Why George Sr. Won't Cameo In Young Sheldon's Georgie And Mandy Spin-Off Again
The "Young Sheldon" sequel spin-off and "Big Bang Theory" prequel, "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," begins almost immediately in the aftermath of a massive, tragic loss. Cooper family patriarch, George Sr. (Lance Barber) passed away suddenly from a heart attack, leaving the family bereft. Sheldon (Iain Armitage) has left for college and Georgie (Montana Jordan) has started his life with his wife Mandy (Emily Osment) and their infant daughter, CeeCee, leaving the family split while still reeling. In the series' first season, however, there was one chance for Barber to reprise his role as George Sr., because the character appears to Georgie in a dream, helping to guide him forward in his life.
As wonderful as the elder George is, Jordan has shared that it was extremely unlikely we would ever see Barber return in the role on the series, because narratively, they had simply moved past that point. George Sr. was a very important part of "Young Sheldon" and shaped the characters on "Georgie & Mandy," but it's time for Georgie to grow up a bit without his father around, and that means no more dreamy visits from Papa George.
Georgie has to learn to truly stand on his own
In an interview with Dexerto, Montana Jordan revealed that they're very unlikely to ever have George Sr. appear again, saying:
"I mean, that would kind of be going against the storyline. He's passed away and now you've seen Georgie become the man of the household. But hey, maybe we'd see him as a ghost someday. There ain't no telling."
It's tough to imagine them wanting to get rid of Barber entirely, as the talented comedic actor brought a lot of love and empathy to George, getting emotional over scenes with his fictional son. George changed quite a bit between "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon," with the writers even retconning certain things the elder Sheldon (Jim Parsons) said and believed about his father, but a part of what made him so lovable was Barber's performance. The idea of George returning as a ghost is a lot of fun and is something that could potentially happen at some point, but it's not super likely because this is Georgie's story now, and he has to grow into his own sense of fatherhood. Maybe we'll see him in the show's eventual finale, Force Ghost style, looking on as a proud father, but fans might just have to accept that they've truly seen George for the last time.