Fans who enjoyed having The Big Bang Theory prequel, Young Sheldon, around for so many years were dealt a bit of a blow in November 2023. It was revealed that the comedy will end after Season 7, meaning that the 2024 TV schedule will see it wrap up the story of preteen/teen Sheldon Cooper and his family. While stars like Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord have shared inspirational messages about the show ending, it’s clearly bittersweet for all involved, and we now know that there are two storyline reasons why the series is ending.
What Are The Storyline Reasons For Young Sheldon Ending After Season 7?
Seeing as how Young Sheldon is a prequel series, there are both some benefits and potential drawbacks when it comes to crafting such a story. Over 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory let viewers in on some details from Sheldon’s early life, along with giving us glimpses at his family in the current day. This means that there was a pretty clear path for some aspects of the spinoff to follow, and it turns out that two of those previously revealed details have led the series to end after Season 7.
When speaking with Deadline and other outlets recently, executive producer Steve Holland opened up about ending the CBS hit now, and revealed what prompted the decision, saying:
There are certain things we know happen in Sheldon’s life at 14. We started talking about the future of show, and what it looked like. This is the right time for this story to come to an end, knowing that at 14, he goes off to Cal Tech. It felt like the right time to end it strong while it was on top.
Now, if you happen to not have been a fan of TBBT, even though you adore Young Sheldon, you might not have known what major change was coming for the character soon. Going off to college is usually a pretty big deal for people, especially when they’re going to be far from home and way younger than the average student. Instead of trying to retool the comedy to fit a new setting, those behind the scenes made the choice to tie the story up. And, when you consider how many shows (even bonafide hits) don’t usually survive such a story shift, it makes complete sense.
Not only did the show quickly become one of the flagship comedies on the network, but it’s also doing very well on the streaming charts since becoming available for those with a Netflix subscription in late November. As such, choosing to go out on top is a definite plus. Holland alluded to something else happening in Sheldon’s life when he’s 14, and long-time fans of the character will know that his dad, George, dies at this time.
We can’t be sure yet, obviously, how the series will handle this or if it will even be a part of the final season, but George’s portrayer, Lance Barber, did talk about his feelings when he took the part knowing when his character would die:
I had my fingers crossed from the beginning that I would make it to the end whenever that came. We know the history of George. Personally for me as actor with a character like this, I have this legacy, I get to see what life brings. I never got the inclination that the end was coming anytime soon, nor did I fear it.
It’s quite lucky, for Barber and fans, that the show began when it did in Sheldon’s life, so that we could all get a solid seven seasons out of the funny Cooper family before more major changes headed their way.
