George Sr.'s sudden death was one of Young Sheldon's most powerful scenes and a significant moment that shaped the life of the Cooper family forever. It played a part in The Big Bang Theory and continues to factor into the latest spinoff, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage. I thought the answer was pretty obvious regarding the chances of Lance Barber's character returning in the CBS sitcom, but co-creator Steve Holland had a surprising take that caught me off guard.
As it turns out, watching Young Sheldon with a Netflix subscription may not be the only way to see Barber as George Sr. going forward into the 2025 TV schedule and beyond. TVLine addressed the idea of Georgie's father appearing in a dream or by some other scenario for Montana Jordan's character. While I figured the answer would be no, Holland gave a response that sounded a lot more promising than I assumed, saying:
I mean, I think it depends. We would never want to undo anything. We’re incredibly proud of the Young Sheldon finale. But if we found the right way to do it…? I mean, Chuck [Lorre] has talked about how he lost his father many, many years ago, but he still dreams about him 30 years later. So, if we found the right sort of emotional reason for Georgie, and it didn’t just feel like a stunt — like, here’s George Sr. crawling his way out of the [grave] — and we treated it respectfully, it would be great to have Lance [Barber] back on.
Similar to how Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage's creative team didn't bring back Sheldon Cooper for the Thanksgiving episode for arbitrary reasons, the series doesn't want other cameos from Young Sheldon characters just for the sake of having one. That said, if any writers concoct a gamechanging idea in which George Sr. appearing to Georgie would make for a powerful or emotional moment, it seems the showrunners would be more receptive to the idea.
George Sr. appearing in a dream or as a ghost may seem a little out there, but The Big Bang Theory went there with Sheldon Cooper before. Sheldon's idol, Professor Proton, appeared in a dream after his death, and as Steve Holland illustrated above, that is an occurrence others can relate to in their everyday lives.
Whether he appears or not, George Sr.'s presence and influence is still inarguably felt early on in the latest series. Steve Holland mentioned in a previous interview that we'll often see the impact of the Cooper family patriarch's absence as Georgie tries to help his growing family, including his mother and sister. Georgie has done a solid job of helping both, but the strain certainly feels like it may be foreshadowing the eventual collapse of his marriage with Mandy.
While Lance Barber's George Sr. may be saved for an emotional moment, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage does seem to be carrying on a familiar recurring tradition from The Big Bang Theory with random celebrity cameos. Surprisingly, it's easier to squeeze Jay Leno's voice into an episode than it is the late George Sr., but hopefully, we'll get to see Lance Barber come back as his character down the road.
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage is still rolling out new episodes on CBS on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For those who have watched the previous shows but still have yet to jump in, I can't recommend it enough.
