Is George’s death connected to Sheldon’s start at Caltech?

This week marks the start of George’s death in Young Sheldon Season 7, but is it connected to Sheldon starting at Caltech?

It’s a plot that many hoped would be avoided in the prequel, but Young Sheldon Season 7 is set to tackle George’s death head-on.

Teased by Sheldon in both The Big Bang Theory and through voiceovers in the prequel, there’s been a natural build towards George’s death throughout Season 7, though details surrounding how it will happen — despite being confirmed — have yet to be revealed.

With just four episodes left until the final goodbye, new Young Sheldon clues are starting to crawl in. But is George’s death connected to Sheldon’s start at Caltech?

Is George’s death connected to Sheldon’s start at Caltech?

Nothing has officially been confirmed by creators, but there is a plausible theory that could connect George’s death to Sheldon starting at Caltech.

Thanks to CBS’ release schedule, it’s now been revealed that Episode 13 — which will make up the first half of the hour-long Season 7 finale on May 16 — is titled ‘Funeral,’ suggesting that George’s funeral will be held then. This is also supported by photos of the cast on set all dressed in black.

The synopsis for Episode 12 reads: “George Sr. gets an exciting job offer; Sheldon prepares for his move to California.” In the upcoming teaser for Episodes 11 and 12, it’s hinted that college football will be involved in the near future. With Sheldon about to start Caltech, the job offer that makes the most sense for George is moving up to college-level football.

As Young Sheldon has historically shown Sheldon being accompanied to a new educational setting by an adult — from Meemaw driving him to East Texas Tech to having Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Linkletter to fall back on — it’s highly plausible that George could be planning to move to California with Sheldon, as he is still only 14 years old.

Given the fact that the funeral will take place in Episode 13, George’s actual death is most likely to play out during Episode 12, meaning the storyline could be a huge part of why. Therefore, it makes sense that he dies during his new job transition — which also explains why Sheldon remembers the details of his father’s death so viscerally.

Executive producer Steve Holland has only revealed the basics surrounding George’s death, telling TV Line: “I don’t want to say what you will or won’t see, but things will get addressed. We are not beholden to every joke that was ever made on The Big Bang Theory, but we do feel beholden to the larger canon and the larger events that shape Sheldon’s life. We want to honor those.”

While you wait for the next episode, you can catch up with our other Sheldon content, like our Season 7 theories, filming locations, how to watch Season 7 outside the US, and how to watch Young Sheldon on streaming.

You can also check out all the best new TV shows coming out this month.