Summary

• Lance Barber's portrayal of George was a beloved part of Young Sheldon, making his off-screen death gut-wrenching for viewers.
• Despite George's death, Barber will still appear in flashbacks and alternate reality visions in the Young Sheldon series finale.
• The Young Sheldon team gave Barber a heartfelt send-off on set, with a cake referencing George's death in the show's latest episode.

Lance Barber gets a George's death happened off-screen, but immediately after his final scene, the cast and crew of the show celebrated Barber's contributions to the show.

As shared on Instagram by director Alex Reid, the Young Sheldon team prepared a great send-off for the actor on set as he wrapped his time in The Big Bang Theory prequel. Check out the image below:

In the image, Barber is seen in front of a spread that has a cake that reads RIP — a reference to George's death in Young Sheldon season 7 episode 12, "A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture." The event was laid out in the backyard set of the Cooper family home, and likely happened after George walked out of the house to work one last time before he died in the family comedy/drama.

How Young Sheldon Fixed George Ahead Of His Death

Young Sheldon Turned George Into One Of The Most Beloved TV Dads

It's no secret that The Big Bang Theory was unkind to George. Because there was no chance of him physically appearing in the nerd-centric sitcom, it was easy to make him a punchline, with both Sheldon and Mary piling on the unflattering stories about the Cooper patriarch. Interestingly, however, neither Georgie nor Missy bouthed their dad, although it's possible that it was because they barely had a presence in The Big Bang Theory. Unfortunately, sticking to the original description of George wouldn't work in Young Sheldon.

Slowly, it became clear that George wasn't the dumb and no-use father that Sheldon and Mary described in The Big Bang Theory.

Because of this, Young Sheldon had to rehabilitate George's image. Sometimes the family show could create more plot inconsistencies in the process, which was frustrating for those who were keen on preserving The Big Bang Theory canon. Other times, however, the prequel can be thoughtful in this endeavor, offering additional context instead of contradicting the flagship project. Slowly, it became clear that George wasn't the dumb and no-use father that Sheldon and Mary described in The Big Bang Theory.

George's Young Sheldon Story Made His Death More Heartbreaking

Sheldon's Dad Had A Lot Of Things To Look Forward To Before He Died

Fixing George's story may have been beneficial to Young Sheldon's appeal, but it only made his death so much more devastating. Losing a family member is always difficult, especially one who is regularly present at home. That being said, it is worse when it is someone who is devoted to doing good by his wife and kids, which George was. To make things more gut-wrenching, Sheldon's dad was on the cusp of a new life after he was offered his dream job of being part of Rice's coaching staff.

George's life hadn't been easy since Young Sheldon started. At one point, he even itted that he was miserably unhappy with his life, which was when his borderline affair with Brenda Sparks started. He didn't end up cheating, with Young Sheldon retconning George's The Big Bang Theory affair narrative. He had a difficult time connecting with Mary and had his issues with the kids, so taking him away just when he was getting a couple of lucky breaks is quite cruel.

Will Barber Still Appear In The Young Sheldon Finale?

He May Still Have One Final Chance To Play George

Young Sheldon was able to find a way to retcon George's cheating scandal, and similarly, it could have ended without tackling his death. The prequel could have ended before the tragedy, ensuring that the show leaves the Coopers complete. Unfortunately, Young Sheldon's sequel, which is titled Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage, makes it impossible to escape the incident because of when it lands in the timeline. It would be unfair to burden the offshoot with confirming his demise. Now that George is dead, the Young Sheldon finale is left to tackle its aftermath.

Thanks to the Young Sheldon series finale trailer, it's confirmed that Barber will have more appearances in the show. However, it will be via flashbacks and alternate reality visions from Sheldon, who is still coming to with the unexpected death of his father. Beyond that, there will be a funeral service for the character, and depending on how Young Sheldon wants to deal with it, the show can feature George in his casket. Those will be the only ways that Barber can reprise his beloved role despite his fate in season 7, episode 12.

After Young Sheldon, it's unclear if there's any other opportunity for Barber to play Sheldon's father. While the Cooper patriarch played a big part in Georgie's upbringing, it's highly unlikely that it will devote time to revisiting it — unless the sequel show wants to strengthen its ties to its parent series. Perhaps Georgie also has some of those home videos of his dad like Sheldon did in The Big Bang Theory, which was featured during its only crossover with the prequel offshoot.

The Young Sheldon series finale will air on Thursday, May 16, 8pm ET on CBS.

Source: Alex Reid/Instagram