Young Sheldon spin-off has problems with Mandy's character

Montana Jordan and Emily Osment have been ramping up the excitement for their “Young Sheldon” spin-off, “Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage,” which is set to hit theaters on October 17, 2024. The third series in “The Big Bang Theory” universe initially faced resistance for focusing on the newlywed couple rather than other members of the Cooper family. This issue was resolved when it was confirmed that other characters would also appear in the series. In addition, the return of Mandy's mother Audrey McAllister (Rachel Bay Jones) as the couple's main antagonist has sparked interest. However, the biggest challenge for “Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage” is making Mandy popular with audiences.

Mandy was introduced in Season 5, Episode 11 of Young Sheldon. Although many fans agree that Osment is a great addition to the show, her character is a point of contention. Looper even ranks her as one of the most unlikable characters on Young Sheldon. When Mandy and Georgie start dating, they both lie about their ages. Mandy comes out with the truth before they sleep together, but Georgie hides the fact that he is only 17. When Mandy finds out the truth, she ends the relationship, but she is already pregnant.

Over the next two seasons, they learn to co-parent and eventually fall in love, but viewers don't like the on-off nature of their relationship and the age difference continues to cause discomfort. Redditor u/Mundane_AF noted, “I think it's a shame they decided to have that age difference. If he had only been 19, it wouldn't have been so upsetting. I had an instinctive reaction to the first meeting.”

The first episode of “Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage” picks up a month after the emotionally devastating series finale of “Young Sheldon.” Much of the show will focus on Georgie dealing with the aftermath of his father's death while supporting his mother, sister, and grandmother. He will also be busy working at Mandy's father's tire shop. This storyline, introduced in season 7 of “Young Sheldon,” will eventually lead to him becoming Dr. Tire, as mentioned in “The Big Bang Theory.”

In the meantime, Mandy is mostly focused on raising CeeCee with Georgie. The spin-off is designed to give her more depth by getting her a job. As Young Sheldon viewers know, Mandy worked as a weather girl before she met Georgie. Although she doesn't get a new job immediately after CeeCee's birth, she seems ready to get back into the workforce. “In the episode about marriage, it is implied that [Mandy] “She wants to go back to school, maybe have a career, and not just be a stay-at-home mom,” Emily Osment told People, suggesting Mandy has more options than going back to reading the weather report.

Perhaps this will make Mandy a more sympathetic and relatable character. Osment believes the show will benefit from Mandy having a job. “It's much funnier when women are stressed about their careers than about their kids,” she told TVLine in a separate interview.