actor, Lance Barber, reveals why he's thankful that CBS changed 's version of George for the prequel spin-off. The first and only offshoot,, premiered in 2017 and the series tackles Sheldon's infamous childhood in Texas. Aside from the socially-inept genius, also properly introduced his full family, including his father, George, who never physically appeared on the nerd-centric sitcom but was often discussed, giving viewers an idea of what the Cooper patriarch was like when he was still alive. The problem is, features a version of George that contradicts the one established on .
Instead of the lazy and drunk father that Sheldon and Mary described on , is actually a devoted family man. Granted, he has his shortcomings, but it's clear that his wife and kids are his priority. Despite being a source of plot inconsistencies between the shows, Barber tells Jessica Radloff in her book,,that he's actually glad CBS opted to change George on the prequel. Read his full quote below:
"That chokes me up hearing that. That’s incredible. I remember that scene where they say they miss him, which was kind of out of character for both of them given the history of the show prior because he was played as a cartoon-ish redneck slob who had outrageous behaviors. The shift they took with Young Sheldon in its tone grounded that and was a fun challenge… in a way that humanized him.”
Despite being an established character before debuting on the spin-off had to take some creative liberties when depicting the Cooper patriarch for its own storytelling. Had it followed , it would make the prequel rather dark. It would be difficult to continuously put a comedic spin on Sheldon and his family dealing with an absent and drunk father without invalidating the difficulties of living in a household with that kind of parent. Given this, CBS had to intentionally change's take on George to come up with fun and compelling narratives.
For what it's worth, showrunner Steve Molaro recently admitted to on the nerd-centric sitcom, particularly the character's cheating scandal. For context, Sheldon revealed that he caught his dad having sexual relations with another woman when he was 13-years-old, which resulted in his three-knock habit. has yet to tackle this narrative, although as it moves up 's timeline, it wouldn't have any choice but to eventually show it considering how big of an impact the incident had on Sheldon's personal story.
As , other members of the family are given their respective arcs, including George who has become a big part of its storytelling. It's still uncertain how prequel will handle its impending cheating scandal and subsequent death. But considering where the family comedy is now in the established timeline, these tragedies may happen in the next year or two.
