Young Sheldon star Raegan Revord has teased that Mary will return to the church in season 6, meaning there are likely to be more dark storylines in store for the Coopers on The Big Bang Theory's more dramatic spinoff. One thing that sets Young Sheldon apart from earlier working-class family sitcoms is the show’s focus on the religion of its central family. According to Revord's latest first-look image of Young Sheldon season 6, the church will return as a setting for the show.
The Coopers live very different lives than most TV families when it comes to religious obligations. Due in part to its nostalgic setting in the 1980s, Young Sheldon depicts going to church as a big part of everyday life for the Coopers — much to the chagrin of the title character, a scientifically minded super genius. In particular, the Cooper family matriarch, Mary, is an avid churchgoer and an intensely devout Christian, something that underlies a lot of her major character decisions.
Mary’s tendency toward dogmatism has come back to bite her more than once in Young Sheldon’s five seasons, with her obsession with piety resulting in her being embarrassed and ashamed on various occasions when she has failed to live up to her ideals. Mary’s obstinacy influenced The Big Bang Theory’s story and can be seen there in Sheldon's stubborn insistence that he is right about everything, a trait he inherited from his mother. While Young Sheldon season 5 put Mary and her family through a lot of heartaches when they were shamed out of church due to Georgie’s indiscretions, Missy actor Raegan Revord teased on social media that the Coopers aren’t done with church just yet. However, while these first hints of the Young Sheldon season 6 storyline make it clear that the conflict is far from over, this could spell darker times ahead for the show’s entire central family.
Young Sheldon Season 6’s Church Tease Explained
Raegan Revord shared a photo from the interior of Young Sheldon's church set, confirming that the Cooper clan will return to the location despite their public shaming in season 5. Georgie’s sad Big Bang Theory arc was set up during that Young Sheldon season 5 plot, as Mary cared more about being shunned and losing her church secretary job due to local gossip than she did about her own son’s struggles with the responsibilities of impending fatherhood. This set in motion Georgie’s resentment of Sheldon's status as Mary’s comparative golden child, something that Young Sheldon season 6 will evidently be exploring further as Mary returns to the church rather than siding with her embattled older son.
Mary’s Church Obsession Hurts Her Relationship With Georgie
Georgie and Mandy becoming pregnant without being married on Young Sheldon was the reason that the Cooper family was forced to stop attending church after Mary was fired by Pastor Jeff. Now, it is clear that Mary will not side with her son and will instead attempt to get back in the good books of the institution, prompting further distance between them. Georgie’s Young Sheldon season 6 story is bound to be sad thanks to the character’s history on The Big Bang Theory; viewers of that sitcom know that Sheldon’s older brother ends up resenting Sheldon after their father’s death. Mary’s insistent desire to be seen as virtuous by the local townspeople clearly exacerbated this issue, as Georgie was not wrong to surmise that his mother’s reputation mattered more to her than his future.
Youth Pastor Rob Could Be Back In Young Sheldon Season 6
As Young Sheldon grows closer to reaching George Sr.’s death, the possibility of his pious wife cheating on him with Youth Pastor Rob seems increasingly plausible. After all, the supporting character was one of the only people to defend Mary when she was fired from the church, and viewers already know that George Sr. cheated on Mary, meaning that the development would not be without a precedent. However, whether or not Mary and Youth Pastor Rob actually consummate their mutual attraction, her return to the church will mean that she spends more time with the character, and this is likely to prompt conflict with George Sr. on top of her battles with Georgie.
Season 6’s Tease Proves Young Sheldon Will Split The Coopers
Between a potential reunion for Youth Pastor Rob and Mary sparking George Sr.’s jealousy and the rejection that Georgie will feel thanks to his mother valuing the church over him, it's clear that the Cooper clan will still be in constant conflict upon the arrival of Young Sheldon season 6. This could prove to be a problem for the series, as the sheer amount of dramatic conflict in Young Sheldon season 5 occasionally managed to overshadow the comedic content of the show despite its ostensible classification as a sitcom. While there is nothing wrong with Young Sheldon touching on real-life themes of social exclusion and religious dogmatism in small towns — these recurring themes have resulted in some moving moments over the years — the show can sometimes end up focusing on the tragic elements of the Cooper family’s lives to the detriment of the its character comedy.
Can Young Sheldon Season 6 Balance Its Comedy and Drama?
While it is a tough trick to pull off, there is no reason to think that Young Sheldon season 6 can’t manage to balance the show’s comedic elements and its more serious stories. The best episode of Young Sheldon season 5, for example, was a lighthearted adventure wherein Sheldon attended a comic book convention and Mary tried her hand at sales before deciding that the work didn’t align with her intense value system. This outing, among other lighter episodes, proved that Young Sheldon can tell the sort of lighthearted sitcom stories that its predecessor, The Big Bang Theory, was famous for prioritizing. There is also room for the series to tell sadder, more introspective stories, but Young Sheldon season 6 must ensure that these don’t come to dominate the show’s narrative. Young Sheldon season 6 can mix more serious themes, like Mary’s willingness to ignore her family in her search for acceptance from the church, but the sitcom must keep these stories funny as well making the plots dramatic and impactful, lest The Big Bang Theory spinoff forget its comedic roots.