Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Creator Reveals Why Meemaw Wasn’t at George’s Grave

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage co-creator Steve Holland explains Annie Potts’ absence in a key scene.

Speaking to TVLine, Holland was asked about the decision to exclude Potts’ Connie “Meemaw” Tucker from the impromtpu Thanksgiving family reunion at George Sr.’s grave during the most recent episode of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. “We were talking about who should definitely be at the grave, and it felt like the core family should be there,” Holland explained. “This [storyline] was really about Mary and Georgie, more specifically, and Missy, and about losing George.”

Holland continued, “Meemaw is certainly a part of that, but it really felt like just having the core family there was the most important visual. And then it also helped pay off the joke when you go back to the McAllister house. It seemed funny that this random assortment of people were just left there — like, Dale and MeeMaw were just sort of, you know, stuck having Thanksgiving dinner without their family.”

The role of Meemaw Tucker was originally played by June Squibb in a guest appearance during the ninth season of The Big Bang Theory prior to Potts taking over the role for the prequel series, Young Sheldon. Potts returned to reprise the role for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, alongside fellow returning stars Montana Jordan, Emily Osment, Rachel Bay Jones, Will Sasso, Zoe Perry, and Raegan Revord. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage follows Jordan’s Georgie Cooper and Osment’s Mandy McAllister as they navigate marriage and first time parenthood together, with the series picking up shortly after the final episodes of Young Sheldon.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Has Been Met With Praise

Prior to the series’ premiere, director Alex Reid promised that Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage would be everything that Young Sheldon fans were hoping to see. “From the set while I was shooting something special for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, the new spinoff from [Young Sheldon],” Reid said. “More to be revealed later. Btw, the spinoff is seriously great. Funny but still with a ton of heart. If you miss Young Sheldon, don’t be sad; this show is here for you.”

Critical response to Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has been largely positive, with the first season currently boasting an 88% “fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.