Young Sheldon's family has been through a lot, from marital strife to several horrific tornadoes. I've never seen any of these things on TV, but in the course of countless hours spent scrolling through TikTok (my screen time numbers aren't great), I've consumed enough viral clips of Young Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory spinoff pieced together what we know about the Cooper family. Major spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon .
So on May 9, when I stumbled upon a newly uploaded video, the family of patriarch George Cooper learned that he had died of a heart attack a week before Young Sheldon's death. Series finale, I cried.
Then there are videos compiled with the saddest lyrics from Taylor Swift's "The 1" or Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness," analyzing how George's death fits A classic from The Big Bang Theory , and the regret each family member feels over the sudden loss.
I'm mourning a character and show that I didn't really follow. But soon, I discovered that I was not alone.
Rest in peace, George Cooper
Many casual fans of the show on TikTok were also shocked by the plot twist. As one user said, "I'm so saddened by George's passing, and even though I've never seen an episode of Young Sheldon, I do know the entire plot of the series from TikTok."
On another video, one user commented: "I only watch Young Sheldon videos on TikTok but this is so hurtful?"
Over on ". In fact, pirated TV episodes on the app are often uploaded in split-screen format with slimes, soap operas or mobile app games to keep the eyes glued to the screen.
What’s behind the popularity of “Young Sheldon” ?
On TikTok, it’s easy to fall in love with a two-minute show. But Young Sheldon's dominance of the platform's For You page (or FYP) feels particularly powerful, as evidenced by the reaction from non-traditional audiences to George's death.
So, how did "Young Sheldon" win so many smartphone fans? First, The Big Bang Theory is one of the most-watched shows of 2023, even though it ended four years early. Many people know Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) and enjoyed watching his precocious prequel version (played by Ian Armitage).
But even without the familiar, long-running storyline, Young Sheldon is still a good show. Its charm is easily conveyed in a short form. While you'll obviously get more out of it by watching the full episode (as millions of people do), even the brief clips provide a picture of a fully realized family - and that's a credit to the performers and the team behind the scenes proof.
This also shows that "Young Sheldon" is tailor-made for memedom. "Not taking it seriously when rolling.
