Young Sheldon’s Big George Death Prompts Response From Star Ahead Of Season 7 Premiere
Original cast member Lance Barber breaks his silence over the confirmation that George Cooper will indeed meet his end in Young Sheldon season 7.
Lance Barber comments on the confirmation that George Cooper will indeed die in Young Sheldon season 7. Sheldon’s dad has always been expected to die before the events of The Big Bang Theory. While Young Sheldon has deviated from established canon in the past, his demise is something that cannot be skipped over due to its significance to Sheldon’s arc, even though it will make sending off the Coopers trickier to accomplish.
Speaking at the TCAs, where Screen Rant was in attendance, Barber responded to the news that his character, George, will meet his end before Young Sheldon season 7 wraps up in May. Read his comments below:
“I had fingers crossed from the beginning… that I would make it to the end whenever that came… I had the luxury of being emotionally prepared for this from day one… To be remembered that way is a big deal for me to see that to fruition.”
How George’s Death Will Impact The Remainder Of Young Sheldon Season 7 (& Beyond)
George’s loss will change the course of the Coopers’ lives
Despite not making a physical appearance on The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon’s penchant for sharing stories about his childhood and Mary’s regular visits to Pasadena established a clear image of how George was as a father. Unfortunately, it is contradictory to how it’s depicted in Young Sheldon. Instead of the no-good father, the Cooper patriarch is a flawed but devoted family man, which makes writing George off in the prequel so much more difficult. The fact that the show needs to do it in under 14 episodes doesn’t help either.
If George dies way too late, it risks ending Young Sheldon on a dark note and if it happens way too early, it can bog down the remainder of the year.
Finally, however, the announcement of Georgie and Mandy’s Young Sheldon spinoff makes it difficult to gloss over George’s death because it impacts the future of his family. Per The Big Bang Theory canon, each member of the family will handle his death differently, and it will set the path to their eventual futures. Georgie will take over running the household, and since Sheldon is oblivious to this, it will create a rift between the brothers. Mary will be too grief-stricken to function and will likely be motivated to rejoin the church. Finally, Missy will continue her rebelious act, leading to her not reaching her full potential.
This part of the Cooper family history hasn’t really been tackled yet, with The Big Bang Theory only mentioning most of them in passing. However, George and Mandy’s upcoming Young Sheldon show can fully explore this particular time for the family, especially with regard to the remaining members in Texas. The biggest question now is how Young Sheldon will end on a good note after experiencing its biggest loss.
