Young Sheldon Kills Off Beloved Cast Member During Final Season
This story contains spoilers from the final season of Young Sheldon.
young sheldon just delivered a devastating full-circle moment.
During the penultimate episode of the big bang theory prequel, Sheldon’s father George Cooper, played by Lance Barber, died of a heart attack.
While heartbreaking, it’s a moment fans of the series knew may be coming as in season seven of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon—played by jim parsons who also narrates Young Sheldon—explained his dad had passed away when he was 14, the same age his character is in the final season of the prequel series.
And after the episode aired May 9, Iain Armitage, who stars in the titular role, shared a tribute to his onscreen father. “Love you, George!” he wrole alongside heart emojis and photos with Barber on set. “Love you, Lance!!!”
And despite laying the groundwork for George’s death years earlier, Young Sheldon producers Steven Holland and chuck lorre made a conscious effort to make it as least sad as possible.
“There was a version of this,” Holland explained to …where it would have been: The finale would have been the death and the funeral. I think it was Chuck 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.”
Robert Voets/CBS via Getty ImagesThe series takes its final bow after seven seasons on May 16…—as the Cooper family picks up the pieces following George’s death and Sheldon prepares to head off to Caltech.
However, this isn’t the last we’ll see of the Coopers as Montana Jordan, who plays Sheldon’s brother Georgie, and emily osment are returning for Mandy and George’s First Marriage, which is set to premiere this fall.
Keep reading to see when more of your favorite shows are returning this year.