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The Young Sheldon finale should go down as not just one of the best series finales, but also one of the finest hours of television, period. The tricky balance of devastation and humor following George’s death in last week’s episode also had to be intertwined with Sheldon and Amy in the future (Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik, reprising their Big Bang Theory roles) in a way that made sense to the viewer. It had to provide closure, while also shedding insight into how the Cooper family was preparing to adjust to their normal. And it did. Beautifully.
The final episode of Young Sheldon (warning: spoilers ahead) also answered a longstanding theory by fans who guessed that adult Sheldon was writing his memoir, which was the reason why Jim Parsons has narrated the show since season one. However, executive producers and co-showrunners Steve Molaro and Steve Holland tell Glamour they did not know that plot point from the beginning and only recently they decided that was the case.
Seeing adult/future Sheldon played by Parsons again was thrilling after five years; to then have him joined by his on-screen wife, Amy (Bialik), was icing on the cake. And though CBS released several pictures of the duo in the week leading up to the finale, there were plenty of Easter eggs that remained secret, like that Sheldon and Leonard’s couch—complete with the same striped pillow—now exists in Sheldon’s home office.
But even with all the Big Bang throwbacks, the heart of the show remained in Medford circa 1994, with the Cooper family coming to terms with the loss of their father, husband, son-in-law, and friend. From Annie Potts’ sarcastic and bewildered expressions as Meemaw to Zoe Perry’s heartbreaking scenes as Mary, the entire episode was a masterclass in acting. And you can’t talk about the Young Sheldon finale without lavishing praise on Montana Jordan as Georgie (the show’s secret weapon), and the beautifully layered and complex performances of Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord as Sheldon and Missy, respectively.
At the end of the first episode in tonight’s finale, Sheldon (via Parsons’ narration) says, “For a long time I focused on my father’s shortcomings. Now that I’m his age and have kids of my own, I realize he was just a person doing the best he could, and he did a lot. I didn’t say it at his funeral but I can say it now. I loved my father, I will miss him forever.”
That’s how we’ll feel about Young Sheldon. Perhaps the sweetness of the network show deterred Emmy voters (it’s still a travesty it has yet to get an outstanding comedy series nomination), but they’re missing the larger picture. This was a show that never shied away from the uncomfortable (miscarriage, emotional cheating) and always did it with a cleverness and maturity that looked simple. It wasn’t.
Below, Molaro (who co-created the show with Chuck Lorre) and Holland open up about whether they wish they could revise Big Bang history, what you didn’t see on the finale, and what’s next for the Cooper clan.
Glamour: Knowing what you know now, do you wish it hadn’t been established on Big Bang that George died during Sheldon’s formative years?
Steve Holland: No, I think it gave the show a real strong emotional closure and death is so important to Sheldon as a character. Looking back on that death as an adult has really framed what this show’s been about, I think.
Steve Molaro: I agree. I don’t regret that it’s happening, It’s a strong ending and a part of life.
What caused the most anguish when it came to crafting storylines the last few years? I’m thinking either George’s potential cheating or his eventual passing.
Molaro: We all got more attached to George Sr. than we ever expected we would and then, for us here at the show, to Lance, who plays George. So there was a pressure to say goodbye to George in a way that honored the character and honored the job that Lance did.
Holland: As Chuck [Lorre] has always said, you have to give these shows room to grow and become their own thing. You can’t force them into a box. As the show went on, Lance brought [so much] to the character. He was such a lovely person and a lovable dad, and that was what the show was becoming. You can’t go back and force it into [something else]. It would’ve felt wrong for the character and the show.
Molaro: I also think back to Wyatt McClure, who plays Billy Sparks. He was supposed to be this bully, but he’s such a sweet kid that it would’ve felt disingenuous to force that or try to write it that way. That’s how these characters evolve—because of the actors and who they’re playing.
It’s tough for all of us to say goodbye to George, but we knew it was coming. We hope the way that it’s handled is with respect and honor and helps explain where these characters move on in their lives. I like to think it gets them a little closer to how we meet them when Big Bang starts.
Speaking of, when we see Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik as Sheldon and Amy again, it’s not five years from the finale of Big Bang (which aired in May 2019) based on the fact that they hadn’t had kids when Big Bang ended. Now they have two kids who are old enough to play hockey and take acting lessons. So, how far into the future are we?
Holland: We don’t say, but their kids in our minds are probably 11 or 12. So we’re probably maybe five or six-ish years in the future from now. But it’s unspecified.
What was it like to see them back together again in these roles?
Molaro: It was wonderful. We interact with Jim all the time because he’s the narrator on our show…but to see him as Sheldon on the set with Mayim, it was emotional and surreal and exciting. It was the best day.
Holland: They’re such good actors and so smart to watch, so to see the choices they’re making at each moment was really fun to watch. There’s a physicality to Sheldon, in the way Jim has always performed, and it’s different than only having him do the voiceovers. Seeing him there in person really brings the character back.
Could you have imagined five years ago filming Big Bang‘s finale that you’d get the chance to revisit these characters and actors again?
Molaro: I don’t think so. I’m thrilled that it worked out and we got to do a couple of little things here and there with some of the other cast members, like as voiceover and narration. Simon [Helberg as Howard] had joined us, and Kaley [Cuoco] had done a voice for us. Mayim had done a voiceover for us before. But to see them in character on set one last time with us? No, that’s a gift and we would’ve never expected that to happen.
How long did you know that Sheldon’s narration would be him writing a memoir?
Molaro: We didn’t know that from the beginning. We knew he was telling these stories, so what was happening in the context of the show is not far off from a memoir. But to technically say that this is without a doubt a memoir in a book he’s writing, only near the end, did we make that official.
It was a brilliant choice.
Holland: If it was brilliant, then we knew it all along.
Molaro: I don’t think we’re smart enough to be that brilliant all along.
Let’s talk about future Sheldon and Amy’s clothes. They stayed true to the days of Big Bang, but with some upgrades.
Molaro: I remember us thinking we didn’t want Sheldon in the typical comic book store shirts. He’s a dad now, and we wanted him to be a little more mature. We figured Amy might have encouraged him to no longer wear that, or hidden them all. It was nice that he has on a long sleeve sweater that he pushed up the sleeves a little bit to sort of evoke the old Sheldon vibes from Big Bang. That was intentional. Mayim was happy with what Amy was wearing and thought it was right. And those were Mayim’s personal glasses.
