The following contains spoilers for Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Season 1, Episode 1, "The 6:10 to Lubbock," which premiered Thursday, Oct. 17 on CBS.
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage starts off with a hit of self-awareness when Georgie Cooper comments on Frasier's laugh track: "Some shows you can hear people laughing, and some you can't." Fans of Young Sheldon will recognize that the spinoff is going back to The Big Bang Theory's roots: it's a classic sitcom with a multi-camera set-up and laugh track. Both of Georgie & Mandy's predecessors were extreme successes, so it makes sense that this show is trying to hang on to the glory days while finding its own identity.
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Georgie & Mandy's series premiere is ideally what every TV spinoff should be. It doesn't require any knowledge of The Big Bang Theory or Young Sheldon, and instead slips in natural exposition when Georgie's backstory is brought up. "The 6:10 to Lubbock" jumps right into Georgie and Mandy McAllister's life as a young married couple living with Mandy's parents, Audrey and Jim. When Audrey hits their last nerve, Georgie and Mandy move into a trailer home with their baby daughter, CeeCee -- much to everybody's dismay. The premiere is a textbook sitcom situation: a problem arises, the problem is temporarily resolved with a suboptimal solution, and then everyone makes up. As standard as a sitcom can get, it doesn't have the hook to reel people in for future episodes.
First Marriage Goes Back to The Big Bang Theory Days
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The laugh track in Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage will throw viewers for a loop. Laughs tracks aren't necessarily a bad thing, but it's a big change for these characters, who were established in a single-camera series. More and more sitcoms are opting against the traditional multi-camera set-up for a more "cinematic" sitcom. The single-camera approach to Young Sheldon allowed jokes to breathe and dramatic moments to settle. This worked because Young Sheldon was a tragedy masked as a comedy. Canned laughter would have been awkward and inappropriate during George Cooper's death or a tornado destroying Connie Tucker's house.
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The inclusion of a laugh track suggests that First Marriage isn't taking itself too seriously. Although there's a lot of tension between Audrey, Georgie and Mandy, the background laughs lighten the load. It can be refreshing for those still soaking in the traumatic series finale of Young Sheldon to know that at the end of the day, everything will be okay. Only it won't be... because as the title points out, Georgie and Mandy's relationship won't last. This road is heading toward disaster, no matter if it's two seasons down the road or seven. It would be brilliant if creators Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and Steven Holland pull a Kevin Can F**k Himself with First Marriage: bait viewers in with a single-camera sitcom in the couple's happiest moments, then transition into a multi-camera dramedy when they start hitting turbulent bumps.
Audrey: I prefer to laugh when I choose to.
Georgie: Really? I ain't never seen you laugh.
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But for now, it's going to take some time to get used to these characters in this format. The laugh track is sometimes an added bonus, and sometimes it's a disturbance. When jokes don't land, hearing the audience laughing in the background is a little awkward. The episode's pacing feels rushed and cut short because so much time is spent waiting for the audience to finish reacting. But when scenes get emotionally heavy -- like Georgie remembering his deceased father -- First Marriage knows when to pull back and let the moment happen on its own.
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Georgie & Mandy's Characters Are Charming, but Not Unique
Every Character Fits Into a Stereotypical Sitcom Mold
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What's endearing about Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage is that everyone has their shtick. Georgie is the lovable, overly-protective husband, Mandy is the strong wife with mommy issues, Audrey is the shrewd source of the mommy issues, and Jim is the non-confrontational dad with a beer in his hand. Then there are the supporting characters: Mandy's socially awkward, but musically gifted brother Connor and Jim's resentful employee Ruben. Sitcoms require every character to be different from each other to cause funny conflicts and pairings, and it works in First Marriage. Everyone has their role to play, whether they're supposed to be effortlessly likable or obnoxious. Georgie and Mandy are adorable as a newlywed couple, supporting each other with modern ideals in the 1990s. The tango musical number in the credits, while very outside the box, shows off their spicy chemistry.
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However, while each character stands out from each other within First Marriage, there's not much that sets them apart in the overall sitcom world. The blue-collar goofball husband who scored big with the gorgeous wife is a staple in sitcoms. The "nagging" mother and laid-back beer-loving father aren't anything out of the ordinary either. The show even has a Sheldon Cooper replacement in the character of Connor. Unoriginal characters aren't in Chuck Lorre's wheelhouse, so again, one wonders if he and his co-creators are just duping viewers into some big plot twist. Or maybe Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage is, sadly, just a middle-of-the-road sitcom that people watch when nothing else is on television.
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Does Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Make Up for Its Mediocre Premise?
Georgie & Mandy Don't Give Viewers a Reason to Care
Watching Georgie and Mandy's tiny trailer shake when a train passes is cute, but there's nothing beyond cute about Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage. Young Sheldon's hook was an overarching storyline about an atheist, stuck-up boy genius navigating life in a religious Texan household. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage has a punchy premise, but isn't using it. Georgie and Mandy have a suspiciously inappropriate age gap in their marriage. Georgie got Mandy pregnant when she was 29 and he was 17. By First Marriage, he should be around 18-19, and she's in her early 30s. But the only passing mention of this issue is that he's just young, and actor Emily Osment can easily pass as being in her early 20s.
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The conflict between Audrey, Georgie and Mandy does imply that the age gap will be a thorn in the relationship, so it could come up in later episodes. It's possible that First Marriage is establishing Audrey as the toxic mother-in-law -- only for her to be completely right about Georgie and Mandy's marriage all along. Until that day arrives, though, what is the show going to do to fill the time?
It has the sitcom formula down. There's snappy humor, charismatic characters and heart. But in a sitcom world with Abbott Elementary, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Young Sheldon, the formula isn't enough. Even bringing back Mary Cooper and Connie Tucker -- as radiant as they are -- can't make up for the fact that the show is underwhelming. But "The 6:10 to Lubbock" is only just the premiere. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage has plenty of time to turn itself around.
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Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.
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Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage is a spin-off series of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, focusing on Georgie Cooper Jr. and Mandy McAllister. Montana Jordan and Emily Osment reprise their roles from Young Sheldon, which ended in 2024. The series will follow Georgie and Mandy as they navigate life as young parents and newlyweds.
- Release Date
- October 17, 2024
- Creator(s)
- Chuck Lorre , Steven Molaro , Steve Holland
- Cast
- Montana Jordan , Emily Osment , Will Sasso , Rachel Bay Jones , Dougie Baldwin , Jessie Prez , Zoe Perry , Annie Potts
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 1
- Franchise(s)
- The Big Bang Theory
Pros
- The characters have their own shtick that creates funny situations.
- Montana Jordan and Emily Osment have electrifying chemistry as Georgie and Mandy.
Cons
- The multi-camera set-up is a big change from Young Sheldon.
- The premise isn't anything out of the ordinary in the sitcom world.