The latest spin-off series of Young Sheldon released the teaser of its upcoming episode featuring none other than the Cooper family patriarch. How did the character return from dead?
The first season of the Young Sheldon spin-off series, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, has been on air for quite some time. Although Lance Barber’s return as the Cooper family patriarch, George, was announced months ago, we finally have a glimpse of his return.
Barber’s character will debut in the spin-off series in the 12th episode of Season 1, titled Typhoid Georgie, as shown in the recently released episode teaser. Those who are caught up with the events of The Big Bang Theory universe are aware that Sheldon, Georgie, and Missy’s father died when they were young.
So, how would Barber’s return make sense? It would if he were part of a dream sequence. In the initial episodes of the spin-off, Georgie had a tough time dealing with the loss of his dad and even suffered panic attacks.
However, it seems like his trauma is far from over, as he will be manifesting his father in a physical form—enter Barber. On January 30, during a press panel discussion, executive producer Steve Holland confirmed Barber’s return ahead of the midseason premiere episode.
“We’ve got Lance Barber. [He’s] gonna be returning as George Sr. in an episode coming up, which we’re really excited about,” he said at the time. Holland quipped that it was fun to have the actor on board after they killed off his character in Young Sheldon.
George Cooper Sr.’s fate was already decided, as Sheldon made it clear in one of the episodes of The Big Bang Theory that his father passed away when he was young. However, nobody expected to see the Cooper family patriarch’s spiritual return in the latest spin-off series.
Holland provided context for George’s reappearance, revealing that he would be part of Georgie’s imagination. Georgie hallucinates his father because he is worried about disappointing him. The executive producer shared that the idea stemmed from series creator Chuck Lorre’s own experience of seeing his father’s spirit.
“And yeah, my father was disappointed in me too,” Lorre added jokingly.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
