The 13 Saddest Episodes Of Young Sheldon
"Young Sheldon" chronicles the childhood of theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper, famously played by Jim Parsons in "The Big Bang Theory" and portrayed here by Iain Armitage. The focus of this spin-off prequel series is on comedy first and foremost, but "Young Sheldon" doesn't use a laugh track like its predecessor, and it's not hard to see why. While the show is packed with side-splitting moments — like Sheldon showing up to his Baptism in full scuba gear — it's also known for leaning into darker and more emotional storylines at times.
In many ways, "Young Sheldon" is more of a dramedy than a traditional sitcom. The show deals with heavier topics such as grief and mental health issues, making audiences both laugh and cry at times. The creators dealt viewers a number of gut punches over the course of the show's run ("Young Sheldon" came to an emotional end after seven seasons in 2024), with the death of Sheldon's father George Cooper (Lance Barber) just one example. Grab some tissues, because we're taking a look back at the saddest episodes of the show.
A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries (Season 2, Episode 5)
Sheldon's twin sister Missy (Raegan Revord) is one of the funniest characters in "Young Sheldon," but she is also the most overlooked, often relegated to the sidelines and only called upon to make a sassy comment here and there. Nothing proves this point more than the way she articulates her perception of the Cooper family dynamic in Season 2, Episode 5. Sheldon and Missy participate in a twin study, and the insight we get into Missy's feelings is pretty sad.
The study reveals that Missy has high emotional intelligence, much higher than her twin brother's. This comes to light when Missy's interviewer notes that she is very perceptive and often picks up on what other people don't see. In response, Missy says: "I think when you're on your own a lot, you get good at seeing that kind of stuff. My dad does football with my older brother, so they're like a team, and my mom and Meemaw spend all their time fussing over Sheldon, so they're like a team, too." The interviewer responds: "So no one's on your team?" and Missy says, "Nope. It's just me."
Bearing witness to this, parents George and Mary (Zoe Perry) vow to do better. They let Missy pick the restaurant for dinner that evening in an effort to make it up to her, but Missy is often left on the periphery, and her acceptance of the situation is particularly upsetting.
Contracts, Rules and a Little Bit of Pig Brains (Season 3, Episode 13)
Connie Tucker (played by Annie Potts in "Young Sheldon") is the definition of a strong, independent woman. She faces everything life throws at her head-on, but Season 3, Episode 13 showcases a softer side of the character and reminds us that she can be vulnerable, too. Connie (aka Meemaw) takes center stage here as she deals with complex feelings of grief and love after loss.
Connie has two major relationships during "Young Sheldon." The first is a short-lived encounter with Sheldon's professor, Dr. John Sturgis (Wallace Shawn), and the second is a much more serious romance with sporting goods store owner Dale Ballard (Craig T. Nelson). However, Connie previously had a long marriage to Mary's father Charlie Tucker (aka Pop-Pop), who died in 1985.
When Connie's relationship with Dale becomes more serious, she finds herself dealing with her unresolved grief over Charlie's passing. The episode gets pretty emotional as Connie visits Charlie's grave to tell him how much she misses him and how hard her life has been without him. We get a glimpse into Connie's psyche in this episode, which is definitely one of the saddest for Meemaw fans.
Teen Angst and a Smart-Boy Walk of Shame (Season 6, Episode 15)
"Teen Angst and a Smart-Boy Walk of Shame" is all the proof you need that nothing really ever changes for Missy, who is still dealing with the same feelings of loneliness within her family in this Season 6 episode. Her emotions come to a head shortly after Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) welcome their baby daughter CeeCee into the world. Not only do her parents both forget to pick her up from school, but nobody informs her that Mandy has gone into labor, so her whole family is congregated at the hospital without her.
This episode makes it explicitly clear how alone Missy is feeling. She was previously told by her neighbor and classmate Billy Sparks (Wyatt McClure) that her dad has been having an affair with his mum Brenda (Melissa Peterman). Missy believes this to be true, and it makes her distrustful of him. Subsequent events push Missy even further away from her parents. It all leads to Missy feeling the need to strike out on her own and get away from Medford, so she steals her dad's truck and does just that. The episode ends this way, leaving viewers to really stew over poor Missy's situation.
A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast (Season 2, Episode 22)
Season 2, Episode 22 is a sad episode on many levels and for multiple characters. Sheldon experiences his first real rejection, and it's hard to watch him learn the lesson that not everyone he meets in life is kind or will share his interests. In an effort to bond with his peers, he invites all his classmates over for a science party where they would listen to the Nobel Prize ceremony on the radio. Unsurprisingly, none of them turn up, and he's left sitting in his garage all alone. It's hard seeing Sheldon so upset, but another character is having an even rougher time in this episode.
