season 5 featured a reference to  that has a deeper meaning than just a casual title drop. The Netflix Original series didn't have many pop culture Easter eggs unrelated to  or the actors' other projects, but in its final year, the sitcom sequel mentioned 's prequel spin-off, in arguably one of the most unexpected scenarios.

By the time referenced the CBS sitcom, it had been a year since after lead star Jim Parsons decided not to return for a potential season 13. Instead of moving forward without him, knowing how pivotal Sheldon was in the show's overall narrative, the show's creative team decided to cancel the series altogether, giving the show a well-deserved finale. universe continues, however, thanks to which is now in its fourth season tackling the socially-inept genius during his younger years living in Galveston, Texas.

In season 5, episode 14, titled "Basic Training," Max (Elias Harger) skipped a grade and started middle school, but due to his age and old-man quirks, people at his new school started bullying him. and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) tried to comfort him after noticing that he was trying to change himself to fit societal standards, and during an outburst, he mentioned that kids at his school tease him for looking like an extra on . Max was further insulted when he pointed out that they didn't even think of him as the main character from the prequel, which is played by Iain Armitage. Behind-the-scenes, however, Max did look like an extra on : specifically, a young version of Leonard.

As part of CBS' attempt to establish a , the latter featured the young versions of the Pasadena gang in the season 2 finale, which aired right after its parent show wrapped up. While Elias didn't play Leonard, his brother, Isaac Harger, who looked a lot like him, was cast as Sheldon's future best friend. Given this, the people at Max's school in weren't lying when they said that he looked like an extra from . It's worth noting that Isaac also appeared in the offshoot playing a younger Max during a flashback scene.

There's also another connection between and that's related to Max. McKenna Grace appeared in both shows as Paige and Rose, respectively. The young actress was just in the latest episode of , giving the competitive Sheldon a run for his money at a bible camp. Meanwhile, she also reprised her role as Max's unofficial love interest in 's final episode, in which she appeared with her mom, CJ (Virginia Williams). Aside from the behind-the-scene connections, Max had every right to be insulted since he could actually pass as a young Sheldon given their many similarities — including their penchant for wearing grandpa shirts and bow ties.