Georgie and Mandy’s Young Sheldon spinoff seems inherently limited by The Big Bang Theory’s canon, but season 7 proves the show has potential.
Although The Big Bang Theory seemingly set Georgie and Mandy’s spinoff up for failure, Young Sheldon season 7, episode 7 proves that the pair’s upcoming show still has plenty of potential. Young Sheldon has always taken a pretty relaxed approach to The Big Bang Theory’s canon, and this has been a good thing for the spinoff. Young Sheldon’s cast of main characters differ wildly from their counterparts in The Big Bang Theory, but the changes that the spinoff made are mostly improvements. Young Sheldon would be less fun if Mary and Meemaw were as judgmental and sedate as their original incarnations.
However, since Young Sheldon’s season 6 finale, the spinoff has made more of a concerted effort to explain some plot holes left behind by The Big Bang Theory. One early season 7 outing revealed that Sheldon never walked in on his father cheating, but instead misunderstood some harmless role-play between his parents. Similarly, season 7, episode 7, “A Proper Wedding and Skeletons in the Closet,” explained why Sheldon never attended his sister’s wedding. Sheldon was surprisingly relieved to miss out on Georgie and Many’s nuptials, prompting Young Sheldon’s Missy to promise she wouldn’t invite him to hers.
Georgie and Mandy’s Young Sheldon Future Plans Are Very Different
The Spinoff’s Stars Disagree On Everything Important
While Young Sheldon has explained a lot of surprising details from The Big Bang Theory, the show has a harder time justifying its upcoming spinoff. George and Mandy are getting a spinoff after Young Sheldon ends, but The Big Bang Theory already revealed that the pair end up divorced. This seems to limit the potential of their spinoff, since the duo’s marriage is doomed before the show even begins. However, the couple’s first conversation after their wedding proved they are nothing alike, and their sitcom spinoff could focus on their differences as the show explains why their marriage didn’t last.
On the way to their honeymoon in Dollywood, Young Sheldon’s Mandy and Georgie talked through some of the many issues that will likely define the storyline of their spinoff. Mandy isn’t sure if she wants to take Georgie’s name, while Georgie doesn’t even consider taking hers. Mandy isn’t sure she wants more children, while Georgie is pretty insistent. Georgie didn’t realize that Mandy might want to go back to school, and he wasn’t even willing to entertain the thought of moving to New York with her. It is clear that the pair’s relationship is full of in-built conflict.
Georgie & Mandy’s Dynamic In Young Sheldon Sets Up A Fun Spinoff
Young Sheldon’s Spinoff Centers On A Classic Mismatched Sitcom Couple
In real life, Georgie and Mandy failing to see eye to eye on many major life choices would be a bad thing for their marriage. However, in the world of sitcoms, this development is great news. Georgie and Mandy have never been too well-matched, but their attempts to raise a baby together and Georgie’s determination to woo Mandy limited their conflict in earlier episodes. The revelation that they have surprisingly little in common means they can be a classic sitcom couple, like Everybody Loves Raymond’s Ray and Debra, Married… With Children’s Peggy and El, or Modern Family’s Claire and Phil.
Much like Young Sheldonseason 7 needed to explain Meemaw’s character shift before The Big Bang Theory spinoff ended, the show had to give viewers an idea of Georgie and Mandy’s dynamic as a couple before their show began. Taking the pair away from Ceecee by sending them on honeymoon gave viewers a glimpse into their internal lives, and it was immediately clear that the pair had next to nothing in common. Georgie and Mandy’s many disagreements can fuel the comedy of their show, while the duo making a pit stop for a roadside rendezvous proves they still share romantic chemistry despite their differences.
Young Sheldon’s Spinoff Has An In-Built Plot Problem
The Big Bang Theory Already Revealed Their Divorce
Georgie and Mandy clearly have tons of room for drama, but it will be hard for their show to work around its bleak pre-ordained ending. Much like Young Sheldon’s version of Mary eventually had to become the bitter, more mean-spirited character seen in The Big Bang Theory, Georgie and Mandy can’t avoid their eventual breakup. Fortunately, the amount of important issues that they disagree about during one shared car journey alone proves that the pair may be better off apart.
This means that Georgie and Mandy’s spinoff could eventually subvert sitcom tradition by sticking to The Big Bang Theory’s backstory for the pair. If the show highlights their chemistry while never ignoring their differences, the spinoff could prove that sometimes love alone isn’t enough to keep a couple together. Thus, Young Sheldon’s spinoff could focus on reasons that The Big Bang Theory’s breakup needed to happen instead of retconning the event and may subvert tired sitcom tropes in the process.
