Young Sheldon Boss Teases a Big Change for Key Character in Final Season

The final season of Young Sheldon is finally underway, and this last batch of episodes is putting all members of the Cooper family in some difficult dilemmas. Perhaps the most interesting new direction for a character this season, however, is Mary Cooper, the matriarch of the family. She has spent the previous six seasons keeping everything afloat for the rest of the family, but she's left suddenly without that responsibility in the early parts of Season 7.

Mary had to leave home for a bit, which caused Missy to step up at home. Sheldon is off at college and doing well, and Georgie is working on taking care of a baby of his own. For the first time, Mary doesn't feel like there's a big need for her to be in charge of everything, and that's something that may take a while to get used to.

Speaking to TVLine about Thursday night's Season 7 premiere, Young Sheldon executive producer Steve Holland opened up about Mary and her new role.

"It's an interesting thread for her," Holland said. "Because you're right, at first she wants to come back home — Mary likes to be involved and be the one who's there [in times of crisis] — and being separated from that is hard for her, and it's coupled with the fact that Sheldon is older now, and he's at this university where he doesn't really need her. She's sort of having to figure out where her place is, and that threads throughout the season, even when she comes back, because Missy has stepped up. It's not that she's unhappy that the house isn't falling apart, but she steps back into this world where she's not as needed as she thought she would be. Obviously, she's still needed — she's the mom of the house — but in her mind, she's feeling a little displaced."

As we know from The Big Bang Theory, Mary will remain a major part of Sheldon's life as he grows into an adult, even when they're no longer living in the same state.

What did you think of Young Sheldon's final season premiere? How do you think it will all end when the season comes to a close? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of Young Sheldon air Thursday nights on CBS.