Young Sheldon is repeating The Big Bang Theory‘s big crime when it ended 4 years ago by wrapping up with season 7. It’s the end of an era for Chuck Lorre on CBS, as the Young Sheldon season 7 finale will mark the last content to come out of The Big Bang Theory universe on the network. The franchise will thrive with a brand new The Big Bang Theory spin-off in the works. It’s supposedly still in its infancy, which means that plot specifics are still scant at that moment. That being said, instead of airing on the broadcaster, it will be exclusively available via Max (formerly HBO Max).

Before that, however, Lorre and his team’s focus will be on delivering a satisfying send-off for the Coopers. Their work is cut out for them, however, with the family comedy getting a shortened season with only 14 episodes instead of 22. Because of this, there is an argument that CBS should have just renewed the project for at least one more year to give them enough time to wrap up its narrative, which currently has several lingering plot lines. Between the trajectory of its current storytelling and Young Sheldon‘s continued popularity, perhaps The Big Bang Theory prequel shouldn’t even end for a few more years.

The Big Bang Theory Ended Because Sheldon’s Story Did

Jim Parsons decided to leave the series after season 12.

It was shocking when it was announced that The Big Bang Theory was ending in 2019. The show was still very popular and a ratings hit for CBS. Just weeks before the news broke out, network executives even expressed their interest in renewing the show for at least one more year. Its end, however, was spelled by Jim Parsons’ decision to leave the series past season 12. The rest of the cast knew that Sheldon was the heart of the show, and it would be difficult to continue without him, so they agreed to cap things off for the Pasadena gang.

Parsons’ primary reason for wanting to leave The Big Bang Theory was his desire to do something new. In a deeper sense, however, he pointed out that they had done everything with Sheldon. With his marriage to Amy in The Big Bang Theory season 11 finale, he had overcome his biggest challenge, which was to be in a meaningful and committed relationship. The next year, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics, which was the materialization of his biggest dream. It’s difficult to argue with Parsons’ stance on the matter when Sheldon had everything he wanted at the end of The Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon’s Young Sheldon Story Is Nearing Its Natural End

Sheldon is about to finish college, per The Big Bang Theory’s continuity.

Due to its prequel nature, Young Sheldon has a pre-determined end due to The Big Bang Theory‘s established canon, and the prequel is rapidly approaching that mark. It’s the primary reason why Young Sheldon is ending despite being still very popular. It’s difficult to imagine CBS not wanting to keep the prequel series for far longer. Aside from the fact that it has become TV’s number one comedy, it has also just posted show-high ratings in season 6. This means that Young Sheldon is currently peaking, and if given more time, it can get far bigger.

For context, Sheldon is about to finish college, per The Big Bang Theory‘s continuity. He’s about to turn 14 years old and he only has one year left at East Texas Tech, and after that, he’s going to move out of Medford, Texas, and to Pasadena, California where he will begin his post-graduate studies at Caltech. He will settle there for the next couple of decades. CBS has tried to stretch out Young Sheldon‘s storytelling for as long as it could. At this point, however, there’s no way it can continue doing that, considering Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord’s age in real life.

Young Sheldon Leaves The Rest Of The Coopers’ Story Unexplored

Ending Young Sheldon because Sheldon’s story is wrapping up means that the prequel is committing the same The Big Bang Theory mistake.

While Sheldon’s story already reached its satisfying conclusion in The Big Bang Theory finale, the same cannot be said for some of the members of the Pasadena gang. Howard and Bernadette were left in their stable family life, things were different with Leonard and Penny, as well as Raj. The rushed pregnancy arc for the Hoftsatders was one of the worst plots in The Big Bang Theory season 12 — something that even Kaley Cuoco was against. If it had more time to develop, however, it’s likely that it wouldn’t have been as divisive. Similarly, if The Big Bang Theory continued, it could have given Raj a satisfying send-off.

Ending Young Sheldon because Sheldon’s story is wrapping up means that the prequel is committing the same The Big Bang Theory mistake. It may even be worse, considering that it is leaving the rest of the Coopers’ story unexplored, and the show’s last couple of seasons proved that the familial aspect of the comedy is its best asset. The shortened Young Sheldon final season means that it won’t be able to properly explore Missy’s redemption arc or Meemaw’s complicated relationship with Dale. It may be able to stage Mandy and George’s wedding, but there’s a chance that it will be rushed and unearned, effectively ruining its best original storyline.

How Young Sheldon Could Have Continued Without Sheldon

The public is already invested in Missy and Georgie.

As the titular character of Young Sheldon, Sheldon’s story is understandably the priority for CBS. That being said, there are ways to honor the character while also making sure that the rest of his family is given the focus that they deserve. For starters, the prequel could have tackled Sheldon’s arc, including his move to Pasadena. Once he’s there, the comedy could have rebranded to be a proper ensemble, The Coopers. Because not much has been revealed about the life that the family led after Sheldon left, CBS has more creative wiggle room to craft the new show’s narrative.

With the proposed project not tightly tied to Sheldon, CBS can further ground its narrative. That means that there won’t be as many scientific or pop-culture references. Instead, it will primarily focus on the day-to-day life of the remainder of the family in Medford. Granted that the premise isn’t exactly as exciting as Young Sheldon, since it will have very minimal ties to The Big Bang Theory, the characters are already well-established enough to be able to sustain the series. The public is already invested in Missy and Georgie, so the network won’t have to hard sell the family comedy/drama to viewers.