While The Big Bang Theory’s finale also had its tearjerker moments, the final episodes of Young Sheldon were heart-wrenching. The death of Sheldon’s father was treated as a genuine tragedy and a massive moment in Sheldon’s coming-of-age story, as the epochal event lent him the maturity and resolve to move to CalTech alone despite his youth.
All of this was poignant and moving, but it also marked a major tonal departure from the show’s original setup. When the series debuted, Young Sheldon was exactly what its title promised, namely a show about the scrapes Sheldon got into as a precocious child prodigy in small-town Texas.
Young Sheldon Outgrew Its Original Premise In Season 4
Young Sheldon Dropped Its Focus On Sheldon In Favor of The Coopers
So, how did Young Sheldon’s ending become such an unexpectedly sad piece of TV, and how does this secretly involve the show’s abandoned original premise? To answer that, viewers must return to the show’s origins. As noted above, early episodes of Young Sheldon focused on Sheldon’s clashes with his small hometown.
Watching a child prodigy inadvertently cause chaos for himself and his family was a premise that had limited potential.
Admittedly, the breakout star of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage proves that audiences will never tire of quirky outcasts who are perpetually bemused by society’s rules. However, Sheldon’s many battles with small-minded locals inevitably proved tiresome, so the show understandably started to focus on his family as a result.
In doing so, Young Sheldon changed from a portrait of the title character to something more like a softer, more nostalgic, and family-friendly version of Malcolm in the Middle. The child prodigy of the show’s title was still its ostensible main character, but the rest of their dysfunctional family became increasingly prominent with the plots of each passing season.
George’s Death Resurrected Young Sheldon’s Premise
“Funeral” Was A Compelling Insight Into Sheldon’s Mind
Of the main cast, Sheldon was comfortably season 7’s most sidelined lead character.
Although Missy’s Young Sheldon season 7 storyline left a lot to be desired, the show did feature B-stories where she threw a wild party with her neighbor Billy, hid a secret boyfriend from George Sr., and dyed her hair to be more like Mandy. Of the main cast, Sheldon was comfortably season 7’s most sidelined lead character.
This turned out to be an ingenious approach, as it made the death of George Sr. all the more impactful. It is important to note that viewers already knew George Sr. was doomed to die before the series ended, since Sheldon’s age at the time of his death was already mentioned in The Big Bang Theory.
Season 7, episode 13, “Funeral,” was brilliant precisely because it zeroed in on the unique mind of a young version of Sheldon.
Young Sheldon needed to make George Sr.’s death moving since it wasn’t unexpected, and the show achieved this by reverting to its original abandoned premise. Season 7, episode 13, “Funeral,” was brilliant precisely because it zeroed in on the unique mind of a young version of Sheldon, which was the original premise of the series as a whole.
While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage plays with sitcom conventions too, the spinoff has never done something as experimental as “Funeral.” In this elegiac outing, viewers get a glimpse into Sheldon’s unique method of processing tragedy as he replays the last conversation he had with George Sr. over and over, attempting to imagine a better end to it.
What makes this moving is the episode’s confirmation, if ever there were any doubt, that Sheldon isn’t being facetious or contrary when he fails to understand social cues or interpersonal norms. His struggles with looping thoughts and his discomfort with messy emotions are hard for him as much as everyone else, so “Funeral” makes him a more sympathetic antihero than ever.
Why Young Sheldon Had To Abandon Its Original Narrative
Centering On The Coopers Improved Young Sheldon
Sheldon works best as part of a larger ensemble, with more outwardly reasonable characters whom he can bounce off.
Young Sheldon’s story of the eponymous child prodigy struggling with his hometown during childhood only had so much potential. However, luckily for viewers, Meemaw, Georgie, George Sr., Missy, and Mary proved just as interesting as Sheldon. The story of a dysfunctional but loving family that included a child prodigy was much stronger, as Malcolm in the Middle had proven.
Sheldon works best as part of a larger ensemble, with more outwardly reasonable characters whom he can bounce off. Not only do these comparatively relatable characters temper his stranger views, but Sheldon also forces them to reconsider the way they act, and both parties end up growing and changing as a result.
As such, Young Sheldon always needed to give the Coopers bigger roles in the show’s story. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage alone proves that Georgie had a compelling story of his own, while Missy’s season 6 plot showcased the reality that a child overlooked in favor of their prodigy sibling could be just as interesting as a young genius like Sheldon.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is available to purchase on Prime Video.
