Young Sheldon season 7 has broken a viewership record. The show, which is a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, was narrated by returning star Jim Parsons and followed the younger years of his character Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) as well as the lives of his immediate family. The double-sized season 7 finale event, which aired on May 16 and had two parts titled "Funeral" and "Memoir," also marked the Young Sheldon series finale, as it followed the death of Sheldon's father George (Lance Barber) and Sheldon's departure to CalTech.
Per Deadline, the Young Sheldon series finale was watched by 8.95 million viewers. This was a high for the season, which had an average of roughly 7 million per episode through the two-part finale. However, in addition to beating every other episode in the current season, the series finale marks a major high point for the show, as it is the best-rated episode since the season 3 finale, which had 10.14 million viewers and aired in April 2020.
Is This Viewership Spike Good News For Young Sheldon's Upcoming Spinoff?
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Will Premiere In Fall 2024
This rise in viewership could be helpful later in the year, as the Young Sheldon spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage is set to premiere this Fall. The show is set to follow Sheldon's older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and his wife Mandy (Emily Osment) as they navigate parenthood and a new marriage. The show is also set to feature the return of Will Sasso and Rachel Bay Jones as Mandy's parents Jim and Audrey McAllister, now part of the main cast after making recurring appearances on the prior spinoff.
However, the fact that both spinoffs are so closely linked in terms of characters and timeline could allow it to capture much of the same audience.
It is unknown if any other members of the Young Sheldon cast will appear on the upcoming show. However, the fact that both spinoffs are so closely linked in terms of characters and timeline could allow it to capture much of the same audience. How much remains to be seen, as it is typical for premieres and finales to have viewership spikes above that of the rest of any given season. Below, see a comparison of the premiere and finale of every season of the spinoff, as well as the season of The Big Bang Theory that led into it:
While Young Sheldon had many finales that performed better than premieres, the season 7 premiere was already better than any season since the third. This could indicate that there was a general renewal in interest before this spike. While it seems unlikely that Georgie & Mandy's premiere could hit the high of the season 1 premiere, especially as it centers on a character who was introduced in the lower-performing seasons, it could very well follow the first spinoff's lead and draw over 9 million viewers when it premieres, enticing both the curious and those who miss the old show.
