Young Sheldon Season 7 dropping on Netflix is bringing an age-old question back to the fore… why on Earth did they kill off George? It was never a popular decision, but there was a reason.
By the time you get to Season 7 Episode 12 on the streaming service, it’s all over for Sheldon’s dad. As the principal and Coach Wilkins turn up at Mary’s door, the Cooper family finds out George has had a fatal heart attack off-screen, changing their lives forever.
Considering we didn’t see it happen, there was a 0.00001% chance it was all a hideous mistake and George would bounce back from the dead. Alas, the funeral episode came next, with George later returning as a ghost in Georgie’s dreams in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
George’s death might have been the most unpopular decision ever made in Young Sheldon history, but there was a reason why creators had to go through with it.
Young Sheldon creators had to honor Sheldon’s memories of George
Unsurprisingly, this was an issue caused by The Big Bang Theory. Not only did the original TV show tell fans George had died, but they told us exactly when – when Sheldon was 14. Young Sheldon Season 7 ended when Sheldon left for Caltech at the same age, meaning George’s death had to have happened before that.
Given adult Sheldon also told us George was an abusive drunk – that absolutely wasn’t true – there’s reason to believe his death could have been avoided. However, this can be written off as childhood memories being warped after dealing with the fallout of losing George in the first place.
Did the creators regret having to go through with this? Absolutely. Taking to Instagram shortly after the reveal of George’s death aired, Chuck Lorre explained, “Eighteen 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 disrupted by the loss of his father. No one could have thought that someday, we would regret that decision. That someday is now.
“There were a lot of tears on stage when this episode’s last scene was shot. A reminder that we had all fallen in love with a fictional character. Which is, itself, a reminder to love the characters in our life who are real. To do otherwise, is to live with regret.”
Executive producer Steve Holland also revealed that Lorre’s regret made up part of the reason why George’s death wasn’t saved for the Young Sheldon finale.
“We talked about it. I think early on our thought was probably that it would be the final episode or that the funeral would be the final episode,” Holland explained. “As we were talking about it, I think Chuck Lorre said the show has been such a positive, loving family show. Let’s not leave the audience wallowing in grief.
“Maybe there’s a way to do that and then move past it and show the family starting to put itself back together and end on a little bit more of a moment of hope.”
Actor Lance Barber, who plays George, didn’t think killing him off in the final hour was the wrong call, though. Speaking to Dexerto, he explained, “Do I think killing George was the right decision? Yes, absolutely. I think it meant so much to the show. We knew that it was there, and the trajectory of the show followed what any Big Bang Theory fan knew was coming.”
“George got to ride out the entire seven seasons, and that’s what they intended to do,” he added. “I was always worried that perhaps my day would come earlier. But as an actor, I got to see out the full run of the show.
“It ended around that tragic event and around the time that Sheldon went to college – so it all played out. It was natural and beautiful for the show to end in such a memorable way.”
Check out our Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage review and our interview with George Cooper’s Lance Barber. Also, find out how it copied Young Sheldon’s most upsetting moment, and how the spinoff addresses its most controversial change.