The first real details of Dr. John Sturgis' mental health issues are revealed in "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast," with the upcoming Nobel Prize announcement bringing on what appears to be an episode of psychosis. This is one of the sitcom's grittier and more realistic storylines. It quickly becomes clear to viewers that Sturgis is struggling, and it makes for a very sad episode. Sadly, things go from bad to worse for him: The following season, he breaks up with Connie in an attempt to shield her from his struggles and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary (Season 2, Episode 17)
"Young Sheldon" is just as much about the lives of the titular character's family as it is about him. In Season 2, Episode 17, fans get a very Mary-centric story, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows. This is an emotional roller-coaster of an episode that's ultimately very sad. Mary and George are shocked to discover that they are expecting a fourth child, however, just as soon as the couple settles into the idea of welcoming another kid into the world, they are hit with a tragic shock: Mary has a miscarriage.
"Young Sheldon" deserves to be praised for the way it sensitively handles this storyline, but it's still difficult to watch. The mood is lightened slightly before the episode concludes: Since Sheldon doesn't know the whole story, when Mary starts crying at the dinner table, he believes that his born-again Christian mom is shedding tears of joy because he's decided not to convert to Judaism. It's a funny but bittersweet moment at the end of a memorable episode.
White Trash, Holy Rollers and Punching People (Season 5, Episode 21)
As fans of "The Big Bang Theory" know, Sheldon's mom is an extremely conservative and religious woman. However, Mary didn't actually have a religious upbringing. She only started to develop her relationship with God when she was pregnant with Sheldon and Missy. It's clear how important this part of her life is to her, and Mary even gets a job at her church, becoming an integral part of it. This is why it comes as such a major blow when Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby) asks Mary to take an indefinite leave of absence from the church in Season 5, Episode 21.
He indirectly cites Mary's son Georgie's relationship with Mandy and the fact that they're expecting a baby out of wedlock as the reason. It seems that this is such a scandal for their Texas community in the early 1990s that Pastor Jeff doesn't want to have the church associated with the Coopers. Mary takes this rejection to heart and it changes her relationship with God — she feels lost without her usual purpose, and it's sad to see. George is enraged on her behalf, but his sympathy doesn't help and Mary doesn't return to the church until Season 7.
A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth (Season 5, Episode 17)
Mckenna Grace's Paige Swanson is one of Sheldon's first real friends. When she is introduced in Season 2, Episode 2, it's very clear she is also a child prodigy with an intellect and thirst for knowledge that rivals even Sheldon's. Paige and Sheldon go through the same stages of life at the same time, but when it comes to college, their experiences differ majorly, as we see in "A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth." It's clear that Paige has been left devastated by her parents' divorce. She feels completely alone in Austin, left only with a handler for company since she's underage and attending college in another city.
When Paige visits Sheldon at East Texas Tech, she is shocked to see that he is treated like an equal by his peers and has even made friends. It's pretty hard to stomach the harsh reality of Paige's situation as she drops out of college and hides out in Sheldon's dorm room. Missy advises Sheldon to get some adult help for Paige, though he's promised her that he wouldn't. Sheldon's sister ends up telling their mother herself out of concern, but when they return to the dorm, Paige has bolted, leaving only a note. It's a sad chapter in what is arguably the show's most tragic character arc.
A Frat Party, A Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters (Season 6, Episode 13)
Mckenna Grace's appearances in "Young Sheldon" were pretty infrequent, though she always made an impression. One of her most memorable appearances is in Season 6, Episode 13. Paige's return here left "Young Sheldon" fans feeling uneasy. It was the first time viewers had seen her since she dropped out of college, and it's clear that things went from bad to worse for her. The young teen's academic goals have fallen by the wayside and she has instead turned her attention to drinking and partying.
In "A Frat Party, A Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters," Paige attends a frat party with Missy at East Texas Tech, where they're confronted by Sheldon. Although he's shocked by Paige's behavior, his emotions quickly turn to concern, and we feel the same as viewers. Seeing this bright young girl making all the wrong decisions is tough, though Paige is supposed to show us what Sheldon could have become under different circumstances. "There was a parallel," executive producer Steve Holland told TVLine. "She was a bit of a mirror image of Sheldon."
Many fans have questioned why Paige didn't return to "Young Sheldon" in Season 7. In fact, there were some wild fan theories about Paige flying about, though Steve Holland has debunked them. According to the producer, the creators simply felt as though the character had served her purpose. "For us, it was just an interesting way to explore another kid who had a similar thing to Sheldon and the different roads that they could take," he said.
Poker, Faith, and Eggs (Season 1, Episode 3)
Fans of "The Big Bang Theory" already knew about the fate of Sheldon's father when "Young Sheldon" began, but that didn't make George Cooper's death any easier to take. His inevitable passing came at the end of Season 7, though viewers got an unexpected prelude to it in Season 1, Episode 3, in which George has his first heart attack. He's rushed to hospital with chest pains and the doctors manage to save his life, but it's a terrifying time for the Coopers.
