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In the episode before the Young Sheldon two-part finale, George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) died. This shook the entire fandom. Some of the series' stars, including Barber himself, reacted to the bombshell twist.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the set of Young Sheldon ahead of the finale, the cast reacted to the death. Barber kicked off the video.
“I've had the luxury of emotionally preparing for this for seven years,” Barber said. “So, it doesn't keep it from landing kind of strange on you when you're in the moment.”
He comes back later in the video talking about the potential fan reactions to George Cooper's death. Barber acknowledged that Big Bang Theory fans may be divided on the death despite knowing its inevitability.
“I can only guess that we will have mixed reactions about this — I think people in general, even if they weren't a Big Bang fan at first, have probably heard about the history of the show and the inevitability of what happens with George,” he began. “I think some people may struggle with it and some people will celebrate it [and] I hope ultimately everyone finds it satisfying in some way.
“We got to end joy the beginning, middle, and end of a story and we get to move on to a new story and we moved on to a new story that we already knew. I think it's all pretty neat,” he continued.
The other Young Sheldon cast members' reactions
Iain Armitage, who plays the title role in Young Sheldon, weighed in on his on-screen father's death. “I don't even know how much I can say about this — not just because of my own emotion,” he said. “What I love is that the last episode that we're seeing George in really is just a beautiful and great episode right up until [he dies].
“It's a great episode, you barely even see it coming, so it's not like the whole episode is mournful and dreary,” he concluded.
Zoe Perry and Raegan Revord, who play Mary and Missy Cooper, respectively, found the death hard to process, though they have known about it for a while. They resonate with fans who were waiting for it.
“It's hard for us,” Perry said.
“We've known about it since we started. We knew we were going to get to this point eventually,” Revord interrupted.
Perry then finished her thought: “I imagine if it's sad for us, it will be sad for people who have watched from the beginning,” she said.
Not just a sitcom
On the show, Annie Potts plays Meemaw, Mary's mom. She was never a fan of George, and she made that known throughout the series' run. When the death occurs, she has an emotional reaction. Potts credited the show for its dramatic beats as well as its comedic ones.
“You know, we kind of blazed new territory with this show as opposed to Big Bang,” Potts explained. “It's a different flavor mostly because we aren't a live audience show. We're just three cameras, we're done like a drama, like a dramedy, and so the feeling's different. And I think it stings a little more.”
The on-screen couple, Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment), are gearing up for their own series, Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage. The two talked about the impact that George Cooper's death had on them as actors.
“It's going to have to hit you — it's gonna hit you hard, too,” Jordan said.
“Luckily, that's not our job. I don't envy that, having to write that [scene],” Osment added.
After seven seasons, Young Sheldon is coming to an end. The series is a spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory. Jim Parsons played the role in The Big Bang Theory. He returns as the voiceover narrator in the prequel, but Iain Armitage took over the role.
Young Sheldon's finale will air on May 16 at 8 pm ET.
