Will Steve Molaro explore the chapter of George’s death on ‘Young Sheldon’ this season? The show returned on CBS on Nov 5. Let’s see what to expect from the show.
As Sheldon prepares for his freshman year at East Texas Tech college in season 4, George and Mary try to fix their imploding marriage, Missy embarks on a new journey to womanhood, and Georgie gets his job back at Dale’s store. There’s a lot happening in the Cooper family this season. The sitcom is a spin-off prequel of the popular TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ (TBBT) starring Iain Armitage as Young Sheldon, who lives with his family in Texas. Several TBBT fans have already predicted this season’s plot while others were successful in finding major loopholes in young Sheldon’s storyline. Scroll down to find out more about George and Sheldon’s relationship, and if we will get to know about the cause of his death.
Highlights —
- How did Sheldon’s father George Cooper die?
- ‘The Big Bang Theory’ fans recall Sheldon’s anecdotes about his dad
- Which plot hole about George’s death did the showrunners miss?
George wasn’t as bad as Sheldon described him in TBBT
George Cooper Sr. is a high school football coach and, as established by the preceding seasons, the son-father duo doesn’t share a lot in common when it comes to hobbies and interests. Evidently, George is closer to his elder son George Jr. and daughter Missy than he is to Sheldon. TBBT fans can affirm that Sheldon painted his father as a ruthless man but his portrayal in ‘Young Sheldon’ remotely aligns with how he described him in the parent series. Sheldon accounted for several incidents that traumatized him as a kid. Not to forget the time when Sheldon (in TBBT) talked about walking in on his father bedding another woman, which explains his habit of knocking the door thrice before entering any room.
‘Young Sheldon’ fans know George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) as a simple family man who can be intimidated by his son’s intellect sometimes, but wishes the best for all his kids (much like any good parent). “Sheldon’s perspective might not be entirely accurate”, said show’s creator Lorre in an interview to “TV Guide”. Exaggerating things out of proportion is something that is right up Sheldon’s alley and TBBT fans know how whiny Sheldon can be.
What does TBBT say about the death of George Cooper Sr.?
Even though Sheldon and his father were going through a rough patch when he died, the loss of his father was something that he couldn’t get over, even as an adult. Executive producer Chuck Lorre, at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in 2017, answered apprehensions about the death of Sheldon’s dad and how it shall be explored later in the show.
“We’re not going to play fast and loose [with history]. But [‘Young Sheldon’ takes place] five years before [George’s death]. And people change and grow and develop, and things happen over the course of many years. And we don’t have to follow an exact timeline. A season doesn’t have to be a year. It could be a couple months. We have a lot of freedom with the backstory.”
George’s death was hard on all his kids, especially Sheldon who was merely 14-years-old when it happened. When Sheldon comes to know that Howard’s mother had passed away (S08 E15), he offers him condolences and comforts him by stating that, “When I lost my own father, I didn’t have any friends to help me through it. You do”.
It is, perhaps, in “The Thanksgiving Decoupling” episode, when Sheldon openly talks about the death of his father and the void it left in his life. While speaking to Bernadette’s father, Sheldon reveals that he was 14-years of age when his dad passed away. As a high school football coach, he was so passionate about football, that once during the 1993 Thanksgiving game in Dallas he shot his TV because he was so mad at the results.
George succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 50 which had everything to do with his eating habits and alcoholism. Given that season 1 of ‘Young Sheldon’ is set in 1989, featuring the 9-years old Sheldon, fans may have to wait a little longer since George Cooper Sr. died in 1994 when Sheldon was at college.
What’s TBBT and ‘Young Sheldon’ plot hole about George’s death?
The debate around George’s death arose when ‘The Big Bang Theory’ fans took over the internet, pointing out the discrepancy in Sheldon’s age at the time of his father’s death. One fan on Reddit pointed out that Sheldon (in episode 11 of season 1) had apparently told a story when he was 15 and was left behind in Germany by Mary while recovering from a mild illness. Mary had flown back to Texas to help her husband since ‘the house had slipped off the cinder blocks again’.
While Sheldon spoke several times about the demise of his father in the parent series, the smart astrophysicist mentioned that he was 14 years old when it happened. Hoping that the writers will clear up the confusion, CBS ‘Young Sheldon’ fans await the unravelling of this sad chapter of Sheldon’s life which made him the iconic character that we all know now.
Amidst having to depend on his mother for little chores ever since Sheldon fractured his ulna in the latest episode “Training Wheels and an Unleashed Chicken” of CBS hit sitcom ‘Young Sheldon’, fans get to see their favourite genius navigate through daily life with a fractured arm. Meanwhile, Missy takes up the job of teaching him how to ride a bike (without training wheels). A lot seems to be going in Sheldon’s life who is all set to join college at the age of 11.
Episode 4 of ‘Young Sheldon’ Season 4 will release on December 3. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ spin-off is also available to watch on Amazon Prime.
