But don’t go ruling out Sheldon’s return just yet.
Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated debuts on the 2024 Fall TV schedule is the CBS sitcom Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, the return to multicamera form for Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre and its former showrunners Steve Holland and Steve Molaro. The Young Sheldon spinoff will center on Montana Jordan and Emily Osment’s titular lovebirds as they navigate life as newlywed parents, and it’ll mark the franchise’s first entry that isn’t centered on boy-genius-turned-man-genious Sheldon Cooper.
That core character’s absence in the new series is a big part of what excites showrunner Steve Holland about the creative process, considering he’s spent the better part of two decades putting words in the eventual Nobel Prize-winner’s mouth. Speaking with EW about what both longtime fans and new viewers can expect, the producer talked about the pros of focusing on non-Sheldon characters, and how Georgie & Mandy differs from the two comedies that came before.
” This is the first time in 18 years that we’re not writing for Sheldon, and Sheldon’s a great character and I’m so proud to have been a part of writing that character, but this is a different show. I don’t have to keep Googling science facts anymore or trying to pretend that I know what I’m talking about. This is a much more, I think, relatable family show. These are different characters. It’s the same world, but the slice of this world they inhabit has a different flavor to it. ”
I can definitely understand why it would be something of a relief to no longer write for a genius-level character on a regular basis. Not that every single utterance that came out of Sheldon’s mouth was rife with engineering math, but there were clearly enough research-heavy experiences that it was a relief to be done with them.
Jim Parsons has talked about his complicated process of memorizing Sheldon’s dialogue, so I’d assume he’s also been pleased to not have to say any of it anymore, even in narration form. It’s unclear if viewers will get to see Iain Armitage’s return as Sheldon within the context of the spinoff, or if Parsons could return in some possibly way, but it sounds like the creative team will be just peachy without him around for a while.
Speaking to the difference in approach, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage does sound like it’ll stand apart from its franchise brethren, and not just for a general lack of physics factoids. By centering on the titular couple now living with Mandy’s parents Jim (Will Sasso) and Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones) and attempting to gain financial independence, the new sitcom has far different goals in mind than what came before.
Beyond the general concept of a found family of friends, The Big Bang Theory couldn’t really be considered a family comedy at all, even though characters got married and had parents and siblings show up for storylines. (For instance, fans first met Georgie during Jerry O’Connell’s guest spot in Big Bang Theory Season 11’s “The Sibling Realignment.”)
It’ll be interesting to see whether younger audiences that jumped on the bandwagon for Young Sheldon will continue to tune in when Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage arrives on CBS (and for those with Paramount+ subscriptions) on Thursday, October 17, at 8:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Season 4 premiere of Ghosts.
