With successful spin-offs already having created their own TV legacies and more on the way, this gives you some indication of just how big a deal The Big Bang Theory still is. It still has many fans and continues to add more through streaming services. However, while there were plenty of great characters, Sheldon Cooper always got the most attention from fans.
As the seasons went on, fans also began to finally start understanding him as more details from his childhood in Texas came to light. However, this was also how fans learned a little about a character we would get to know a lot better once Young Sheldon began its reign. That character was Sheldon’s father, George Cooper Sr. Fans came to cherish him because he wound up being a vastly different person than the one who Sheldon occasionally spoke of in the original show.
George Sr. Was a Very Different Man in ‘Young Sheldon’

The Big Bang Theory

Release Date

2007 – 2019-00-00

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Mark Cendrowski

Directors

Mark Cendrowski

Once you get to know George Sr. (Lance Barber) in Young Sheldon, some things will become apparent. At first, it’s easy to think that he’s nothing more than just an overweight, beer-guzzling husband and father who tends to be mostly uninterested in his kids’ lives and is often lazy. However, this is far from the truth.

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If you keep watching, it becomes clear that George Sr. is quite a layered character. For starters, there’s the fact that he wasn’t always the lazy old man he appears to be. In the pilot episode, Mary Cooper acknowledges that, while a little slow, he was far from physically unappealing.

Your dad was a handsome football player. He was big and dumb, but I loved him.

His Responsible Side Was Always Evident in ‘Young Sheldon’

When Mary became pregnant, it was implied that she was only around 20. George Sr. had been planning to attend college on a full ride because of his athletic prowess on the football field, and he once had a bright future ahead. Instead, he gave up on his dreams and chose to be responsible and raise his child with Mary. The pair, of course, would go on to have the twins later, and as they settled into their family life, George Sr. became a man who gave up on his original plans.
Over time, that meant he leaned into his responsibilities, and his hopes of becoming a professional athlete took a back seat. He would later become out of shape, and by the time we meet him on the show, he’s simply not the same man he used to be and is a working-class father who does the best he can for his family with the hand he’s been dealt. That means he’s always tired and often not in the mood for much other than relaxing in front of the TV with a beer until he usually falls asleep in the same spot.
George Sr. Was Not a Liquor-Guzzling, Gun-Toting Man

He is not the most exciting father in the world, for sure, but a far cry from the one he was described as by Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory years before Young Sheldon was ever released. Those descriptions of George Sr. were clearly made before the actual character from Young Sheldon was created. Adult Sheldon often mentions things about his father in The Big Bang Theory that are never seen in the spin-off show. For instance, Sheldon once laments to Bernadette’s father how his father used to force him to watch football before he was allowed to do his homework.
On another occasion, Sheldon speaks of the dysfunction between his parents later on and how his father sat on the roof of their house guzzling liquor and firing his gun. He even once mentions walking in on his father with another woman. Descriptions like these used to make George Sr. appear to be a rough, dishonest, and unstable man, perhaps even a dangerous and abusive one. However, the George Sr. we eventually see in Young Sheldon is anything but.

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In fact, not only is he a great dad and a good husband (save for the later rifts he and Mary experience), he’s often seen to be loving, kind, gentle, and far sweeter and caring than he appears to be. Sure, he can get agitated at his kids, he probably has too many beers occasionally, and he can be a little lazy at times. However, anyone who’s ever grown up with a working-class father will know that’s just par for the course when they spend their life waking up early and working hard to ensure everyone in the family has what they need.
George Sr. Was Always There When You Needed Him

Young Sheldon

Release Date

2017 – 2024-00-00

Network

CBS

Iain Armitage

Sheldon Cooper

In the ways that matter most, George Sr. always showed up. He took an interest in Sheldon when he needed it the most. It drove him crazy with grief and worry when Missy ran away from home. He taught George Jr. harsh lessons that shaped him into a successful young man and responsible father. In the end, George Sr. was far from perfect. However, he epitomized everything that made working-class dads who do their best for their families against difficult odds so great, and why they also deserve so much more love and appreciation than they usually get in return.

Thankfully, despite the heart-wrenching season finale where Sheldon has to say goodbye to George Sr., his adult self finally acknowledges the truth about his dad:

“For a long time, I focused on my father’s shortcomings. Now that I’m his age and have kids of my own, I realize he was just a person doing the best he could, and he did a lot. I didn’t say it at his funeral, but I can say it now: I loved my father. I will miss him forever.”

Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory are currently streaming on Max.