Young Sheldon Finally Brings George To Canon, But Slower Than Expected

Summary:

• Young Sheldon is a prequel to The Big Bang Theory, produced by CBS.
• The show has taken some liberties, sailing further away from the established canon about the Cooper family.
• However, George's struggle with addiction is not the point that was missed, fans believe. It just took longer to establish.

Although at first Young Sheldon's fanbase consisted mainly of The Big Bang Theory viewers who had been persuaded by the creators to watch the prequel, as the years went by more and more people joined in.

Today, there is a large section of the fandom that hasn't seen the original show at all, and another that thinks Young Sheldon is superior.

While the question of quality is largely subjective, fans of The Big Bang Theory would disagree.

No matter how funny or relatable Young Sheldon is, it doesn't tick one particular box: adherence to an established canon. Those who know the show line-by-line find it very hard to look away.

From George cheating on Mary, to Sheldon becoming an accidental witness, to George's general decency, most of the changes have been made to his character.

However, there is one thing that Young Sheldon has managed to portray in a very subtle and realistic way, rather than making it absurd.

Is George Cooper an Alcoholic In Young Sheldon?

Judging solely by Sheldon's own words in The Big Bang Theory, George Cooper wasn't half as good a father as the Young Sheldon team made him out to be.

Of course, to stay on the show for its entire run, the character has to be at least somewhat likable, so George Cooper could never have been irredeemable.

However, it was partly thanks to Lance Barber's charisma that he became as popular as he did. It was also thanks to his talent that the subtle arc of George's alcoholism was born.

Although by the end of season 6, George Cooper is nowhere near the raging alcoholic The Big Bang Theory fans thought he was based on Sheldon's description alone, he has definitely changed.

After many re-watches during the long hiatus caused by the WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes, fans began to notice the change as well.

George's alcoholism was referenced from the beginning of the show, but he was much more likable in season 1 than he has become over the years.

His warm and approachable personality faded as the years went by. His children grew older and more difficult to raise, his marriage faced a new wave of challenges and his work never really paid off.

Instead of starting at the bottom, George slowly sank from the reasonably good point of his life to being glued to the sofa with a bottle of beer in his hand.

If that's the image of him that Sheldon had in mind when he died, no one could blame him for the description he gave.

If you want to see how young Sheldon will resolve the tragic character arc of George Cooper, you can tune in to CBS on 15 February for the season 7 premiere episode.

Stay tuned for more news and behind-the-scenes updates!