Family patriarch George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) was doomed to die from the inception of the series “Young Sheldon,” something that “The Big Bang Theory” creator Chuck Lorre eventually came to regret. On “The Big Bang Theory,” adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) frequently disparages his dead dad, talking about him as a womanizer who was borderline abusive, though by the time the prequel series “Young Sheldon” came around, George’s personality was largely retconned and he became much more lovable. In fact, he probably never cheated on his wife Mary (Zoe Perry) at all, and though the younger Sheldon (Iain Armitage) and his father were frequently at odds, George Sr. was a pretty good guy. 

George’s death loomed over “Young Sheldon” a bit as the show began to draw to a close, with fans wondering how it would be handled. After all, George dying will have a profound impact on not just Sheldon but the whole family, including his older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan), who stars at the center of the “Young Sheldon” sequel series, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.” Filming the death reveal must have been a huge moment for the cast, and according to an interview with TV Line, Barber decided to not be on set at all during that pivotal scene. 

In the season 7 episode “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture,” the Cooper family is dressed and waiting for George Sr. to get home so they can all go take a family photo. Unfortunately, they are instead told that George has died from a heart attack, which sends his daughter Missy (Raegan Revord), wife Mary (Zoe Perry), and mother-in-law MeeMaw (Annie Potts) into gasps and tears. Sheldon reacts a little differently, shutting down in a way that totally fits his neurodivergent characterization, but it’s clear that the family has been changed forever. 

Barber explained to TV Line that he thought it was better to not be there during filming to help his fellow actors really feel the loss:

“I had been around quite a bit that same day and I had finished before they were shooting. I deliberately was not there [for the scene]. I thought my absence would be helpful for the actors and appropriate for that moment. I wanted to wait and see it with everyone else.”

It makes sense that he wouldn’t be there since George’s death happens entirely offscreen, and it probably helped the actors lean into their own grief about the show ending just two episodes later. George’s death hits hard because he became so lovable throughout seven seasons and really changed from how Sheldon described him on “The Big Bang Theory,” and it’s hard not to be devastated right along with the Cooper family. 

Thankfully, the “Young Sheldon” folks didn’t have to say goodbye to Barber entirely, as he also filmed some daydream sequences in the show’s best and saddest episode, the penultimate “Funeral,” showing up in Sheldon’s attempts to process the loss of his father. The daydreams are devastating and one even references the heartbreaking Spock death scene from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” so there were still other chances for the cast to say goodbye and shed a few tears together. 

Not only that, but Barber also had a secret cameo during George’s funeral, dressed in drag, and he’s set to appear in Georgie’s dreams on “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” so it seems like despite Barber stepping away for the filming of his character’s death reveal, he’s not done playing the Cooper family father figure anytime soon.