The Big Bang Theory’s Meemaw isn’t dead; she’s still alive. Nevertheless, she was not present in the season 11 finale due to writing and time constraints. Meemaw is a well-known character because of Sheldon's stories about her long before she appeared physically on The Big Bang Theory. Even though Sheldon isn't known for showing affection, he is open about his love for Meemaw and even calls her his favorite living relative. She first made an appearance in The Big Bang Theory season 9, episode 14, "The Meemaw Materialization," after learning about Sheldon's sadness over Amy breaking up with him.
People raised eyebrows when Meemaw was nowhere to be seen in The Big Bang Theory season 11 finale, "The Bow Tie Asymmetry," which was when Amy and Sheldon got married. All of Sheldon's family members arrived, even Georgie, with whom Sheldon has not spoken for quite some time. Being aware of Sheldon's affection for Meemaw, her absence was quite the highlight.
Who is Meemaw?
Constance “Connie" Tucker, better known as "Meemaw," is the mother of Mary Cooper and the maternal grandmother of Sheldon Cooper. Cooper shows no bitterness towards her in comparison to other family members, except his mother. Meemaw was widowed in 1985. She was mentioned numerous times in The Big Bang Theory before her first appearance in "The Meemaw Materialization" in February 2016.
June Squibb, a candidate for an Academy Award, plays her and she is represented by actress Annie Potts in “Young Sheldon.” Meemaw is a great, warm, loving, sweet, and smart grandma who is protective of and caring for Sheldon, something he has described. She gave him the name "Moon-pie" because she could just eat him up. After all, he is so "nummy-nummy."
Why did the writer exclude Meemaw?
Showrunner Steve Holland stated in an interview with Deadline that there were already too many characters for the episode to support without detracting from the plot. He continued by saying that because Young Sheldon airs right after The Big Bang Theory, the writers for The Big Bang Theory didn't want to cause any confusion by having two versions of the character.
Having said that, The Big Bang Theory ought to have at least attempted to explain Meemaw's absence rather than completely ignoring it. Holland added that although a brief scene in which Meemaw explained why she couldn't attend the ceremony was filmed, it was ultimately removed again because of time restraints. The fact is, the Sheldon and Amy's Wedding episode of The Big Bang Theory didn't need to spend so much time discussing the circumstance; a few lines from Mary addressing it would have been plenty.
Given that Meemaw is quite elderly by the end of The Big Bang Theory's storyline, Holland theorizes that the phone conversation scenario justified Meemaw's absence from Sheldon's wedding as a result of her being a little too old to travel.
What happens to Meemaw in Young Sheldon’s season 6? (without spoilers)
Season 5 of The Young Sheldon has included more of the Coopers as they resolve their problems. This also applies to Meemaw, who has her storyline with Dale and develops a deeper relationship with Georgie, who is now assisting her in managing her laundromat/gambling den enterprise. However, their alliance resulted in them being arrested in the Young Sheldon season 5 finale as they tried to sneak cigarettes across the border.
Leon Delgado commands Meemaw and Georgie to appear in Judge Landry's office in season 6. She is given two choices: enter a guilty plea and accept a fine, or post a $2500 bail and face a trial. She tries to barter but is turned down. She decides to post bail. When Dale arrives, his photography awakens her from her nap. She rides home in Dale's truck and promises to reimburse him for every dime he spent.
She then offers to repay him with a sexual favor, but after Dale makes the request five times, she declines to make the request any longer. She finds this comment offensive.
FAQs
Q. Is Meemaw dead?
A. No, Meemaw isn’t dead, but she has been excluded by the writers of the show, due to writing and time constraints.
Q. What does Meemaw mean?
A. Meemaw is a Southern US dialect word for grandmother.
Q. What would have been the age of Meemaw by now?
A. Meemaw was born in 1923, giving her a 99-year-old age, and making her older than Professor Proton.
