Young Sheldon Series Finale Draws Highest Viewership In Years

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On Thursday, May 16, Young Sheldon ended after seven seasons. Like its parent show The Big Bang Theory, the prequel series saw a noticeable uptick in viewers for its two-episode series finale.

According to live + same-day Nielsen data (via Deadline), the two-episode series finale of Young Sheldon was watched by 8.95 million viewers, making it the top broadcast of the night and the most-watched episode of the prequel series since April 2020, when the Season 3 finale received 10.15 million same-day viewers. Young Sheldon’s seventh and final season averaged 7 million viewers per episode, meaning that a good chunk of the fandom returned to see how the series would end.

The first episode of the series finale, “Funeral,” picked up after the shocking ending of the previous episode, “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture,” which revealed that George Cooper had suffered a fatal heart attack at work. Most of the episode is devoted to George’s funeral, with members of the Cooper family delivering eulogies for the beloved p atriarch. The second episode, “Memoir,” revealed that the adult Sheldon Cooper’s narrations throughout the entire series were actually him writing his memoir, with the series ending with his younger self arriving at CalTech.

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Young Sheldon Fans Haven’t Seen the Last of the Coopers.

Although Young Sheldon has come to an end, The Big Bang Theory Universe isn’t going anywhere. CBS has ordered a new spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, to series, which will air this fall on Thursday nights. A sequel to Young Sheldon, the Georgie & Mandy spinoff will follow the titular newlyweds as they raise their infant daughter, CeeCee, in Texas while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting, and marriage.

Montana Jordan and Emily Osment will headline the series, reprising their respective roles from Young Sheldon as George “Georgie” Cooper Jr. and Mandy McAllister. Will Sasso and Rachel Bay Jones, who recurred during the final two seasons of Young Sheldon, will also return for the spinoff, reprising their roles as Mandy’s parents, Jim and Audrey McAllister.

Georgie & Mandy Spinoff Won’t Be Young Sheldon Season 8.

While Young Sheldon executive producer Steve Holland hasn’t ruled out possible cameos from Georgie’s family in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, he shared that fans shouldn’t expect too much crossover between the series. “It’s important for us that it create its own identity and it isn’t just Young Sheldon Season 8,” he explained, “but at the same time, these people are family, and they live in the same town, and it is always our hope that this is a world where they’re going to pop up, and that these stories will get to continue in some fashion.”

The first six seasons of Young Sheldon are streaming on Max.

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