Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the May 9 episode of “Young Sheldon.”
(CNN) —anyone who has seen The Big Bang Theory with some regularity throughout its 12 seasons knew what was coming as its prequel Young Sheldon came to a close, but the blow with which the most recent episode ended still feels like a punch in the face. stomach.
As young Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) prepares to go to college, he and his family learn that his father (Lance Barber) had died of a heart attack, an episode whose aftermath will be addressed in the series finale. two-part series on May 16.
The timing was particularly cruel, as the father, George Sr., had just been offered a long-sought opportunity to transition from high school football coaching to the college ranks, receiving an offer from Rice in Houston.
“We always knew there were a couple of big moments that happened in Sheldon’s life, his father passed away and he went to Caltech,” executive producer Steve Holland told CNN, adding that the decision was made for that to happen now. , instead of during the last two episodes, so that the characters could deal with their consequences in the finale.
According to Holland, series co-creator Chuck Lorre suggested that event schedule, saying that after seven seasons of comedy (allowing for the touching moment), “maybe we don’t want to leave the audience wallowing in pain at the end.”
The adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) had made reference to his father’s death during The Big Bang Theoryalthough in retrospect he wasn’t always the most reliable narrator regarding his father and his perceived flaws, at least, based on how they developed in the second season.
Although “Young Sheldon” is ending, CBS viewers haven’t seen the last of the Coopers: the network has ordered another spinoff, featuring the characters Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) for the 2024 TV season. -25, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.”
Still, any concerns about setting up what comes next didn’t factor into the ending of “Young Sheldon,” Holland said, noting, “We were really just focused on finishing this show as strong as possible.”
