Georgie and Mandy may be on their first marriage, but audiences are already familiar with their story.
A spinoff to “Young Sheldon” – and a part of the same broader television universe as “The Big Bang Theory” – the multicam sitcom “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” is currently airing its first season on CBS and Paramount+, with episodes releasing Thursdays. The show, which follows “Young Sheldon” characters Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister as they adjust to postnuptial life, has released 10 episodes thus far and become the most-watched comedy of the 2024-2025 television season. Writer and executive producer Chuck Lorre – who worked on both “Young Sheldon” and “The Big Bang Theory,” as well as other long-running sitcoms such as “Two and a Half Men” – said the success of the show has been possible through having faith.
“There’s no formula for this other than trust your own response,” Lorre said. “If I think something is worth writing about or characters are really interesting or wonderful or terrible people, … then trust that feeling.”
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At a press day held at Warner Brothers Studios Burbank, a panel of journalists peppered the cast and creators of the program with questions about the show’s first season and the development of the plot moving forward from its “Young Sheldon” origins. Steven Molaro, a fellow executive producer on the show, said the decision to pursue a series centered on Georgie’s and Mandy’s characters was natural given the chemistry that had developed between them on “Young Sheldon.” The program switching to a multicam format as opposed to single-camera evokes the filming approach that was used when producing “The Big Bang Theory,” Molaro added.
Lead actor Montana Jordan, who stars as Georgie Cooper, said being a young father himself has helped him play his character. He said he enjoys returning to his hometown in Texas in order to clear his mind from the stress and pressure involved in working on the show, as the big city can be different from what he is used to. It was an adjustment to move to his first multicam series with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” but Jordan said he is playing his character the same way he did on “Young Sheldon” while learning by observing his castmates around him.
“You work your butt off on something all week – and on Tuesdays, when we do that on the live show – and you get to see all the audience react,” Jordan said. “They enjoy the show, and it’s really nice to get that instant feedback from everybody.”
The cast and crew of “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” sits and faces a group of journalists while on the sitcom’s set. The show is in its first season and is part of the broader television universe that includes characters from “Young Sheldon” and “The Big Bang Theory.” (Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV/Evans Vestal Ward)
Lead actress Emily Osment plays Mandy McAllister and said she has loved working with her castmates and crew members, including “The Big Bang Theory” director Mark Cendrowski. She said she often feels tired and can find the nature of her work on the show to be exhausting, but the shift of moving to a multicam setup for “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” has been a welcome change that allows her to get more sleep and maintain a more balanced schedule. Her efforts have been worth it because she has a job that she loves, she added.
When reflecting on the elements of the show that allow it to provide both heart and comedy, Will Sasso – who appears as Mandy’s father, Jim – said the best comedy is rooted in realistic situations. Rachel Bay Jones – who plays Mandy’s mother, Audrey – said she wishes the writers received more credit for the strength of the material, as she arrives at work able to simply act from what is given to her on the page.
“The writing is so good, and everything has so much heart to it and so much reality and so much depth and simplicity,” Jones said. “And it’s also funny as hell.”
Executive producer Steve Holland said Lance Barber will return as George Cooper Sr. – Georgie’s father, who died offscreen on “Young Sheldon.” Holland said the inclusion of George Sr. is important to the story because of Georgie’s enduring insecurities about his father being disappointed in him. The plot lines for Georgie and his father are partially inspired by Lorre’s own relationship with his father, Holland added.
Regarding the title of the show, Holland said the “first” is meant to hint at the fact that Georgie and Mandy’s turbulent relationship is going to have problems. He said Georgie and Mandy love each other, but the circumstances surrounding an unplanned pregnancy and their hastened matrimony are not ideal. However, this turmoil within their relationship provides potential for future tales within the series, Holland added.
“It was never going to be an easy road for them,” Holland said. “And that’s great for us because we hope to be on for a long time, and we need stories.”
