It’s no secret thatThe Big Bang Theorywas one of the biggest sitcoms of the 2000s and 2010s and possibly one of the biggest of all time. Arguably, it was among the last network television comedies that virtually everyone watched. So it’s no surprise that the show still lives on today through its prequel,Young Sheldon. That show has amassed a pretty successful run of its own, airing for six seasons and more than 100 episodes.
CBS handed the prequel athree-season orderin early 2021, unheard of for most shows that aren’t massive hits.The Big Bang Theoryenjoyed many multiple-season renewals in its heyday. This upcoming seventh season is the last of that three-year order. While it’s certainly possible that CBS will order additional seasons to keep its biggest show on the air, perhaps it’s time for Sheldon to hang up hisFlasht-shirt.
This isn’t a statement one way or another about the show’s quality or a dip in ratings. Ratings have actually remained almost perfectly steady for several seasons now, drawing 6 to 7 million viewers per episode.Young Sheldonshould end next season strictly from a creative storytelling standpoint because it tells the story it needs to tell. What do we mean by that? Let’s take a closer look.
YS vs. BBT
Young Sheldonfollows the titular character’s childhood in Texaswith his family. As opposed toBig Bang, Sheldon is the only genius here, and that causes strife within the Cooper family. As a more heartfelt family show than its predecessor, it doesn’t shy away from more serious topics. We see the marriage conflicts between parents, George and Mary, as well as other Cooper siblings, Georgie and Missy, feeling neglected.
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For the most part,Young Sheldonhas remainedfaithful to the continuityset up by its predecessor. There are some differences, though, mainly in the characterization of Sheldon’s dad, George. If you only watchBig Bang, you’d get the impression that George is a lazy, neglectful, and inattentive father who struggles with alcoholism. He has faults inYoung Sheldonbut is primarily concerned with his kids' well-being and happiness. He makes mistakes but does try his best to be there for all the kids, unlike Mary, who clearly favors Sheldon.
Producers have explained these continuity errors as Sheldon misremembering his past. But for someone who constantly claims to be a genius, wouldn’t he have a perfect memory? While it is true that Sheldon was closer to Mary, George is far from the deadbeat dad that both Sheldon and Mary remember him as onBig Bang.
The Season 7 Plan
Now we come to George’s upcoming character arc and the primary reason thatYoung Sheldonshould wrap sooner rather than later. FromBig Bang, we know that George cheats on Mary when Sheldon is around 14. He accidentally walks in on them, which leads to his adopting the familiar three-knock greeting. Soon after the cheating, George dies.
Given how much of a better father George appears inYoung Sheldon, one can easily tell the production team doesn’t want to go through with this. That’s the trouble with prequels; they have to set up their own continuity while also honoring the timeline of the original work. Recent interviews have hinted that they mayomit George’s deathentirely.
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It’s easy to see why they feel this way, as depicting a death of this scale is a heavy ask for a comedy. George is doing his best as a father, and he doesn’t deserve to have his story end so abruptly. His death was conceived back when the absent, neglectful,BBTversion of the character was all we had to go on. Killing off an unseen, amoral character is much easier than a beloved family patriarch we’ve followed for six years. But there really is no choice. Sheldon is now at the age when he catches his father and the other woman (heavily implied inYSto be neighbor Brenda Sparks).
It’s possible they could stretch the storyline out into an eighth season (especially with the WGA and SAG strike-shortened season 7), but even that’s pushing it. Could the show continue without George? Sure, it’s possible. But shortly after his death, Sheldon begins studying at Caltech in California (where he eventually meets up with theBBTcast). With this move, Sheldon’s “typical” childhood is over, and the storyYSneeded to tell comes to an end.
Obviously, CBS is in no hurry to ditch TV’s highest-rated comedy. However,Ghostshas shown it can take over, regularly matching and sometimes exceeding itsYSlead-in. This may not be the end of theBig BangUniverse either,with a new spin-offin early development for Max.
IfYSwere its own original show, killing off George would never be an option. But it has to honor what came before, thus honoring what made Sheldon who he is inBBT.
