Yahoo Lifestyle Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Review: Young Sheldon Spinoff Gets Off to a Confident (and Surprisingly Emotional) Start
The Big Bang Theory universe is expanding again — while also returning to its sitcom roots — with Young Sheldon spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (premiering Thursday, Oct. 17 at 8/7c on CBS). I’ve seen the first two episodes, and while the switch from single- to multi-cam may take a moment for some viewers to get accustomed to, especially those who came to Young Sheldon without a previous attachment to Big Bang, I’m here to tell you that the transition is seamless. After addressing the format change in a very meta cold open, the credits roll, and the story of Georgie Cooper and his new bride Mandy McAllister picks up almost immediately where Young Sheldon left off.
While Sheldon’s older brother was introduced on Young Sheldon, it was his first appearance on Big Bang, several months later, from which Georgie & Mandy’s premise derives. In that Season 11 episode, Georgie (played by Jerry O’Connell) confronted Sheldon about what life was like after their father died: Sheldon departed for Caltech, and 19-year-old Georgie was left to look after his mother Mary (Zoe Perry) and his younger sister Missy (Raegan Revord), which we now know he was doing while also supporting a family of his own.
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Early episodes of Georgie & Mandy see the rookie tire salesman juggling the demands of being a husband, a father, a brother and a son-in-law, all while mourning the loss of George Sr., whose passing continues to be felt by everyone who knew and loved him. Episode 1 features a particularly touching moment between Georgie and his father-in-law Jim (Will Sasso) that the producers wisely let breathe, while Episode 2 checks in with latchkey kid Missy and shows us the extent to which Georgie’s newfound responsibilities are taking a toll on his mental health. (Wanna know the difference between a good multi-cam and a bad multi-cam? A good multi-cam trusts that its audience can handle a scene that forgoes punchlines in favor of grounded storytelling — something we’ve seen from every Chuck Lorre multi-cam since Mom.)
Montana Jordan is new to the multi-cam format, but you’d never know it from his confident performance. He immediately feels right at home in front of a studio audience — which should come as no surprise to anyone who watched him blossom into a capable leading man in Young Sheldon’s final few seasons — and he more than holds his own opposite seasoned sitcom vets Emily Osment, Will Sasso and Rachel Bay Jones. Jordan and Osment’s crackling chemistry is on full display in the pilot, wherein the titular marrieds navigate a less-than-ideal move, and it begins to feel less and less like these two are only together due to the cards life dealt them. There’s genuine love between this unlikely couple, which makes the series’ title (and Georgie’s pre-established marital history) all the more intriguing. Osment, in particular, is great in Episode 2 as Mandy expresses concern for Georgie’s wellbeing.
Jones and Sasso — who worked with Lorre on United States of Al and Mom, respectively, before they were paired on Young Sheldon — relish in their expanded roles as Mandy’s parents. Jones is sublime as Georgie’s disapproving mother-in-law (though it’s my hope that they expand upon Audrey’s character and give her more to do outside of meddling in her daughter’s marriage), while Sasso gives off just the right amount of Big Dad Energy; it’s a hoot watching him walk on eggshells around Audrey, and a real delight watching him play off of Jordan as Jim does his best to step in for George Sr.
Perry, Revord and Annie Potts also get their fair share of screen time — though anyone expecting Mary, Missy and Meemaw to be as central to the plot as they were on Young Sheldon should be reminded that they are now all guest stars. Their presence in the first two episodes means there’s less time to flesh out the spinoff’s two new characters — Mandy’s brother Connor (now played by Dougie Baldwin), a quirky, underachieving musician who still lives under Jim and Audrey’s roof, and Ruben (Jessie Prez), a tire store employee who has worked for Jim for more than a decade and begrudges high-school dropout Georgie for already being further up the corporate ladder than he is — though the actors show real promise, and each gets laughs in their respective scenes.
Georgie & Mandy Cast: All the Chuck Lorre Shows You’ve Seen Them On Before
All told, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is a solid family comedy. It’s broad in style yet nuanced in its storytelling, and is made to appeal to all. Whether you’ve watched all or none of Big Bang and Young Sheldon, fell off after Big Bang, or were introduced to the franchise via Sheldon, there’s something here for everyone.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Anyone who felt that Young Sheldon ended too soon will be pleased to see that story continue (and be told so well) in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
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