Why Young Sheldon season 7 did not end with George Sr.'s death, explained

Young Sheldon gave fans everything they hoped for in its latest and final season, which is now all set to conclude with two episodes on May 16, 2024. Of course, for Big Bang Theory fans, there is still a lot to look forward to, with the franchise set to continue in a different form, but this will bring the curtains down on the spinoff story of Sheldon Cooper, which has carved a strong fanbase in itself over the seven seasons.

Since the days of Big Bang Theory, it was well-known that George Sr. died when Sheldon was 14 years old, which he reached this season. Fans were expecting the series to end with a tearful goodbye to an iconic character. But showrunner Steve Holland and creator Chuck Lorre decided to go on a different path and not leave fans on a sad note.

Hence, what they did was bring in the death sooner than fans expected, effectively shocking them with a thing that they already knew. As Steve Holland explained to Entertainment Weekly, this also allowed the showrunners to end on a brighter note, which goes better with the tone of the series.

Young Sheldon season 7 episodes 13 and 14 premieres on May 16, 2024.

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Steve Holland breaks down the idea behind Young Sheldon season 7

Steve Holland spoke to Entertainment Weekly, dated May 16, ahead of the final two episodes of Young Sheldon, explaining the reason they went with George Sr.'s death earlier in the series and left the finale for a more cheerful ending.

Holland said—

"We always knew that George Sr.'s death was important for us to deal with, not just because it was Big Bang canon, but because it's such an important piece of these characters and also how it impacts their lives moving forward and how it changes Sheldon and Mary,...That was definitely a thing that we wanted to deal with this season, and then it was just figuring out when that will happen."

Holland explained the catch was that fans already knew it was coming.

"We thought, 'If we do it earlier than they're thinking, maybe we can catch people off guard", he added.

So, ultimately, creator Chuck Lorre came in with a solution that would fulfill their idea for the finale while not compromising on the shock factor of the series. He explained—

"As we were talking about it, it was Chuck who said, 'This show has been such a positive family show, Let's not leave the audience wallowing in grief. Let's give them a little bit of ramp out of it, not do that in the finale, and give the finale room to have a little bit more hope to it.' That's how those last two episodes shifted out."

And this is how Young Sheldon's finale went in the direction it did.

The double-episode finale will kick off with the episode titled Funeral and will go on to the anticipated last episode, Memoir, where Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik will also star in their respective roles from Big Bang Theory.

A previous first look at the characters already incited a great response from fans, which also hints at a positive future for the franchise, which fans are not really ready to give up.

For now, stay tuned for the last two episodes of Young Sheldon at 8.00 PM and 8.30 PM EST on CBS.