It has to be intimidating joining the cast of any primetime network television show, because you’re guaranteed to be seen by millions at the very least and if you don’t do well, it could mean the end of the show (and steady paychecks). So just imagine what it must feel like to join the cast of a series that’s the prequel to one of the most popular sitcoms of all time — the need to impress would be unreal. That’s exactly what “Young Sheldon” star Lance Barber faced when he signed on to play the Cooper family patriarch, George Sr. on the CBS spin-off series of “The Big Bang Theory.” It was probably pretty terrifying knowing just how high the fandom’s expectations were while also trying to establish a new series, but thankfully Barber had nothing to worry about because “Young Sheldon” became a hit on its own with a pretty different tone from its parent series as it evolved.
Although “The Big Bang Theory” revealed that George Sr. died of a heart attack in 1994, when Sheldon was 14, and the seventh season of “Young Sheldon” confirmed George’s death by killing the character and even showing his funeral (with a fun cameo from Barber in disguise), there is always the chance that Barber could appear in future “The Big Bang Theory” spin-offs. He could even potentially appear in “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” which follows his character’s son, George Jr., or “Georgie,” played by Montana Jordan. Barber might have been nervous about playing the character in the beginning, but now he’s a vital part of the “Big Bang Theory” franchise, turning the awful George Sr. of Sheldon’s “Big Bang Theory” memories into someone a lot more lovable.
An intimidating role that came with some Big Bang baggage
In an interview with Australia’s Channel 9, Barber revealed that it was a bit of a challenge starring on the CBS comedy in part because he felt that had to live up to the legacy of the original series while still making “Young Sheldon” its own thing. “Initially, I had the challenges of pleasing the ‘Big Bang’ audience,” he said, though he did say that he was proud to become a part of the show’s overall legacy. (Hardcore fans will remember that in addition to playing George Sr. on “Young Sheldon,” Barber also played Lenard’s high school nemesis, Jimmy Speckerman, in a season 5 episode of “The Big Bang Theory.”)
George Sr. was a pretty different character in Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) memories on “The Big Bang Theory,” noted as being an alcoholic and even cheating on his wife. This was mostly retconned for “Young Sheldon” for a few reasons, including the fact that there’s a framing narrative that has Sheldon writing his history and he would potentially gloss over the darker parts and that the series is more family-oriented and wouldn’t quite work with the George Sr. of “Big Bang.” When asked about how it felt to play a character that had already existed, to some extent, Barber was optimistic about it, saying, “I guess in some ways, there’s a lack of freedom but [it’s] a fun challenge to figure out.”
Barber has played some very different sitcom dads
George Sr. was softened significantly for “Young Sheldon,” with his cheating on his wife explained away with a moment where Sheldon (Iain Armitage) sees his mother dressed in a costume as a German woman and mistakes her for a stranger and some of the more unsavory aspects were simply retconned. To be fair, series creator Chuck Lorre and the writers weren’t thinking about “Young Sheldon” when they wrote those early “The Big Bang Theory” episodes, so inconsistencies are to be expected.
Even if George Sr. had been as awful in “Young Sheldon” as originally written, he would still be far from the worst dad that Barber had ever played. While it’s a very different kind of comedy than “The Big Bang Theory” or “Young Sheldon,” Barber also stars as one of the best side characters on the FX series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Bill Ponderosa. Bill isn’t just a womanizer who cheated on his wife, he also abuses drugs and alcohol in wild excess and eventually buys drugs from his own preteen son. He’s not just a bad dad, he’s a truly horrible human being, and it’s a joy to see him as both George Sr. and Pondy because it shows just how much range he has even within the confines of playing a sitcom father. Give this man his Emmy already!
