Now that Georgie has bought Jim’s tire shop with co-worker Ruben (Jessie Prez) at the end of Season 1, the young father will have a new set of challenges to work through. He won’t be the only one with a demanding career, since Mandy has gotten her dream job of doing the weather for the local news. Ahead of the second season premiere, Montana Jordan spoke with Collider about the new season, fatherhood, and why almost everyone loves Georgie.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ Stays True to Its Texas Roots
“…there’s 180–200 people in the audience, and there’s just an energy that comes with it that you really can’t explain…”
Collider: From a technical standpoint, one of the big changes with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage was moving from the single-camera style of Young Sheldon to a live audience. Now that you’ve had a season and change on Georgie and Mandy with the new format, how do you think they compare? Do you feel there are certain advantages to being on a sound stage?
I grew up in Texas, and the thing I’ve always appreciated about Young Sheldon and now Georgie & Mandy is the attention to detail – like seeing Blue Bell ice cream on the table. Since you’re also a native Texan, have there ever been moments while on set or reading a script where you have to stop and say, “Wait, wait, wait, this is not how we do this in Texas?”
JORDAN: Yeah, I mean, there’s certain times, but like you said, they are on top of their stuff. I’m not gonna take any credit away from them, like I’m not gonna sit there and say I do it all the time. There’s certain things that I might bring up, but for the most part, no, there’s never anything that I have to say, because they do their research. They know what they’re talking about, they pay attention to every little detail, and they’re just good at what they do. They really are.
Georgie Is a Relatable Sitcom Character to Root For
“He’s set on creating this franchise of Dr. Tire, and nothing’s gonna stop him.”
At the beginning of Georgie & Mandy season one, Georgie was having a hard time being a new father while also losing his dad, George Sr. Where is Georgie’s stress level at the beginning of season two compared to season one?
When you’re young parents, and there’s a lot of opinions around, it just makes it harder on you, and it makes it harder to just get through it. But no, I think Georgie is really good at going with the flow — me and him have that in common — and he’s realized with everything going on, it’s just easier to go with the flow and just stay out of the line of fire of Mandy. And plus, with being young parents and still trying to keep their careers afloat and their separate lives afloat, it’s tough. I’m a young parent myself, and so I understand a little bit of what he’s going through, and I feel him on that.
I was going to ask, knowing that you’re a young father yourself, do you find your real-life experiences are in any way mirroring Georgie’s?
Georgie is such a great character, and I think what draws so many people to him is his can-do spirit, his drive to succeed. Where do you think that drive comes from? Is it a personal goal where Georgie wants to prove himself, or is it more about helping other people and providing for his family?
JORDAN: I think it’s a little bit of both. I think when he was younger, growing up with such a smart young brother, and Georgie got looked over a lot as a child. I’m sure now he’s to the age where he wants to prove himself to whoever it is, you know, to the world, or to his family, or to whoever it is. He’s very strong-minded and knows where he wants to end up. He’s set on creating this franchise of Dr. Tire, and nothing’s gonna stop him. He is tunnel-visioned right to Dr. Tire.
Right now, Ruben and Georgie… As soon as they stepped into the shop, they started disagreeing about how the shop should be ran, and the next steps for the business, and this and that, but they soon come to realize they’ve got to settle these disagreement somehow. In one episode, that’s a foot race. They have a foot race to settle a disagreement that they had to figure out the next step. That just comes with business partners, and that’s just what it is, but they’re gonna figure it out.
Becoming a Co-Tire Doctor Isn’t Easy
“…this new partnership that he’s got has probably been the hardest challenge…”
Ruben might be the one person Georgie hasn’t been able to win over yet. Why do you think these two guys can’t get along?
JORDAN: I think Ruben’s like the older brother Georgie never had. I think Georgie had to kind of be selective on the words that he said to Sheldon. But I’m afraid one of these days, Ruben’s gonna get under Georgie’s skin and Georgie is gonna let it go. I mean, he’s just gonna let Ruben have it. And I said I’m scared for it, but I’m kind of ready for it, cause Ruben… [chuckles] he’s good at getting under Georgie’s skin.
For sure, but George’s got business experience. Georgie had his hands in a few different business ventures; he’s been a laundromat casino pitboss, but…
JORDAN: He’s a businessman. He is a businessman.
But now that you’re on the first steps of becoming Dr. Tire, is co-running the tire store Georgie’s biggest challenge so far?
JORDAN: Well, that was the main thing. They jumped right into it. At the beginning of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, obviously, since The Big Bang Theory, the storyline was always that Georgie grew up to own Dr. Tire and become this tire king, so that was the big thing. We didn’t know whether that was gonna come in the first season of Georgie and Mandy, or the second, or the third. We didn’t know when it was gonna happen. But I’m glad that they jumped right in and just letting the audience know: This is George’s goal, this is what he wants to do. This is where he wants to take his life, and like you said, he’s an entrepreneur, and he’s very strong-minded, and that’s where he wants to end up, as Dr. Tire.
Going into Season 2, now that Jim is retired, that leaves an opening in the tire store. Are Georgie and Ruben planning on hiring someone, and, if so, is there a chance it’s going to be someone we know? Because personally, I would love to see Connie (Annie Potts) behind the counter. I think that would be hilarious.
