Summary

• George's death is confirmed in Young Sheldon season 7, but the show is finding a way to move forward without being burdened by it.
• The specifics of George's death remain unclear, but there are clues that suggest he may die from health-related issues.
• CBS needs to strategically time George's death in order to not overshadow the remaining episodes and potentially ruin the series' finale. A time jump may be used to help transition from the immediate aftermath of George's death.

George's death is all but confirmed, but Young Sheldon season 7 is setting up a way not to be bogged down by it. Sheldon's father is the only Cooper family member who didn't get to make a physical appearance in The Big Bang Theory because he was long dead before the events of the sitcom. Still, thanks to Sheldon's penchant for sharing stories about his childhood, not to mention Mary's regular visits to Pasadena, the comedy was able to establish a clear image of how George was as a father.

Unfortunately, Young Sheldon has continued to oppose The Big Bang Theory's depiction of the character. There are countless plot inconsistencies between the shows, but George's depiction is arguably the biggest. ittedly, the prequel would have been better if it just broke away fully from its parent series' canon. However, Young Sheldon's cancelation, despite its popularity forces it to follow continuity, which includes George's death. With the Coopers' tragic loss highly likely in the cards, the best it can do is make sure that the rest of its run doesn't get hampered by it.

All The Clues That George Will Die In Young Sheldon Season 7

George will indeed die in Young Sheldon season 7.

Aside from George being already dead, The Big Bang Theory didn't reveal much about the specifics of his death. It remains unclear how he exactly died and what happened immediately after his demise. That being said, Young Sheldon has dropped clues over the years about how the Cooper patriarch will meet his end. For starters, despite being a football coach, George isn't exactly in tip-top shape. Couple that with his drinking and eating habits and his life expectancy isn't exactly optimistic. So far, he's had a couple of health scares, and the next one would likely kill him.

More recently, new clues have been dropped about George's death. The biggest of them all is Lance Barber's emotional social media post, expressing his sadness over missing his on-screen kids. For context, Young Sheldon will essentially continue with Mandy and Georgie's spinoff. Granted that there's no official cast list yet aside from Montana Jordan and Emily Osment, but Missy and Mary actors, Raegan Revord and Zoe Perry, can still return, per the canon. Barber saying that it's the end of the road for him as George indicates that he won't be back for the next series.

Instead of prolonging the mystery, executive producer Steve Holland set the record straight about the matter when he ed the cast and crew of the series at the TCAs. Days before the much-anticipated premiere, he has confirmed that George will indeed die in Young Sheldon season 7. He didn't get into how or when the tragedy will pan out, but with that out of the way, the conversation can now shift toward the specifics of it.

When George May Die In Young Sheldon Season 7

CBS needs to be strategic about George's death's timing.

Tackling a significant loss in the family during Young Sheldon's shortened final season sounds like a bad idea. Not only is the series pressed for time, with only 14 episodes left to tie all the lingering plot holes, but George's death can make or break the swan song for the Coopers. Since it cannot escape the storyline because of The Big Bang Theory canon, the show's best bet is to properly tackle it.

CBS needs to be strategic about when the event will go down, otherwise, it may just very well ruin the remainder of its run. If The Big Bang Theory prequel executes it too late, it risks ending the family show on a devastating note. On the flip side, if Young Sheldon tackles it too early, George's death may bog down the remainder of its run. Arguably, more than the character's actual death, CBS and the writers must be wary of what comes next after his demise.

Ideally, George's death must happen in the middle of Young Sheldon season 7. This allows the show to spend as much time with him in its first half and leaves enough room for the series to recover from the loss. It's worth noting that after his demise, other plot lines are expected to happen. That includes Sheldon's graduation from East Texas Tech, acceptance to Caltech, and eventual move to Pasadena, California, where he will stay until the events of The Big Bang Theory. It will also include George and Mandy's wedding.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Escapes The Fallout From George's Death Via A Time Jump

Meemaw's house being repaired needs a significant time jump.

With George's death now set in stone, the focus should shift to how Young Sheldon season 7 will move forward from it. As previously established, CBS needs to be tactical about when it will go down. It's safe to say that it will not happen at the end of the season since the show won't have time to bounce back from such a big tragedy, and it won't be immediately at the start, because it won't be able to make the most out of Barber's remaining stint as George.

Luckily, there's a fairly easy way to recover from the incident if it happens in the middle of the run of Young Sheldon season 7, which is to execute a time jump. Doing so would help the show get away with not fully exploring the immediate aftermath of the loss, which is when grief is going to be at its most intense for everyone. This effectively helps in preventing the series from being way too heavy in its final year, while also allowing it to transition to other big plots that it needs to address.

Luckily, there's a fairly easy way to recover from the incident if it happens in the middle of the run of Young Sheldon season 7, which is to execute a time jump

There's actually already evidence that a mini-time jump might be in the cards in Young Sheldon season 7. An image from the set suggests that Meemaw's house may have already been rebuilt after it was destroyed in the season 6 finale. The premiere is picking up almost immediately where last year left off, and given the extent of the destruction on Connie's home, it would take a while to finish the repairs. Given this, it's likely that there will be a time jump, which will help the series skip more drama from George's death.

How George's Death Will Impact The Remainder Of Young Sheldon Season 7 (& Beyond)

George's death changes the trajectory of the Coopers' lives.

The Big Bang Theory's description of George is contradictory to how he is depicted in Young Sheldon. Instead of the no-good father that Sheldon liked to , the Cooper patriarch is a flawed but devoted family man in the prequel. This makes writing George off in the prequel so much more difficult because his loss will be worse for his kids and wife, particularly Missy. George's death will also plant plot seeds for the Georgie and Mandy spinoff since the eldest Cooper kid is bound to take over the family following the death of his father.

Young Sheldon season 7 premieres Thursday, February 15, 8pm ET on CBS.