McKenna Graces Paige Swanson is not appearing on The Big Bang Theory. The character debuted on Young Sheldon after the flagship series aired its final episode, so her absence is completely understandable. However, Sheldon Cooper’s (Iain Armitage) intellectual rival (and first crush) is a big part of his childhood and it’s strange that she doesn’t show up for one last hurrah in the final season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to bring Grace back into the fold at this point, and the creators of Young Sheldon had no further plans for the character.
When speaking with TVLineCo-showrunner Steve Holland revealed that Grace has been busy with her film commitments Young Sheldon’s seventh and final season went into production. Therefore, it was difficult to attract her services, but Holland is happy with how her story turned out. In his own words:
“When we started this season, especially because it was a shortened season, we never imagined that (Paige’s storyline) would be an arc that needed more closure than it got. There was a parallel: She was kind of a mirror image of Sheldon – a different way Sheldon could have turned out – and I think we saw how that developed.”
While Paige’s arc is given a structured beginning, middle, and end, some “Young Sheldon” fans worried about her fate after the series ended. A cameo in the final season could have allayed these concerns, as her last appearance saw her arrested for stealing a truck.
What happens to Paige Swanson in Young Sheldon?
Paige Swanson flirts with the wild side in the sixth season of Young Sheldon, showing that she’s more of a normal teenager than her young prodigy, Sheldon Cooper. In the episode titled “A Frat Party, a Sleepover, and the Mother of All Bubbles,” she gets drunk and smokes at a party. Her latest film, A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam, follows her and Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord) as they steal a vehicle, try to leave the state and get arrested – ironically Revord was in a car accident before filming this Young Sheldon episodebut she managed to get through.
Given that McKenna Grace’s character was in her rebellious phase during her last “Young Sheldon” appearances, some fans have theorized that she went down a dark path filled with alcohol, drugs and decadence. The show’s creators have since dismissed these claims, pointing out that people shouldn’t read too much about her life story. However, Paige’s Young Sheldon journey ends after Missy’s parents prevent them from ever spending time together again, and we never find out what happens to her. Where is the end?
However, perhaps this isn’t the end of Paige’s time in the franchise. The spin-off Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage could give the character a proper send-off, but it seems unlikely. Grace’s schedule is pretty busy these days, so perhaps it’s time to accept that her arc is over once and for all.
