Young Sheldon‘s producer explains how the writers decided their approach to George’s death in season 7. George’s fate was long established in The Big Bang Theory. The story was quite straightforward: the Cooper patriarch died when Sheldon was 14 years old, which is currently his age in Young Sheldon season 7. George’s death has been confirmed for years, and it was expected to happen sometime in the prequel. Still, it is devastating to finally watch it come to fruition.
Speaking with Variety to unpack the latest and biggest Cooper family tragedy in Young Sheldon, executive producer Steve Holland shares their process of deciding how to tackle the heartbreaking plot. For context, The Big Bang Theory didn’t establish the reason for George’s death. While the incident was confirmed to eventually happen, they still had to be mindful of how to execute it. Read his full explanation below:
We always knew we were going to address it this season. We always knew we were going to get to the funeral this season. And we always knew that George’s death would happen off screen, that we didn’t want to witness it. It was just a question of when. There was a version of this, as we talked about it earlier on, where it would have been: The finale would have been the death and the funeral. I think it was Chuck [Lorre, executive producer] who said, “This is mostly a positive, uplifting show. Let’s not leave the audience deep in their grief. Let’s watch the family start to piece itself back together, and let’s end with a little hope.” So then that re-shifted when we were going to do it.
And then also, just because we know some people are expecting it, I know there’s a lot of talk of whether it’s going to happen or not going to happen, but people who know “Big Bang” are expecting it. We wanted to do it in a way that was hopefully a little surprising. So that’s why it happens at the end of [Episode 12] — we thought maybe we can catch people off guard. Even though they know it’s going to come, maybe they won’t see it coming then.
Young Sheldon Didn’t Have Any Choice But To Kill Off George
George’s Fate Couldn’t Be Changed Without Totally Breaking The Big Bang Theory Canon
Despite being a prequel, Young Sheldon has been criticized for its lax approach to continuity. It has created so many plot holes of varying degrees over the course of its run. Unfortunately, George’s death was the one thing that the prequel couldn’t change. It could delay it, which it did, but ultimately, it had to happen. Unlike Young Sheldon finding a way to retcon George’s cheating scandal story, his demise was far too vital to the arc of the Coopers as a whole, that it would ruin canon if he lived beyond Young Sheldon.
The Young Sheldon finale is confirmed to feature George’s funeral, which will be attended not just by the Coopers, but many of The Big Bang Theory prequel’s most prominent guest stars.
Previously, Young Sheldon could have gotten away with not tackling George’s demise without having to alter the established The Big Bang Theory continuity. The spinoff could have ended right before the tragedy, leaving the Coopers complete and happy. That said, CBS ordering Georgie and Mandy’s spinoff forced the show to address the incident since its events will take place after what happens in Young Sheldon. It would be unfair for Montana Jordan and Emily Osment’s project to be burdened by explaining what happened to the Cooper patriarch, especially if none of the remaining Coopers will be in the new endeavor.
George’s biggest narrative has finally happened, with Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12 officially sealing the Cooper patriarch’s tragic fate.
While his death happened off-screen, the aftermath of the tragedy will eventually be explored in next week’s episode. The Young Sheldon finale is confirmed to feature George’s funeral, which will be attended not just by the Coopers, but many of The Big Bang Theory prequel’s most prominent guest stars. After that, Sheldon’s time in Medford, Texas will officially come to a close.
