Jr. Cooper are played by Jerry O’Connell and Courtney Henggeler. Their younger selves are played by Montana Jordan and Raegan Revord in

2 Meemaw Is Very Different In

Sheldon Cooper raves over his grandmother in She appears in the original show, played by June Squibb. Cooper’s grandmother, or Meemaw as he calls her, is a main character of

Annie Potts’s portrayal of Meemaw in is very different than the Meemaw seen in She is much more energetic and has a much bigger personality.

While fans love seeing this different side of Meemaw, it is

1 Lance Barber Played A Different Character In

Lance Barber’s portrayal of George Sr. Cooper is very different from Sheldon Cooper’s portrayal of his father in the original show, but may be building towards the character shift. While George Sr. Cooper does not actually appear in as he has already died by the time the original show takes place, actor Barber does appear in

In season 5 of the television show, , Leonard’s high school bully. Then, in season 12, Barber briefly plays George Sr. Cooper in a home video.