Summary
- Despite disappointment over Young Sheldon’s shortened season, it benefits the storytelling and allows the show to avoid tackling certain anticipated plotlines.
- The shortened season gives Young Sheldon the opportunity to end on a high note, potentially with a happy ending for Georgie and Mandy.
- The lack of mini-breaks and filler episodes in the shortened season allows Young Sheldon to maintain a more focused and serialized storytelling approach.
While it’s disappointing that Young Sheldon is ending with a shortened season, it has major benefits to its storytelling. The end of the spin-off series marks the end of an era for The Big Bang Theory universe on CBS. While Chuck Lorre is looking to expand the franchise via a new spin-off, the project will be on Max, meaning that Young Sheldon‘s finale will be the last narrative from the nerd-centric sitcom on the network. Between this and the success of Young Sheldon, one would assume that CBS would want to ensure that the offshoot has everything it needs to deliver a satisfying send-off. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, not only is the Young Sheldon season 7 premiere delayed but it’s also set for just 14 episodes. That is significantly fewer than the show’s usual 22-episode year. On any given season, that isn’t a big deal. However, The Big Bang Theory spin-off already has its work cut out for it to craft a well-deserved swan song for the beloved Coopers, and this makes it all the more difficult, considering the myriad of lingering plots that it needs to tackle. Despite the challenges, there are upsides to this set-up that can easily be overlooked.
7 Young Sheldon Doesn’t Need To Tackle George’s Death (And Cheating Scandal)
The shortened Young Sheldon season 7 effectively gives CBS the excuse not to tackle these narratives.
George’s death has long been established in The Big Bang Theory; it was the reason why he never physically appeared in the show. His demise, however, was preceded by his supposed cheating scandal, as recalled by Sheldon in the nerd-centric sitcom. Apparently, when Sheldon was 13, he caught his dad in bed with another woman. He never talked about it and a year later, the Cooper patriarch unexpectedly died. Considering Young Sheldon‘s prequel nature, these have been some of the most anticipated plotlines in the show, but while CBS has danced around the matter, it won’t be able to get away with it for longer because of the timeline.
The shortened season 7 effectively gives CBS the excuse not to tackle these narratives. For starters, Young Sheldon season 6 already totally ignored George’s affair when the incident was supposed to happen during the final stretch of the year. Because of this, the prequel can chalk its continued ignorance of it to limited screen time in season 7. Meanwhile, ending the comedy right before George’s death in the timeline gives the prequel a way out of these rather dark arcs. Although the series has dabbled into more mature themes in the past, these plots may just be way too serious and heavy for a family comedy.
6 Young Sheldon Can End With George & Mandy’s Wedding
Georgie and Mandy are finally engaged to be married.
Despite some rough patches, however, things have finally stabilized for Mandy and Georgie. After the arrival of Baby Cece, they’re finally engaged to be married as seen in the Young Sheldon season 6 finale. It’s a big cause of celebration for everyone, especially seeing how madly in love they are with each other. That being said, The Big Bang Theory pre-determined that they eventually split up. It’s uncertain when, but the shortened Young Sheldon season 7 can opt not to show that on-screen. Instead, the spin-off’s finale could show Mandy and Georgie tying the knot. This way, it can leave the couple in a great place.
5 Young Sheldon Can End With The Coopers Complete
It’s imperative that Young Sheldon’s finale honors the show that it has become.
Admittedly, Young Sheldon took a while for the CBS series to find its own footing, but now, it has already found its own identity. Young Sheldon season 5 marked a transition point for the series, from being Sheldon’s origins story to a family comedy. Because of this, it’s imperative that the show’s finale honors the show that it has become, and the best way to do that is to leave the Coopers on a high note. It can only do that if the clan is complete, which a shortened season allows it to do since Sheldon is still in Medford and George is still alive.
4 Young Sheldon Season 7 Won’t Have Frustrating Mini-Breaks
The Big Bang Theory prequel tends to go on several week-long hiatuses during its run.
Due to Young Sheldon‘s season 7’s delayed premiere, the wait will continue for the Coopers’ comeback until February 2024. For context, the show should have already released 8-10 episodes before Christmas. The delay is understandably frustrating. That being said, there’s actually a big benefit to Young Sheldon‘s season 7 late start — the elimination of mini-hiatuses. The Big Bang Theory prequel tends to go on several week-long hiatuses during its run due to varying reasons. Aside from the unexpected wait in between episodes, they disrupt the family comedy’s weekly storytelling and pacing — something that will not be a thing for season 7.
3 Young Sheldon Season 7 Won’t Have Filler Episodes
Young Sheldon has become more serialized over the last couple of seasons.
It’s one thing for Young Sheldon to not have multiple weekly breaks throughout its yearly run, but it’s another for the show to not have any filler episodes. Like The Big Bang Theory, its prequel takes a more episodic approach to its storytelling. That being said, it has become more serialized over the last couple of seasons due to the nature of its plot lines. So when it releases a filler episode, it’s disappointing since it shifts the focus away from more important things happening in the show. With a shortened Young Sheldon season 7, the prequel can no longer afford to do that.
2 Young Sheldon Season 7 Doesn’t Have To Deal With Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord’s Age Issue
Both Armitage and Revord have already turned 15 this year.
When Young Sheldon premiered in 2017, Sheldon and Missy were both nine years old. This matched with Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord’s real-life age at that time. However, because the show can only run until Sheldon is 14 years old CBS slowed down the characters’ aging process to stretch out its time on the air. After around seven years, Sheldon and Missy are just about to turn 14 in Young Sheldon season 7. This makes for a huge discrepancy because both Armitage and Revord have already turned 15 this year. The physical growth of the actors became really noticeable in season 6 and was even a point of criticism.
Understandably, CBS wants to keep The Big Bang Theory prequel for as long as it can, but now, it no longer has to do that because Young Sheldonseason 7 is set to end in May. When it returns, there won’t be any significant gap in its broadcast, which means that both Sheldon and Missy can realistically look like their age. Had the network attempted to stretch out its storytelling with a season 8 renewal, the cast would have to go through around a three-month filming break.
1 Young Sheldon Don’t Have To Ruin The Big Bang Theory Canon
This is vital in terms of preserving the universe’s overall legacy.
Admittedly, Young Sheldon has always been criticized for its lax approach to continuity. Over the years, it has created far too many plot inconsistencies, which led some to believe that CBS was gradually separating it from The Big Bang Theory. The network could have done that but insisted that the shows exist in the same reality. Ending Young Sheldon despite a shortened season means that it can follow the established canon, preventing it from breaking beyond repair. This is vital in terms of preserving the universe’s overall legacy, especially with a new The Big Bang Theory spin-off in the works.
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Young Sheldon
- Release Date:
- 2017-09-25
- Cast:
- Jim Parsons, Iain Armitage, Annie Potts, Emily Osment
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Seasons:
- 6
- Summary:
- A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up.
- Story By:
- chuck lorre
- Writers:
- Chuck Lorre
- Network:
- CBS
- Streaming Service(s):
- Netflix
- Directors:
- Jon Favreau
