How Young Sheldon Star Annie Potts Really Feels About The Georgie And Mandy Spin-Off

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Often, when a sitcom is spun off from a hit series, the show to which it owes its existence is still on the air. For instance, in the 1970s, Norman Lear's "All in the Family" ran concurrently with its spinoffs "Maude," "The Jeffersons" and, technically, "Good Times" (which was spun off from "Maude"). Then there are spinoffs that arrive immediately after the final season of a hugely popular show. Sometimes, the creators hit the jackpot, like with "Frasier." And sometimes you get "AfterMASH."

Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro have taken a unique approach with their post-"The Big Bang Theory" sitcoms. They devised a prequel series for Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) with "Young Sheldon," and then stayed in that timeline with "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage." There have been some regrets regarding the transition from "Young Sheldon" to "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" (Lorre in particular wishes they hadn't killed off George Sr.), and genuine anger in the case of Annie Potts, whose beloved Connie "Meemaw" Tucker didn't make the main cast for the new series.

Potts and other cast members like Raegan Revord and Lance Barber were particularly upset about the secrecy. "We were totally ambushed by this," said Potts. "I was, anyway." Though Potts, Revord, and even Barber have made appearances on "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," it seems like there's still a bit of resentment over how it all went down, according to Jessica Radloff's dishy behind-the-scenes book "Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw's-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Series." Potts certainly isn't holding back.

In Radloff's book, Potts says, "I think if they had been able to say, 'We're going to be spinning off, and these are the characters we'll be spinning off... it doesn't mean we don't love you all, but this is where we want to go creatively next.'" Potts was also concerned about losing a lucrative gig at the age of 73 because, sadly, Hollywood sexism and ageism is alive and well in the 21st century.

Potts felt that the writers' decision to have Meemaw bring Georgie into the gambling room, and have Mandy live with her, made her a natural for the main cast of the spinoff. That's why getting passed over stunned her:

"I felt devalued. It's like [they were saying], 'It was fun to have you in this, but we don't really need you in that because you don't bring all that much to the party.' So, being entirely honest, I will confess to having those sinking feelings of, like, just not feeling that worthwhile."

When the "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" writers told her Meemaw would make guest appearances, she didn't feel it was the "generous invitation" Lorre and company thought it was. This is no way to treat the actor who gave us such memorable characters as Janine Melnitz ("Ghostbusters"), Iona ("Pretty in Pink"), and the voice of Bo Peep in the "Toy Story" movies. Fortunately, she recently landed a main cast role in Fox's well-received medical comedy "Best Medicine."