Time travel may or may not be scientifically possible, but we think there was a little example of it at the Television Critics Association (TCA) gathering on Tuesday.
That's because "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons, who plays a grown-up Sheldon Cooper, sat next to Iain Armitage, who'll play young Sheldon in, well, "Young Sheldon" starting in September!
The prequel spinoff shows the boy Sheldon, who processes the world a little differently than most people and is several times smarter than most kids around him, as a wide-eyed innocent who speaks his mind.
This compared to the older Cooper – who's better educated about books and life – is considerably more cynical.
Parsons is one of the executive producers on the series, so he was on hand when "Young Sheldon's" creators and cast spoke to the press at the TCA event.
They were revealed when they saw Armitage, who recently starred in "Big Little Lies," on an iPhone in an audition he recorded at his grandmother's house in Georgia, reported USA Today. "He made us laugh," said "Big Bang" and "Sheldon" executive producer Chuck Lorre.
Parsons revealed that while Cooper is super-smart, he doesn't think of himself that way. "I was not an overly bright child," he said. "I was mediocre. I didn't befuddle my parents. That came much later, with my sexuality."
Parsons wed his longtime partner Todd Spiewak in May.
"Iain is much more in control as a human being than I was," he added.
"I'm not sure that's true," said Armitage.
"You didn't know me," quipped Parsons.
But maybe we do a little bit more now!
"Young Sheldon" premieres on CBS Sept. 25.
Follow Randee Dawn on Twitter.