Young Sheldon's recent parenting joke about George confirms Sheldon's story about his dad on The Big Bang Theory. The Cooper patriarch didn't get to physically appear on the geek-centric sitcom, but thanks to his son and wife's stories, he became an established figure in the franchise during The Big Bang Theory. Now, because it's a prequel, Young Sheldon is able to fully explore the George character and his relationship with the rest of the family.
The problem is that Young Sheldon contradicts The Big Bang Theory's different take on George. In the earlier, geek centric-sitcom, the Cooper patriarch was described by both Mary and Sheldon to be a bad parent. The prequel show, however, portrays George as a devoted, albeit flawed father. This has been one of the biggest plot inconsistencies between the two shows, but CBS may have finally just acknowledged which iteration is accurate.
A promotional post by the official Young Sheldon Twitter account pokes fun at George's parenting skills, claiming that the Cooper family patriarch's secret to raising Sheldon, Missy, and Georgie is his perfected side-eye. This is supposed to be a comedic thing highlighting actor Lance Barber's signature facial expression as the character, but it actually backs up The Big Bang Theory's version of George as a bad dad, implying that he is a passive parent. He doesn’t care enough to be actively involved in the affairs at home. Instead, he just opts to make side eyes to his kids when they’re saying or doing something stupid. After that, he lets things go and leaves the kids to deal with their respective issues.
Young Sheldon Season 6 NEEDS To Start George’s Downfall
Per Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, his dad was always drunk and barely participated in raising him and his siblings. Mary backed this up by always criticizing her dead husband whenever she visited Sheldon in the previous sitcom. This cannot be further from the truth in Young Sheldon, however, as George has always been committed to providing for his kids, and while he isn't affectionate, it's clear that he tries to be there for them.
Young Sheldon needs to setup George’s downfall immediately. Based on the established The Big Bang Theory timeline, Sheldon caught his dad cheating when he was 13. George then died the next year. In Young Sheldon season 6, Sheldon and Missy are expected to turn 13, which means that unless the network slows down the passage of time, George's Young Sheldon cheating scandal needs to happen this year.
While infidelity and death seem a bit too dark for a comedy series, the fact that Young Sheldon has transitioned to be more of a family show should help in the approach to this rather mature plot line. Young Sheldon season 5 already successfully tackled teenage pregnancy and depression with Georgie and Paige, respectively, proving that it can take on sensitive narratives and balance them with the lighter side of the series. If anything, these moments are what could ultimately set Young Sheldon apart from The Big Bang Theory and perhaps even make it better than its parent show.