The Coopers Balances Comedy & Drama In An Emotional Send-Off.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Young Sheldon series finale.

Summary The Young Sheldon finale focuses on the Cooper family dynamics, balancing drama and humor effectively.

Ending Young Sheldon a shortened year, however, leaves multiple plots unaddressed.

Sheldon and Amy's Young Sheldon finale cameo ties back to The Big Bang Theory.

The Young Sheldon series finale is a roller coaster of emotional moments that explores the past, present, and future of Sheldon Cooper. Unlike the majority of cancelations, Young Sheldon's end was decided not because of the lack of interest from the public — The Big Bang Theory spinoff has become the number one comedy on TV, with the series regularly topping charts. Instead, Young Sheldon wrapping up was because of the established canon. After seven years, Sheldon's time in Texas is complete, but the special one-hour series finale is more than just the boy genius' story.

A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up. Pros Young Sheldon's funeral episode excellently balances drama and humor

The focus being on the Coopers is a series finale highlight

The series ender ties up its biggest storylines well

One of the better series finales in recent years Cons A reduced episode count leads to a rushed wrap-up

Sheldon and Amy's cameo is nice, but unnecessary

In its last week, the family comedy/drama ties up major narrative threads. The first half of the broadcast, Young Sheldon season 7, episode 13, "Funeral," tackles the aftermath of George's unexpected death, with the focus of the narrative on how the Coopers deal with their respective grief. As expected, each member of the clan approaches it differently. After that, Young Sheldon season 7, episode 14, "Memoir," moves the story forward to a conclusion that sees Sheldon officially starting his new life at Caltech.

Young Sheldon's Family Dramedy Aspect Shines In Its Series Finale

Sheldon's family has clearly endeared themselves to the public

Close

Years before its finale, Young Sheldon had long overgrown its premise as Sheldon's origin story. As it broke away from The Big Bang Theory and focused on new narratives, it gradually moved to become a proper ensemble series. Season 6 completed that transformation and was the standard well into its final year. The Young Sheldon finale makes this its storytelling mantra in its first half by showing how the Coopers deal with the death of George. The whole episode is heavy, and while it features a few comedic bits, it does a great job emphasizing how gut-wrenching George's death is.

Leaning into the family aspect in the Young Sheldon finale allows the show to highlight its best asset one last time. As interesting as Sheldon was, his arcs had become stale and boring. However, focusing on the clan dynamics and diversifying its storytelling not only made Young Sheldon more exciting, since not much was revealed about the Coopers in The Big Bang Theory, but it also made it more appealing to a broader audience because its plots were rooted in real human experiences. This allowed Young Sheldon to tackle darker but realistic themes such as death and other life's setbacks.

Young Sheldon's Series Finale Leaves Several Plots Unaddressed

Ending with a shortened season leaves Young Sheldon's final episode feeling rushed

Admittedly, ending such a popular show was divisive, even star Annie Potts called it a bad business decision. To make it worse, however, Young Sheldon wraps up on a shortened year due to the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023. It was clear from the start that this was a bad idea as it meant that it would have to either rush its storytelling or drop certain plots altogether. Young Sheldon not having enough time to better send off the Coopers, especially those who don't have confirmed returns, is evident in its last two episodes.

Instead of the usual 22-episode year, Young Sheldon's final season only has 14 entries.

Young Sheldon slows things down during "Funeral," as it should, considering its subject. Impressively, it handles a dramatic episode quite effectively. However, jumping into "Memoir," which has a totally different tone, is jarring. Having an episode or two in between would have helped Young Sheldon better transition while also having enough time to address other lingering storylines, including Paige's mysterious fate. It would also have given the prequel the chance to properly wrap up Mary, Missy, and Meemaw's respective fates, considering that none of them will be series regulars in Mandy and Georgie's First Marriage.

Young Sheldon Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Jim Parsons , Iain Armitage , Annie Potts , Emily Osment Release Date September 25, 2017 Seasons 6 Network CBS Streaming Service(s) Netflix Writers Chuck Lorre Directors Jon Favreau Expand

The Young Sheldon Finale Emphasizes How Much It's Broken Away From Big Bang Theory

Sheldon and Amy's cameo is fun, but underwhelming

Close

Since Young Sheldon is ending because of canon, the finale re-establishes its connection to its parent series by bringing back Jim Parsons' Sheldon and Mayim Bialik's Amy. This marks the first time the pair revisits their roles since The Big Bang Theory ended in 2019. Their scene is set several years after they won the Nobel Prize in Physics and reveals that Sheldon has been working on his memoir, hence why he has been recalling his childhood in Medford. Beyond the couple, however, no one else from the Pasadena gang makes an appearance.

Penny is name-dropped and there are Big Bang Theory memorabilia in Sheldon's office, but that's the extent of its tribute to the series. In any case, even if Young Sheldon wanted to keep the focus on Sheldon and his family, the finale could have done more to acknowledge its ties to The Big Bang Theory by having the older versions of Mary, Georgie, and Missy show up at adult Sheldon and Amy's home. This would have been a better way of bringing Sheldon's story full circle, especially given his rocky relationship with Georgie on the heels of George's death.

While Parsons and Bialik's chemistry is still there, and the banter remains fun, it becomes a bit repetitive; the show could have done something else instead.

Ultimately, Sheldon and Amy's Young Sheldon flashforward scene is underwhelming. While Parsons and Bialik's chemistry is still there, and the banter remains fun, it becomes a bit repetitive; the show could have done something else instead. In an episode that already leaves a few plots unresolved, the screentime could have been devoted to other scenes, such as a brief shot of the Pasadena gang or the Coopers in the future. It could have also been used to see Sheldon in the past properly saying goodbye to his Texas family — something that doesn't happen.

In the end, the Young Sheldon series finale highlights the best thing about the show, which is the Coopers. The way George's death and the subsequent funeral is handled is a masterclass in balancing drama and humor. Unfortunately, the final half hour of the double-header isn't able to match the storytelling quality, primarily because of time constraints. Despite its lapses, however, Young Sheldon is still one of the better finales in recent years.