Young Sheldon’s Returning Characters Are Bad News For Georgie & Mandy’s Spinoff Series

The news that Young Sheldon’s spinoff Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage will bring back two characters from the earlier series isn’t necessarily good for The Big Bang Theory’s next follow-up. When Young Sheldon was first announced, it was tough to see how the family sitcom could succeed. Without his group of friends to ground him, a younger version of Sheldon could easily have become precocious and annoying. Moreover, Young Sheldon’s cast of main characters were Sheldon’s family, most of whom never played a major role in The Big Bang Theory. The premise’s potential seemed limited.

After Young Sheldon’s series finale, it is fair to say that any qualms have long since been buried. Young Sheldon managed to turn the Cooper family into compelling protagonists, taking the one-note guest stars of the original series and fleshing them out into more compelling, three-dimensional characters. Despite this success, it is still tough to see how Young Sheldon’s upcoming spinoff, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, hopes to repeat this feat. Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage will follow Sheldon’s brother Georgie as he navigates his marriage to an older weather forecaster, Mandy. Already, the show’s premise has some problems.

Why Mandy’s Parents Shouldn’t In The Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage Spinoff

Jim And Audrey Already Shaped Georgie and Mandy’s Season 7 Story

The creators of Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage recently confirmed to Deadline that Will Sasso and Rachel Bay Jones will reprise their roles as Mandy’s parents, Jim and Audrey, in Young Sheldon‘s spinoff. The return of Mandy’s parents implies Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage may struggle to move on from Young Sheldon’s story since the newlywed couple were sharing a home with them when Young Sheldon ended. Living in their house meant that Georgie shared as much screen time and as many subplots with Jim and Audrey as he did with Mandy, which could be a problem for the spinoff.

Although Young Sheldon’s series finale justified Mary’s Big Bang Theory character change, the episode didn’t explain when Georgie and Mandy moved out of Jim and Audrey’s home. The couple first moved in when the Cooper family’s septic tank broke, resulting in their home having no functioning indoor toilet. Although Meemaw loaned Mary the money to fix the bathroom, the young couple continued to reside in the McAllister residence. Georgie and Mandy presumably still live with Mandy’s parents in Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, which means the spinoff runs the risk of focusing less on its pair of main characters.

Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage Isn’t About Mandy’s Family

The Young Sheldon Spinoff Should Primarily Be A Romance

Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage could end up feeling like a Young Sheldon knock-off if it becomes another story of a dysfunctional small-town Texan family. In theory, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage is about the couple’s attempts to make their marriage work and the stumbling blocks they face along the way. Young Sheldon’s Georgie and Mandy spinoff could succeed if it leans into the differences between its two title characters, as the show could first explain why they broke up and then set up their eventual reunion. The Big Bang Theory has already revealed that their marriage ends in separation.

In season 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” Georgie made a passing reference to his “Ex-wife.” As such, viewers already know Georgie and Mandy eventually break up before the spinoff begins. This gives Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage an exciting chance to play with sitcom convention, a la How I Met Your Mother or Happy Endings, by subverting the traditional romantic tropes of the format. However, there will be no time to explore the fissures between Georgie and Mandy’s connection if the spinoff is focused on Jim and Audrey. Living in Mandy’s family home limits the independence of the couple’s storyline.

How Jim And Audrey’s Roles In Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage Could Work

Mandy’s Parents Have One Major Plot Function

To be fair to Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, there is one way that Jim and Audrey’s role in the series could work. Although his parents weren’t perfect, George Sr.’s Young Sheldon death proved to Georgie that his father was a good role model and his parents provided a great example for him and Mandy. In contrast, the McAllisters can show the two what not to do.

Provided Georgie and Mandy don’t live with them full-time, Jim and Audrey could be fun as recurring supporting characters. The bickering duo could give the couple a crash course in the many pitfalls that a marriage can face. Mandy hinted at this in season 7, episode 10, “Community Service and the Key to a Happy Marriage,” when she told Georgie she didn’t want to end up like her parents. The Young Sheldon couple’s attempts to emulate Jim and Audrey might cause their split in Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage before The Big Bang Theory’s follow-up eventually sets up their reconciliation.