Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Young Sheldon season 6.
While The Big Bang Theory already told viewers when George Sr. will die, Young Sheldon season 6 may have made matters worse by setting him up to get fired... again. George Sr. has had a pretty hard time of it in Young Sheldon. Not only did he narrowly avoid an affair with his neighbor Brenda, but he lost his job as a high school football coach shortly before his wife Mary also lost her role in the local church, which also coincided with the announcement that their son Georgie was having a child with his ex-girlfriend.
To make matters worse, George Sr.’s tragic death is set in stone by the canon of The Big Bang Theory, meaning he is guaranteed to die sometime in the coming seasons. As if this weren’t enough, Young Sheldon season 6, episode 9, “College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle” seemed to set up a situation that would result in George Sr. losing his job all over again thanks to his rivalry with Pastor Rob. While it is not yet clear whether George Sr. will get fired again (and this would be a brutally cruel fate for the character), the episode certainly sets up a likely avenue to this event.
George Sr.’s Rivalry With Pastor Rob Threatens His Job
In “College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle,” Young Sheldon made George and Mary’s story worse than ever before as George Sr. was forced to politely put up with Pastor Rob’s presence in his dressing room. Not only did Pastor Rob steal the coach’s thunder before a big game, but his intervention was also credited with the team’s success much to George Sr.’s chagrin. Although Pastor Rob extended an olive branch to the angry George Sr., Sheldon’s father was still willing to undertake a risky play, and hence potentially lose a major game, solely to get the annoying pastor off his back.
The fact that George would have been willing to lose a game just so that he could blame the losing play on Pastor Rob proves that he is letting his anger at the pastor get the better of him. It is easy to see why this is the case, as the church is the villain of Young Sheldon's season 6 and George Sr. has good reason to be annoyed at local townspeople crediting Rob with his success despite the church effectively excommunicating Mary earlier in the season. However, if George Sr. allowed his frustration to cause the team to lose a game, the odds are good that his employer wouldn’t blame Pastor Rob, but George Sr. himself.
Young Sheldon Took George Sr.’s Job Already
Although George Sr. got his job back in style, he did get fired in the first place. As such, there is no reason to think that the school wouldn’t drop him again, especially now that Coach Wilkins is back to normal after his messy marriage breakup and subsequent breakdown. One of the most tragic things about Young Sheldon’s George Sr. is his surprising willingness to stick his neck out for those he cares about, but Coach Wilkins has not given viewers a reason to think that he would return this favor in George’s hour of need. George Sr. only accepted his job back if his employer gave Wilkins another chance.
However, when Wilkins ignored George Sr.’s discomfort with Pastor Rob’s presence in the dressing room in "College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle,” he proved that he would be unlikely to return this favor to his colleague. This could prove a problem if George Sr.’s dislike of Pastor Rob did lead him to consider throwing another game, as a loss would almost certainly result in Coach Wilkins getting George Sr.’s job again, and Wilkins seems unlikely to stand up for his friend if this happens. As such, even before George Sr.’s canon Big Bang Theory death, the character's future looks bleak.
Why Pastor Rob Shouldn’t Get George Fired
Pastor Rob should not get George Sr. fired since the character is already guaranteed to die in the next season or two of Young Sheldon and the last thing his story needs is another tragic element. Not only that, but the fact that Pastor Rob is the character who Mary considered cheating on George Sr. with would make this story even sadder, particularly when Pastor Rob himself has tried to ingratiate himself with George Sr. While the pair’s rivalry has been funny (and seeing George Sr.’s plans backfire with a big win was a stellar Young Sheldon gag), The Big Bang Theory spinoff should not turn this storyline into something sadder in future outings.
Young Sheldon season 6 airs Thursdays on CBS.