George can only return to Georgie & Mandy in one way

Young Sheldon creators haven’t ruled out a George cameo in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, but honestly? There’s only one plausible way he can return.

Don’t hate me for being a cynic. I wanted Young Sheldon Season 8 more than anyone, and I never wanted George to die. Ask any of my colleagues, and they’ll tell you I’ve been non-stop sobbing since May.

I even interviewed Lance Barber himself because I didn’t want to let him go. Besides being the best half hour of my professional life, he told me he’s “open” to a cameo on the new TV show under the right circumstances.

But it’s time to be honest with myself and all of you – the “right circumstances” are unlikely to be found. It would be so easy to ruin the spinoff with a half-baked ghostly figure who has no business being anywhere. At the same time, the fans want what the fans want.

If we look at the facts, there’s only one way George can be brought back… and that’s through a flashback.

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Let’s review what we already know. George is dead, we’ve had his funeral, and we didn’t see him again in any capacity in Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 14. Before that, he had continued trouble with his health, suffering heart attacks in both Season 1 and Season 5.

In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, George’s grave is the main safe space where Georgie can explore his emotions. He also had a fake heart attack in Episode 2, which turned out to be a panic attack caused by extreme stress. Frankly, this last bit was too close to home for me.

Nonetheless, it does mean the spinoff has already ruined George the Ghost’s momentum by making his grave a character of its own. Therefore, the only alternative, should it arise, is a flashback.

Now, there’s still the question of how that flashback could work. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage could choose to follow The Big Bang Theory’s example, which saw George return in new scenes via a VHS tape Sheldon watches in Season 12. 

This choice makes the most sense for two reasons – it’s the easiest to pull off, and it’s following a format we’re already familiar with. Barber could slot back into production with almost no effort, and by referring back to the past, he could be included in virtually any storyline.

Sounds straightforward, right? Well, there’s more. 

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Georgie & Mandy could opt for the classic “He came to me in a dream” move. This way, we’re getting a new narrative as opposed to building on old stories. It’s much more difficult to pull off, but it would be a lot more satisfying.

This might also be the option fans want the most. In fact, one lovely fan who emailed me her own theories thinks this could go one step further. What if Mary being told George died was a dream in itself?

For me, this is too far-fetched. I’ve lived through the trauma of covering George’s funeral, and I’d like to think that wasn’t for him to miraculously survive a la Dallas. But our anonymous fan has a point.

Given both Young Sheldon creators and Barber only want this to happen if it correctly honors Season 7’s ending, a George cameo has to allow one or more characters to evolve purely through seeing him. The question is who that is.

The most likely person to see George is actually Georgie. This is his sequel, and he’s putting in the work to talk to his dead dad on a regular basis. He’s clearly struggling with being a young husband and dad, and he’s frequently looking to his non-existent parent for advice. Sure, he has Jim, but he’s doing the absolute least.

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Mary is the next most likely. We’ve only seen her twice so far, but she clearly cannot escape her grief in any capacity. She’s completely debilitated by it, and rightly so. The fly in the ointment here is her current personality accounts for why she is the way she is in The Big Bang Theory. Arguably, seeing George would u-turn that for the millionth time. No thanks!

But what about Missy, the rebellious teenager who isn’t being heard by anyone around her? She likely needs her dad the most, but she’s also not enough of a series regular to guarantee dreaming about George would work. 

So there are our key players and key possibilities. If Chuck Lorre and Steve Holland want my personal advice, it’s not to bring back George at all.

However, if they do cave to peer pressure (understandable, we’ve all been there), George needs to return in a flashback. I’d suggest this should happen in relation to Georgie, perhaps mirroring what happened with Sheldon in the funeral episode.

Where his younger brother imagined different versions of the last thing he said to his dad, Georgie could likely benefit from something similar. You might remember their final conversation earlier in that same episode. What if George could reflect on that and gain new wisdom that calmed his stress?

But that’s all I’ll say in a public forum without writer’s fees. Lorre and Holland… call me.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is airing weekly on CBS. Catch up with our Episode 1, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5 recaps before you watch the latest episodes.

You can also check out if Sheldon will be in the show, why the sequel has picked the wrong characters for a spinoff, and more TV shows streaming.