The Big Bang Theorys latest spinoff is hardly the first TV series with a controversial age gap at the center of the story.

Pretty Little Liarswhich premiered in 2010, introduced viewers to Aria (Lucy Hale) and Ezra (Ian Harding). While some fans were rooting for the fictional couple, many were not as thrilled of the problematic aspect of Aria dating her teacher, Ezra.
Over a decade later, Georgie and Mandy’s first marriage focused on the titular couple’s happy ending — despite a 12-year age difference — after the characters met at The Big Bang Theorypp Young Sheldon prequel.

“It gives Georgie somewhere to go,” Montana Jordan, who plays Georgienoted to Us in October 2024. “In this new show, Georgie finally gets to show that he’s not just this dumb kid. He actually has a brain on him. And on Young Sheldon, I’m sure he was overlooked a lot. Maybe he’s the the tire king his way of showing and proving to people that he is not this stupid kid (but a mature adult). He actually has some brains on him.”

Keep scrolling for TV’s most controversial age gaps over the years:

Aria and Ezra (‘Pretty Little Liars’)

Age gap: Six years

The most controversial relationship on Pretty Little Liars was between 16-year-old student Aria and her high school English teacher, Ezra, who was supposed to be 22 when the show debuted in 2010.

Georgie and Mandy (‘Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage’)

Age gap: 12 years

The fictional couple faced many challenges after meeting in season 5 of Young Sheldon. Georgie, who was 17 at the time, lied about being 21 while 29-year-old Mandy (Emily Osment) pretended to be 25. After finding out the truthGeorgie and Mandy also realized they were expecting their first child.

Haley and Rainer (‘Modern Family’)

Age gap: More than 20 years

Hayley (Sarah Hyland) had several unpopular on-screen romances but 23-year-old Haley is dating Rainer (Nathan Fillion) – who was probably twice her age – took the cake, hands down.

Pacey and Tamara (‘Dawson’s Creek’)

Age difference: 21 years

The OG student-teacher relationship was Pacey (Joshua Jackson) at the age of 15 engages with Tamara (Leanne Hunley), 36.

Monica and Richard (‘Friends’)

Age difference: 21 years

Although no legal consequences, Monica’s (Courteney Cox) romance at 27 with Richard (Tom Selleck) at 48 might have landed differently if they hadn’t met when she was a child. Friends also featured a surprising romance between Phoebe’s brother Frank and his teacher-turned-wife Alice, who was 26 years older.

Alicent and Viserys (‘House of the Dragon’)

Age difference: Almost 30 years

Viserys (Paddy Considine) was supposed to be around 30 when he married Alicent (Olivia Cooke), who was 11 years younger. However, the HBO series aged Viserys up to almost 50 before marrying him off to Alicent in the show.

Paris and Asher (‘Gilmore Girls’)

Age difference: More than 40 years

In the fourth season of Gilmore Girls, Paris (Lisa Weil) was a freshman in college when she started dating Asher (Michael York), a 60-year-old professor who was friends with Rory’s grandfather.

Sookie and Bill (‘True Blood’)

Age difference: 147 years

OK, here’s where Us getting into the supernatural of it all. Sookie (Anna Paquin) was 32 when she met the vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer) who was about 179 years old when the show started.

Elena Gilbert and both Salvatore Brothers (‘The Vampire Diaries’)

Age difference: 154 years and 161 years

The hit CW series started with Elena (Nina Dobrev) at age 17. The Vampire Diaries followed Elena’s romance with the vampires Stefan (Paul Wesley), who was 162, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), which was 169.

Family: Best love triangles in TV and film history over the years

Who doesn’t love a good love story? The girl falls in love with a boy and then falls in love with her best friend too, for example. The love triangle has been a frequent plot in television and film for years, but there is perhaps no more iconic angsty trio than the one between Dawson (James Van (…)

Angel and Buffy (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’)

Age difference: 225 years

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered, its title character (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was 15 years old. She then started dating Angel (David Boreanaz), a 240-year-old vampire (but he had a soul!).

Rose and The Doctor (‘Doctor Who’)

Age difference: Almost 900 years

The Doctor (David Tennant) said he was around 900 years old when he was first introduced on the show. Rose (Billie Piper), meanwhile, was 19 when she joined the sci-fi series as a companion to The doctor.

Dean and Anna (‘Supernatural’)

Age difference: Millions of years

Season 4 featured Dean (Jensen Ackles) find love with an angel named Anna Milton (Julie McNiven). The Demon Hunter was 26 when the show started, meaning he was around 30 when he met Anna. Anna, meanwhile, had been around for millions of years at that point.