Many viewers will no doubt relate to anguish one feels when a family member is going through a serious medical emergency, and all the actors bring their A-games here, helping to create an emotional episode. While "Poker, Faith, and Eggs" has a happy ending, it foreshadows what's coming for George just three episodes into the spin-off series. Viewers were able to use the timeline established in "The Big Bang Theory" to work out that Sheldon was 14 years old when his father died, so the dread grew the older Sheldon got.
A Tornado, a 10-Hour Flight and a Darn Fine Ring (Season 6, Episode 22)
Because George Cooper didn't pass away until Season 7, viewers got to witness plenty of tender moments between him and his only daughter, Missy. Their father-daughter dates at Red Lobster are a heartwarming tradition. What's great about their relationship is that George doesn't shy away from having the hard conversations with Missy when it's necessary, and it's definitely necessary in Season 6, Episode 22.
Emotions are already running high in this episode when George and Missy have a heart-to-heart in his truck. The father and daughter are driving home from the airport after saying goodbye to Sheldon and Mary, who are heading off to Germany for the summer. They talk about how the rebellious behavior Missy has been exhibiting in recent weeks (such as stealing her dad's truck and running away) is unacceptable and George tells her something has to change. Missy, in turn, apologizes and vows to do better.
It seems like everything has been sorted out, but then, out of nowhere, we learn that there's a tornado coming and Medford is in its path, putting everything else into perspective for the Cooper clan. Luckily, George and Missy turn out to be fine. It's actually Connie who takes the brunt of the natural disaster, with the tornado claiming her house in a sad turn of events.
Memoir (Season 7, Episode 14)
The ending of "The Big Bang Theory" is definitely a tear-jerker, but the two-part finale of "Young Sheldon" arguably tops it. Season 7's fourteenth episode, which is titled "Memoir," is the very last installment of the show and it sees the Coopers try to move on with their lives in the wake of George's death and funeral, a seemingly impossible feat. Even Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik's on-screen reunion as Sheldon and Amy isn't enough to fully tear viewers away from the sadness of this episode, in which viewers are left to soak in the tragic events of the one that came before it.
Mary's insistence that Sheldon and Missy get baptized brings some comic relief, which is something the showrunners were keen to do as they closed out the show. "I think it was Chuck [Lorre, executive producer] who said, 'This is mostly a positive, uplifting show. Let's not leave the audience deep in their grief,'" Steve Holland told Variety. However, this goodbye definitely hit hard. For anyone who has been a fan of the franchise since the beginning, "Memoir" marks the end of an era, as Sheldon's journey — at least for now — is complete. You're not alone if you shed a tear when Sheldon proclaimed, "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be" when he reached his new home in California.
Funeral (Season 7, Episode 13)
It's up for debate, but many viewers would class Season 7's "Funeral" as the saddest ever episode of "Young Sheldon." In it, the Coopers come together to memorialize George, with each scene bringing a new wave of grief. Even Lance Barber, who cameoed in his own funeral scene (that's really his head that Mary leans in to kiss), said that he got very emotional filming this episode. "I was an absolute mess as soon as it started," he admitted to TV Insider. "And they were over me, so they couldn't see me in the casket for that shot for their coverage. I didn't do any of my funny little bits because it certainly hit me emotionally."
George's funeral includes eulogies by George, Mary, and Connie. Sheldon also delivers one in his imagination, and his non-speech brings the entire sitcom franchise full circle. It also solves a huge Sheldon plot hole: He paints a rather unflattering image of his father in "The Big Bang Theory," but in the finale of "Young Sheldon," it's essentially confirmed that it just took him a very long time to process it. The adult Sheldon acknowledges that his previous depictions of his father were unjust, saying, "I loved my father. I will miss him forever."
A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture (Season 7, Episode 12)
"Young Sheldon" dedicates a lot of Season 7 to tying up the show's loose ends. The biggest one, of course, is George Cooper's death. There's a sense of foreboding in Episode 12 that leads viewers to suspect the tragedy is about to occur — and, sadly, that instinct is spot on. Before anything happens to George, this episode drives home the importance of family thanks to Mary's obsession with the Coopers taking a family portrait in a field of bluebonnet flowers. This is a tradition in Texas, and the show works it into this sad episode expertly.
Mary stresses how important it is that George gets home from work at four on the dot so they won't be late for the picture, but he's nowhere to be seen come four o'clock. Moments later, there's a knock on the door, and, as viewers, we pretty much know what's coming — the tragic moment "Young Sheldon" fans always feared. George's friends and colleagues, Principal Petersen (Rex Linn) and Coach Wilkins (Doc Farrow), arrive to share the news of George's death. Mary looks as though her heart is being ripped from her chest as they speak, and her pain is palpable.