How Young Sheldon's Raegan Revord Evolved Over 7 Seasons, According To The Showrunner

Raegan Revord had some strict rules to follow while playing Missy Cooper on "Young Sheldon," and she wasn't allowed any input over her character's style — at least not during the show's early seasons. In fact, it wasn't until after Revord was involved in a real car crash (while she was, ironically, en route to shoot an episode where her character steals a truck) that the creators of the "Big Bang Theory" prequel series allowed her to have more influence on Missy. That being said, the showrunners probably trusted her at this point, as they noticed Revord's progression behind the scenes.

In a 2024 interview with People, co-showrunner Steve Holland noted that Revord became a reliable actor during her tenure on "Young Sheldon." Impressed by her performances, he and the series' other creators, Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, eventually gave her more responsibilities and chances to shine on the screen. In his own words:

"At the beginning, I think Raegan would throw in one-line zingers here and there, but as the years went on and she got so good, we could really lean on her for a whole story or an emotional story."

Holland also noted that Revord grew up on the screen, with "Young Sheldon" following Missy from childhood to her teenage years. Revord also agreed with this sentiment, equating Missy's evolution to that of pop star Taylor Swift's career trajectory.

Over the course of all seven seasons of "Young Sheldon," viewers witnessed Missy Cooper go from being a snarky child to a rebellious adolescent and, by the end of the series, a grief-stricken daughter forced to deal with the death of her father. That's a substantial character arc, and during a 2024 interview with Den of Geek, Raegan Revord compared Missy's journey to Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" and evolution as an artist:

"In the first [season], she's a bit more opinionated and she's the sassy one with the good comebacks and everything. Then, in season 3, you have the layers peeled back and you can see a different side to her. I'm kind of skipping around here because I don't want to go through all of the eras, but in season 7, you see her take on responsibility, become like the parent in the house, and fill in [he mother] Mary's shoes."

Now that "Young Sheldon" is over, Revord has occasionally reprised her role on the "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" spin-off, which sees her still dealing with her dad's death and skipping school. Missy is clearly still in her rebellious era, so it will be interesting to see how she evolves in future episodes. "The Big Bang Theory" reveals what Missy is like as an adult, but there is still time to give her even more depth before then.

"Young Sheldon" is currently streaming on Max.