CBS could be repeating The Big Bang Theory final season's big mistake in Young Sheldon season 7. TV's number one comedy right now is born from one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Young Sheldon serves as the origins story of Jim Parsons' Sheldon Cooper while living in Texas with his family. As part of CBS' plan to take advantage of The Big Bang Theory's popularity, Young Sheldon has featured many narrative references to the nerd-centric sitcom. That being said, years after its parent series wrapped up, it's clear that the prequel spin-off has finally been able to establish its own identity, separate from the main series.

In its first two seasons on the air, Young Sheldon aired back-to-back with The Big Bang Theory, making a formidable Thursday comedy block for CBS. In the four years since the original series wrapped up in 2019, however, its prequel has slowly endeared itself to a broader audience. Initially, Young Sheldon's appeal was mainly its ties to its parent show. Over time, however, it has been able to find its own identity. However, as successful as it currently is, the comedy may be nearing its end, and the way CBS is approaching it risks the show repeating The Big Bang Theory season 12's big mistake.

Why Young Sheldon Could End With Season 7

Despite having Sheldon as its titular character, Young Sheldon's best appeal is its familial aspects. Over the years, it has gradually diversified its storytelling to increase the focus on the rest of the Cooper clan. The result is a dynamic Young Sheldon season 6 that tackles multiple plot lines. The list includes Georgie and Mandy's complicated but intriguing romance, Missy's rebellious phase, and Mary and George's crumbling marriage.

As for Sheldon, much of his personal storylines take place in East Texas Tech, like his grant database and Germany plots, which means that he has been mostly isolated from the things happening at home.

Sadly, despite some of these arcs having the potential to go on for a while, Young Sheldon may be looking to end with season 7. While it has created multiple plot inconsistencies, the show is still beholden to The Big Bang Theory canon. According to it, Sheldon moves out of Texas to Pasadena, California to start his postgraduate studies at Caltech. Currently, the boy genius only has a year left in college, which means that Young Sheldon season 7 serves as the organic end of the prequel.

It's also worth noting that the upcoming year will be the final one from CBS' three-year renewal.

Young Sheldon Season 7 May Copy TBBT's Rushed Ending Problem

Amid a couple of factors suggesting that Young Sheldon season 7 will be the last, there's still no final verdict on the show's future. According to producer Steve Holland (via TV Line), the first half of season 7 will pan out pretty much the same regardless if the show is to end next year. Instead, the storylines that will just be affected are the ones towards the end, considering that they may be setting up the family comedy's ultimate send-off.

This approach may sound unproblematic, but given what happened to The Big Bang Theory season 12, this should be a cause for concern.

CBS' waiting to set up Young Sheldon's end until the latter half of season 7 risks it having a problematic finale. The result could be similar to The Big Bang Theory's rushed storytelling in its final year. The decision to end the nerd-centric sitcom came just before filming started. Parsons sat down with his cast mates and informed them of his decision to leave. Instead of continuing without him, everyone agreed it would be best if they wrapped things up with a complete cast.

By then, however, storylines for the first half of The Big Bang Theory were already written. This resulted in some unearned moments and loose plot lines.

What Still Needs To Happen Before Young Sheldon Ends

There are several plot lines that still need to happen before the series ends. Since Sheldon's George's cheating storyline did not pan out in Young Sheldon season 6, this traumatic incident followed by the Cooper patriarch's death will both have to go down in what could be the prequel's final run.

While there's enough time to do this, going down this route could set up the show for an unsatisfying send-off. Tackling George's affair and demise in a span of a few months will be far too dark for a comedy series.

On a happier note, it would be a big miss if Young Sheldon doesn't offer a great payoff to Mandy and Georgie's romance. Granted that the establishes The BIg Bang Theory canon reveals that they would eventually split up in the future, for the spin-off, it's very important to leave them on a happy note. As for Sheldon, setting up his eventual life in Pasadena after graduating from college at East Texas Tech will be intrinsic in solidifying the narrative ties between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory.

This could be the show's finale, and season 7 offers enough time for it to be its senf-off.

How Young Sheldon Can Continue Beyond Season 7

Considering Young Sheldon's popularity, the network will undoubtedly be open to almost everything just to keep it on the air. That being said, the show's creatives such as Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Jim Parsons, among others, will have to decide its future in relation to The Big Bang Theory's legacy. Luckily, there's an easy fix to continue Young Sheldon without further tarnishing its parent series' continuity.

Diversifying its storytelling means that the rest of the Cooper family members have already endeared themselves to the viewers, including Georgie and Missy. After Sheldon moves to California, Young Sheldon can continue with them at the forefront of its storytelling.

For what it's worth, there are several interesting personal story arcs for Sheldon's siblings that Young Sheldon cannot tackle, considering everything else that's happening in the show. By transitioning into a full ensemble comedy called The Coopers, CBS can further address these storylines. For example. Missy's rebellious plot could be fleshed out better without having to tie it to whatever is happening to Sheldon. Seeing her in school with her peers is something that's barely done in Young Sheldon, which could be the focus of the new show. Meanwhile, The Coopers could finally start laying the groundwork for Georgie's future as a successful businessman while he navigates fatherhood.