Killing off George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) in "The Big Bang Theory" is one of creator Chuck Lorre's biggest regrets. The sitcom reveals that he died when Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) was a teenager -- an idea that came to Lorre and the gang before they even thought about making a prequel series centered around the socially awkward physicist's upbringing. However, "Young Sheldon" eventually became a thing, and everyone went into it knowing that George's death was more inevitable than Thanos. But while his controversial cheating storyline was retconned, there was no going back in regard to George's fateful outcome, and viewers bore witness to a plot thread they dreaded from the show's inception.

Of course, George's journey on "Young Sheldon" isn't entirely depressing. The sitcom keeps the beer-drinking football coach alive for seven seasons, allowing him to become a fleshed-out character who is more caring and lovable than...