The television series “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” is a spin-off of a series that is already a prequel, something that typically does not draw in an audience. With sitcom mastermind Chuck Lorre behind the third installment of the franchise “The Big Bang Theory,” and bringing back many fan favorites from the prequel “Young Sheldon,” it seemed like the show would likely live up to the expectations placed on it … right? Not quite.
As a long-time fan of both predecessors, I was seated at 8 p.m. sharp on the night of Oct. 17 to watch the premiere of “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.” This may be a hot take, but I’m not ashamed to say that I like “Young Sheldon” more than the original show. When I heard that Sheldon’s older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) was getting his own spin-off series centered around his relationship with Mandy (Emily Osment) and their daughter, it slightly softened the blow of “Young Sheldon’s” bittersweet final episodes. Unfortunately, though, at least with the four episodes that have been released, this series, so far, has fallen short where “Young Sheldon” excelled.
“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” brings back the live studio audience that “Young Sheldon” dropped from its predecessor, and it has ruined a lot of what made this group of characters charming. I can’t help but feel the dialogue for this show is centered around getting laughs, rather than being centered around each character’s natural quirks and abnormal behavior. Also, despite taking place right where “Young Sheldon” left off, the new series has lost all sense of the time-period it takes place in. Other than the lack of iPhones and advanced technology, there are virtually no indicators to suggest that the show takes place in the ‘90s, something that its parent show did so well.
Although the show is still trying to find its way, many of the characters that have been introduced feel underdeveloped or as though there is some sort of gag that the audience is not privy to. Mandy’s brother, Connor, and Georgie’s coworker, Reuben, have had virtually no screen time yet, and the little time they have is dominated by one exaggerated character trait that we aren’t familiar enough with to find funny.
Overall, I do still love the chemistry of the Cooper-McAllister family, and I don’t feel as though their characters have changed all that much from their days on “Young Sheldon.” Osment is truly made for sitcoms – which is evident from her previous works – and probably feels the most natural to me when delivering lines.
In a way, it’s hard to compare these three sitcoms to one another because they all bring different things to the table. While it’s easier to compare “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” to its prequel, they are starting to bridge the gap back to the original show. I’m excited to see where the series will go, and I am hoping it gets more than one season so that it has room to grow. Despite not having a lot of depth, it is evident that “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” has a lot of heart.
