Young Sheldon, the Big Bang Theory spinoff that ran for seven seasonsfor the most part it's a pretty standard lighthearted network sitcom. The main exception to this rule is that, thanks to all the little bits of backstory we got from the elder Sheldon's childhood on The Big Bang Theory, viewers knew that tragedy would eventually strike the Cooper family. George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) would die at some point in Sheldon's youth, we just didn't know exactly how or why. (The cause of his death was briefly listed on one of Sheldon's charts as "SBL", whatever that means.)

Then for seven seasons the sword of Damocles hung over George Sr.'s head, and the foreboding was made even worse because "Young Sheldon" portrayed George Sr. as much kinder than expected. Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" talks about his father as a drunkard for nothing who cheated on his wife and never cared for Sheldon, but throughout "Young Sheldon" George Sr. was portrayed as a pretty nice guy. . Yes, he often struggles to relate to his angry, unsportsmanlike son, but honestly, Sheldon's more to blame for being annoying.

The creative choice to make George Sr. lovable is definitely more of a reconstruction than a true reflection of the grown-up Sheldon (who now seems to have needlessly disrespected his father's memory for 12 seasons straight), but it also made the last few episodes of the spinoff series uniquely difficult to watch. this kind of sitcom. "The Funeral," the season seven episode in which a young Sheldon (Iain Armitage) must navigate the aftermath of his father's death, is particularly sad, especially since it's an episode the show was pretty much bound to do at some point in his running. That's part of the reason "The Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre, who later created "Young Sheldon," expressed some regret over the careless decision to have Sheldon's father die before the events of that show.

After the seventh season "A New Home and Traditional Texas Torture", which ends with the Cooper family hearing the news of George Sr.'s death. written vanity card from Lorre reading, “18 years ago when we were writing and producing The Big Bang Theory, it seemed like a good idea to imagine that Sheldon's childhood was deeply disturbed by the loss of his father. No one could have thought that one day we would regret that decision that we have now."

Card continued: “There were a lot of tears on stage when the last scene of this episode was filmed. A reminder that we've all fallen in love with a fictional character. Which in itself is a reminder to love the characters in our lives who are real, to do otherwise is to live with regret."

In an interview with Glamour announced to coincide with Young Sheldon ending in May 2024, co-showrunners Steve Molaro and Steve Holland explained that they were quite happy with the note the show ended on. "I think it gave the show a real strong emotional closure, and death is so important to Sheldon as a character," Holland said. “I think looking back on that death as an adult really shaped what this show was about. Molaro added: “I agree. I do not regret that this is happening. It's a strong ending and a part of life."

The only real issue was the inconsistency with how George Sr. was portrayed on "The Big Bang Theory," which "Young Sheldon" Jim Parsons makes a cameo appearance as an older Sheldon in the series finale. That scene didn't quite explain the dissonance, especially since Sheldon's mom Mary also talks trash about George Sr. on The Big Bang Theory (where she was played by Laurie Metcalf), but Holland explained how it was a necessary reconstruction for to work on a spinoff show:

"As Chuck (Lohr) has always said, you have to give these shows room to grow and become their own thing. You can't force them into a box. He was such a nice man and a loving father, and that's what made the show violent (anything else would have felt wrong).

Perhaps the best thing about George Sr.'s death is the way it helps "Young Sheldon" stand out from its competition. If it weren't for this overwhelming tragedy looming over the show, Young Sheldon would feel very much like a standard network sitcom at a time when sitcoms feel less relevant than ever. Yes. . George Sr.'s canonical death meant Young Sheldon had to be really brave in its final moments, and the result is a show with one of the most interesting, well-received final seasons in years.