Summary
The news thatGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriageis recasting a supporting star fromYoung Sheldonis not as shocking as it initially seemed.Young Sheldon’s ending left plot holes openthanks to the knotty, contradictory canon of the spinoff and its predecessor,The Big Bang Theory. However, at least one of these unanswered questions was kept unresolved on purpose. Viewers may have been frustrated when Meemaw’s character change was unexplained and Dale’s fate wasn’t specified, but there is a good reason thatYoung Sheldon’s ending never clarified why the marriage between Mandy and Sheldon’s brother Georgie failed.
InThe Big Bang Theoryseason 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” Sheldon’s brother Georgie mentioned his “Ex-wife.” This proved that his marriage to Mandy wouldn’t last, but the cause of their break-up was left unclear. Judging by its title alone,Young Sheldon’s spinoffGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill explore exactly why Sheldon’s brother wasn’t able to make his marriage work. The spinoff will likely center Georgie and Mandy’s early years together sinceYoung Sheldonended shortly after the pair got married. In the process, the series will bring back members of both Mandy and Georgie’s families.
Young Sheldon’s Secret Funeral Cameo Pokes Fun At A Long-Running Spinoff Plot Hole
Young Sheldon’s finale hid a secret cast member cameo, and this made light of a plot hole that plagued The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff for years.
Connor May Have Been Recast Due To A Bigger Role In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
Connor Will Likely Play A Big Part In Young Sheldon’s Sequel
One character who appears in bothYoung SheldonandGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriageis Mandy’s younger brother, Connor. However,Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill recast Joseph Apollonio’s version of Connor fromYoung Sheldon, with Dougie Baldwin now playing Mandy’s brother in the spinoff. SinceGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill focus on Mandy more thanYoung Sheldonever did, it makes sense for her brother to take on a bigger role in the spinoff. In this regard, Baldwin’s casting makes sense since theNowhere Boys staralready appeared inThe Big Bang Theory/Young Sheldonco-creator Chuck Lorre’s earlier showDisjointed.
Dougie Baldwin’s previous work with Lorre may have led the producer to think he was uniquely suited to the role of Connor in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Baldwin has more experience as an actor than Apollonio, having starred inUpper Middle Bogan,Nowhere Boys, and theNowhere Boysspinoff movieThe Book of Shadowsbefore appearing inDisjointed. Dougie Baldwin is prolific despite his youth, and his previous work with Lorre may have led the producer to think he was uniquely suited to the role of Connor inGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. It is also important to note that scheduling conflicts may have also been a factor, since Apollonio recently had a role inFBI: Internationaland has an upcoming role in the TV seriesBroadway Books.
Who Is Dougie Baldwin? Connor’s New Actor In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Explained
Dougie Baldwin Previously Appeared In Netflix’s Disjointed
WhileYoung Sheldon’s spinoffGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill focus mostly on the titular duo, Baldwin’s Connor is still likely to play a major part in the proceedings. According toGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s official description (viaTVLine), Connor is a struggling artist who doesn’t fit in with his small-town family.Baldwin’s character could play a similar role to Sheldon, acting as a quirky, earnest, intellectual free-thinker whose family struggles to find common ground with him. This role could be a big ask for the actor, but he is an experienced leading man with years of varied roles.
At only 16 years old, Baldwin scored a supporting role in the Australian sitcomUpper Middle Bogan. The show centered on a pair of families from radically different social classes drawn together by unexpected revelations. After that, Baldwin starred inNowhere Boys, a teen fantasy drama where he played a misunderstood young goth who becomes trapped between dimensions alongside a few mismatched classmates. In 2017, Baldwin scored a supporting role inDisjointed, playing a cannabis grower in Kathy Bates’ dispensary. The short-lived sitcom was a miss for Chuck Lorre but may have led to Baldwin’s casting inYoung Sheldon’s spinoff.
How Will Connor Fit Into Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Story
Connor Is Likely To Play A Role Similar To Sheldon In Young Sheldon
It is not yet clear howGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill use Mary, Missy, Meemaw, and the rest ofYoung Sheldon’s existing characters now that Sheldon is living in California and George Sr is dead. The spinoff can’t rely too heavily on these supporting stars orGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill run the risk of feeling likeYoung Sheldonwithout Sheldon. However, the spinoff also can’t simply ignore the existing supporting roles that both the Coopers and the McAllisters played throughout the original show. Connor’s recasting makes his role hard to work out given his limitedYoung Sheldonscreen time.
A moody teen who preferred The Smiths to Guns ’N’ Roses, Connor was comically out of place in Young Sheldon’s small-town setting.
In his loneYoung Sheldonappearance,Apollonio’s Connor was the black sheep of the McAllister family. A moody teen who preferred The Smiths to Guns ’N’ Roses, Connor was comically out of place inYoung Sheldon’s small-town setting. It is not yet clear whether Baldwin’s take on Connor will be the exact same, although his description does move away fromYoung Sheldon’s version of the character in one respect. The Connor seen inGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagewill be “Coddled by his mother,” whereasYoung Sheldon’s version of Connor didn’t seem to be particularly favored by his parents.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Is Bringing Back Other Young Sheldon Actors
Zoe Perry and Annie Potts Will Also Appear In The Spinoff
Connor won’t be the only character returning toGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Both of Mandy’s parents will also play a role in the series, and Meemaw, Mary, and Missy will all also appear in the spinoff. Annie Potts’ Meemaw ended up living with Dale inYoung Sheldon’s series finale, while Mary was quickly becoming the religious zealot viewers remember fromThe Big Bang Theoryin the last episode.Not all ofYoung Sheldon’s storylineswere wrapped up neatly, andGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagenow has a chance to remedy this as most of Georgie’s family return in the new show.
If Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage neglects characters like Connor and Missy, viewers will miss out on Young Sheldon’s warm family comedy.
However, the series will need to tread carefully. IfGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriagefocuses too much screen time on Georgie’s family, the show’s title will become a misnomer. That said, if the series neglects characters like Connor and Missy, viewers will miss out onYoung Sheldon’s warm family comedy.Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriageneeds to strike the right balance between centering on its eponymous couple and incorporating their family into the show’s storylines. In this regard, having a sitcom veteran like Baldwin on board is a good thing forGeorgie & Mandy’s First Marriageas the series continuesYoung Sheldon’s story.
