A Key Two And A Half Men Star Had A Cameo In Young Sheldon

Television writer and producer Chuck Lorre has helped create quite a few successful sitcoms, with "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men" (both of which aired on the CBS network) arguably being his most popular ones. But as often as "The Big Bang Theory" crossed over with its prequel show, "Young Sheldon," actors from the former didn't pop up as much on "Two and a Half Men" (and vice versa), perhaps in large part due to the series' somewhat different tones. Be that as it may, there was one "Two and a Half Men" veteran who made an appearance on "Young Sheldon," and she was a perfect fit for the bittersweet coming-of-age family comedy.

That would be a reference to Melanie Lynskey, who absolutely f****** rules. The "Yellowjackets" and "The Last of Us" veteran starred on "Two and a Half Men" as Rose, a terrifying and manipulative individual who romanced Charlie Sheen's character (also named Charlie). The two eventually ran away to Paris together to get married before Charlie was killed off at the start of season 9 in the wake of Sheen's firing. Naturally, Rose moved on after that by trying to seduce Ashton Kutcher's Walden Schmidt (the character that replaced Charlie on the series). Meanwhile, in the real world, it seems Lynskey remained on friendly working terms with Lorre, which resulted in her making a fun cameo on "Young Sheldon" in 2021.

Though Sheen had rather harsh words for "The Big Bang Theory" after he was fired, Lynskey clearly had no problem with the series or its spin-off. Indeed, she joined the "Young Sheldon" cast in season 4 by playing Sheldon's philosophy professor, Dora Ericson, at East Texas Tech. Due to scheduling constraints during the early part of the Covid pandemic, Wallace Shawn, who portrayed Sheldon's mentor at the college, Dr. Sturgis, was unable to film some of the early episodes in season 4, so Lynskey's Professor Ericson worked as a good foil for the boy genius in the meantime. Professor Ericson is also a very different character from Rose, so fans of Lorre's shows were surely delighted to see Lynskey tackle such wildly disparate roles. 

To recap, in the season 4 episode "A Philosophy Class and Worms That Can Chase You," Sheldon (Ian Armitage) takes his first college course, philosophy, and discovers that the free-spirited, whimsical Professor Ericson is teaching. His very rigid, logical worldview is contradicted by her lessons, which deal more in the fantastical and metaphorical, and he argues with her about everything. She eventually shatters his young worldview and causes an existential crisis that lasts into the next episode, where she finally helps him embrace philosophy and science in tandem, encouraging him to question everything and find joy in the questioning. 

It's a great moment for Sheldon because it pushes him toward the field of science he'll eventually study while also teaching him to be a tiny bit more flexible in his thinking — and it's all thanks to some great writing and even better performances by Armitage and Lynskey. I would take that philosophy class!