As if Georgie and Mandy’s relationship wasn’t already complicated enough with just one pair of parents (and a grandmother, and some siblings, and God’s glory) around, Young Sheldon is about to bring even more potential discomfort into the equation. With the dramedy now in the thick of its sixth season on CBS, co-creators Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro have at last found a pair of talented actors to fill the roles of Mandy’s parents, and it won’t just be for a one-off appearance, either.
No stranger to A+ guest star appearances, Young Sheldon will soon have Mom and Loudermilk vet Will Sasso joining The Good Doctor and God Friended Me actress Rachel Bay Jones making their way into the Cooper family’s lives. While we won’t get to see them all that much throughout the remainder of the season, they are officially recurring guest stars, according to Deadline. Which could mean they’ll appear over the course of several weeks in a row, or they could pop up sporadically every few weeks as Mandy gets further along in her pregnancy.
As Audrey McCallister, Rachel Bay Jones will play a headstrong and opinionated mother who comes off as rough around the edges where her daughter is concerned. She’s especially judgmental when it comes to Mandy’s current status in life, particularly when it comes to getting preggo for Georgie, and her thoughts will likely be known to all, as she’s not known for filtering anything out.
It sounds like she’ll be pleasant enough for George, Mary, Meemaw and the rest of the family, assuming the topic of Mandy’s oven bun doesn’t come up. But the same can’t be said for how things go with her daughter and her husband, where she wields more of a commanding hand.
On the flip side of things, Will Sasso will be taking on the role of Jim McCallister. Considering the comedian’s career playing genial goofballs, I think it’s no huge surprise to learn that Jim will not be a raging fireball of testosterone. Rather, he’s the kind of guy who has everyone’s best interests at heart as the owner of the local tire store.
It sounds like he’s as supportive as can be about Mandy and Georgie’s situation, at least mentally speaking. But since that situation has caused a strain in his marriage with Audrey, he may have troubles finding ways to appease both of the women in his life at any given moment.
Rachel Bay Jones is just an Oscar short of an EGOT, having won her Tony, Emmy, and Grammy trophies for her work in Dear Evan Hansen. On the TV side of things, she was most recently seen in her recurring role on ABC’s The Good Doctor, and in CBS’ one-and-done sitcom The United States of Al, which was co-created by Chuck Lorre. So that working relationship was clearly a good one for all involved, as they’ll be together anew for Young Sheldon.
The same goes for Sasso, with Lorre also being part of the creative team behind Mom. (Also worth noting: both Sasso and Jones have appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family.) The madTV vet lent his vocal chops to Netflix’s F Is for Family in its final season in 2021, and will soon be seen in the second season of Apple TV+’s original Acapulco.
Mandy actress Emily Osment scored a big promotion on Young Sheldon earlier this year, ahead of the big pregnancy reveal. And since CBS already renewed the dramedy hit through Season 7, there's a good chance we'll get even more acquainted with the McCallister family over time, even though we don't yet know when the two actors will arrive.
Young Sheldon airs Thursday nights on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Paramount+ subscription. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other shows are yet to debut before the year’s end.
