The Heartwarming Young Sheldon Moment Lance Barber Picks As His Favorite

Before Lance Barber took on the role of George Cooper Sr., on "Young Sheldon," he entered the Sheldonverse on "The Big Bang Theory," as Leonard's former bully Jimmy Speckerman. "That was just an audition," Barber explained in a 2021 interview with Harper Creek High School. "It was an audition for Chuck Lorre ... And bless him, he uses people that he likes." Chuck Lorre, co-creator of "The Big Bang Theory," went on to co-create "Young Sheldon" and decided to ignore the fact that Barber had played another role in the same franchise.

According to Barber in an interview with Australia's Channel 9, having "Young Sheldon" connected to "The Big Bang Theory" was both a blessing and a curse in the early days. "We felt the weight on our shoulders of living up to the legacy that was built already by such a fantastically successful show," Barber explained. "So I found that challenging initially, but also at the same time felt the privilege of being attached to a show like 'The Big Bang [Theory]' and all of the advantages you get that most first-season shows don't get."

"My favorite scenes in 'Young Sheldon' are the tender moments like on the airplane with Sheldon," Lance Barber explained in a 2021 interview with TBS. "I think those are some of my favorite things to play and watch on the show."

The scene he's referring to is in the Season 3 episode "Pasadena," in which Sheldon (Iain Armitage) wants to fly to California to see Stephen Hawking give a speech at Caltech. After the flight attendant gives the safety demonstration, however, Sheldon panics and hides in the airplane bathroom, at which point George Sr. has to calm him down. It's a heartfelt moment, with George Sr. using Sheldon's love of "Star Trek" to give him the courage he needs to return to his seat.

Fans seem to agree with Barber since a thread in the subreddit r/YoungSheldon about this episode had a lot of users getting very emotional. "Well that scene with George and Sheldon in the bathroom was really heartwarming," wrote u/Naebany. Others praised George's use of Sheldon's interests to calm him down. "George is such a great father!! It astonishes me every time. That Spock/Kirk game was A+," wrote u/monsieurjules.