Young Sheldon Showrunner Teases Major Death Will Rock Final Season

As Young Sheldon heads into its seventh and final season, fans of the hit series are preparing for tragedy. The series follows the younger years of Sheldon Cooper, one of the main characters of The Big Bang Theory, and a big part of his story is the death of his father when he was a teenager. Everyone has known that the loss of George Sr. would have to happen, and it will be happening in Season 7.

Speaking to TVLine about the final season, which debuts on Thursday, Young Sheldon executive producer Steve Holland confirmed that the series wouldn't shy away from the passing of Sheldon's father.

"I don't want to say what you will or won't see, but things will get addressed," Holland explained. "We are not beholden to every joke that was ever made on The Big Bang Theory, but we do feel beholden to the larger canon and the larger events that shape Sheldon's life. We want to honor those."

Avoiding the topic altogether was never in the cards for Young Sheldon. Even though it is tonally very different from The Big Bang Theory, it is the very same timeline, and the passing of George Sr. is very much a part of that timeline.

"Absolutely not. That is a thing that happens in Sheldon's life. This is the same character [from Big Bang]. We are living in the same universe as Big Bang and that sort of world building is important. Big things that [Adult Sheldon said] happened in his life without a doubt happened."

Young Sheldon Ending

"As a prequel to one of the biggest comedies, Young Sheldon proved lightning can strike twice," Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said when the final season was announced. "It set itself apart with a remarkable cast that felt like a family from the first moment we saw them on screen and brought characters to life with unique heartfelt stories that drew audiences in from the start. We extend a sincere thank you to executive producers Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and Steve Holland and the entire writing and producing teams for six wonderful seasons. We look forward to seeing their final season unfold and giving it a proper send off with the best episodes yet for their fans to enjoy."

"Being able to tell the origin of Sheldon Cooper, and expanding the story to include the entire Cooper family has been a wonderful experience," said executive producers Steve Holland, Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre. "We are grateful to our fans for embracing this chapter of the Coopers these past six seasons, and on behalf of the entire Young Sheldon family, we're excited to share this final season with you."