Young Sheldon Season 7 Pays Homage To Modern Family's Top-Rated Episode

“Young Sheldon” can balance comedy with serious subject matter. In “A Strudel and a Hot American Boy Toy” there’s no shortage of jokes, but the Cooper family’s letter-writing campaign also elicits some heartfelt emotions. First Mary pours her heart out, passionately expressing her love for her husband as their distance makes her realize she often takes him for granted. Writing to each other brings them closer together — just as the video chats do for Claire, Phil (Ty Burrell), and Jay (Ed O’Neill) — and soon other members of the family follow suit. Even Georgie (Montana Jordan) puts pen to paper to profess his love to Mandy (Emily Osment). 

But it’s Sheldon’s parents’ love letters that really tug at the audience’s heartstrings since George’s impending death is looming over the show. As “The Big Bang Theory” fans know, Sheldon’s dad dies when he’s 14 years old and his birthday isn’t far away. What’s more, while “Young Sheldon” has slipped some continuity errors past viewers, this is one event that’s not going to change. “I don’t want to say what you will or won’t see, but things will get addressed,” executive producer Steve Holland confirmed to TVLine. “We are not beholden to every joke that was ever made on The Big Bang Theory, but we do feel beholden to the larger canon and the larger events that shape Sheldon’s life. We want to honor those,” he revealed. Sadly, the end is getting closer for George, and also for the show’s fans.