Young Sheldon's Season 7 Finale Viewership Numbers Had A Huge Surprise

This article contains spoilers for the "Young Sheldon" two-episode series finale, "Funeral" and "Memoir"

After seven seasons on CBS, "Young Sheldon" is well and truly over. The two-part finale, "Funeral" and "Memoir," reached the airwaves on May 16, solving a major "Big Bang Theory" plot hole while sending the Iain Armitage-led series off on an emotional note. George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, with the Cooper family and their closest friends attending his funeral before subsequently mourning his passing in their own ways. "Memoir" even fast-forwards to a snippet of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons, whose return was majorly different from "The Big Bang Theory") and Amy Farrah Fowler's (Mayim Bialik) post-"Big Bang Theory" life.

As it turns out, audiences made sure to turn out for the end of "Young Sheldon." Per Deadline, the series finale marked a major spike in viewership compared to Season 7 numbers up to that point. The two-parter brought in approximately 8.95 million viewers, according to Nielsen viewership data, which blows the season's 7 million viewer average out of the water. This made "Young Sheldon" the top broadcast of the evening, and the finale became the most-watched episode of the sitcom since the Season 3 finale four years ago.

Though "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon" get a lot of flak online, many TV viewers still love Chuck Lorre's creations. Thus, one has to wonder if audiences will continue to show up for the next title in the franchise.

With "Young Sheldon" over and the end of "The Big Bang Theory" now far in the rearview mirror, one has to imagine that the franchise has run out of steam. Yes, viewers came out in droves to watch the "Young Sheldon" finale, but where else can this small-screen saga go? Well, creators Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Steve Holland have one idea in mind that they're putting into action. Titled "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," this "Young Sheldon" spin-off will shift the franchise spotlight from Sheldon Cooper to his brother, George "Georgie" Cooper Jr. (Montana Jordan), and his wife, Amanda "Mandy" McAllister (Emily Osment).

Georgie and Mandy's relationship becomes a focal point of "Young Sheldon" throughout the show's latter half, with Season 7 specifically setting the stage for their spin-off. They have a daughter, Constance Cooper, and later get married — the first of multiple marriages, hence the title of their show — with Mandy's extended family also factoring into their story. Seeing as the series isn't centered specifically on a main "Big Bang Theory" character, it'll be interesting to see if it can keep the "Young Sheldon" momentum going in terms of viewership numbers and eventually, its longevity.

The debut season of "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" aims to premiere in the fall of 2024, so we don't have long to wait to see if it can become a worthy successor to "Young Sheldon" and its sitcom titan of a predecessor, "The Big Bang Theory."