Lance Barber is sobbing while watching the Coopers’ final dinner scene after George’s death in a new Young Sheldon finale behind-the-scenes image. Much has been said about the cancellation of CBS’ premier comedy series, especially considering the shortened 2023-2024 TV season. Despite all the challenges that Chuck Lorre and his team faced in delivering a proper send-off to Sheldon, the Young Sheldon finale was able to tick all the boxes needed for a satisfying ending. A big part of its success, interestingly, came from how emotional its last two episodes were because of George’s death.
Raegan Revord shares new BTS images of filming the Young Sheldon finale on her official Instagram page, including a snap of Barber visibly distraught while hugging co-star Zoe Perry. Check out the image below:
The images show more BTS photos towards the end of filming, which also include the cast at George’s funeral. They reflect how emotional the end of the show was for everyone involved in Young Sheldon.
Why George’s Death Was So Difficult To Accept In Young Sheldon
Young Sheldon Fixed George’s Image
George’s death in the Young Sheldon season 7 penultimate episode served as the launching pad for the show’s finale. The tragedy was long established, considering that Sheldon talked about his dad’s demise in The Big Bang Theory. That said, because Young Sheldon wasn’t known for taking the established canon seriously, there were some doubts about whether the prequel would actually do it. In the end, they had no choice but to tackle it, especially since the Coopers’ story in Texas will continue via Young Sheldon‘s sequel series, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Because Young Sheldon devoted its run to cleaning up George’s image, losing him was difficult both for Mary and the kids, as well as the viewers who fell in love with him. If the prequel stuck with The Big Bang Theory‘s version of the character, it wouldn’t have been so sad seeing him pass away. Moving forward from the tragedy posed a big challenge for an otherwise lighthearted comedy. Impressively, however, George’s funeral became The Big Bang Theory franchise’s best episode. It was a masterclass in balancing humor and drama — something that Young Sheldon had been perfecting for years.
Revord and Jordan have reunited for the first time since the prequel’s end, and I’m reminded of how unnecessary Young Sheldon’s cancelation was.
While losing George was painful, it played a huge factor in the success of the Young Sheldon finale. Barber has said that he is extremely grateful that playing Sheldon’s dad is now part of his legacy as an actor. His character’s death means that the chances of seeing him again are slim to none, even as The Big Bang Theory universe evolves. But at least, his demise was properly done, and is one of the more memorable deaths in a comedy in recent years.
