CBSBe still my beating heart. The moment Young Sheldon fans have been waiting almost a year for is finally happening tonight (February 27, 2025), all thanks to Georgie & Mandy.
Whenever I feel down, I have all seasons of Young Sheldon on in the background. Watching the Cooper family go about their daily lives – and work around the needs of their genius son – is the type of telly comfort that keeps on giving years down the line.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage continues the Cooperverse, but we have to watch it after the family has basically been torn apart. Sheldon has gone off to Caltech and George died of a heart attack in Season 7 Episode 12, meaning Mary still struggles to do much of anything.
In short, we can never truly get the glory days of Young Sheldon back. Or can we? This week, Georgie & Mandy is giving it its best shot by bringing back the one face CBS knows we want to see the most.
George returns from the dead in tonight’s Georgie & Mandy episode
Brace yourself, people. Tonight’s the night Georgie sees now-dead George Cooper in a dream, with actor Lance Barber making an appearance in Episode 12, titled ‘Typhoid Georgie’.
CBSJudging by the episode synopsis, it’s likely Georgie sees his late dad in a fever dream, with CBS explaining: “Georgie worries he’s letting his family down when he’s forced to stay home with a cold; Mandy worries about how her career will affect her marriage.”
George’s return was officially revealed in January, with co-creator Steve Holland explaining: “His dad visits him in a dream. George is thinking about his dad, and he’s worried that his dad might be disappointed in him…. [the idea] came out of a conversation we’d had with Chuck, even early on, talking about the show.
“Chuck had said about his own father that he still dreams about him, he still visits him, so that was a thing we had thought about. And then when we were breaking this episode, it just seemed like a great opportunity to bring George back.”
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Barber also added how emotional scenes were to film while arriving back on set. “Some of the people watching the scenes were visually emotional seeing me on that kitchen set. This is a beloved character. It was fun to feel those feels and be so appreciated, even in the sadness,” he said.
CBSGiven the Cooper house hasn’t been used since the spinoff started airing (bar one cutaway to Missy’s bedroom), some of the original Young Sheldon set had to be rebuilt for the new scenes. However, fans will notice some details haven’t come back – and that’s because they were taken by cast and crew.
“This little hobo figurine didn’t make it back, along with some refrigerator magnets that had been there for years,” added Barber, saying items “were probably pillaged by cast and crew and are sitting in someone’s living room.”
Barber first spoke about a potential Georgie & Mandy cameo back in October 2024, telling Dexerto: “I’d be open to getting the offer, that would be so flattering,” he explained to Dexerto. “If they figure out a way to do it that wasn’t diminishing what they’ve already established.
“If the writers decided to do that, they would do that in a thoughtful and classy way as opposed to a stunt to get people to watch the ghost of George Cooper return. If that could be done, then I would consider it. Otherwise, I’m really satisfied.”
Check out our Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage review and our interview with George Cooper’s Lance Barber. Find out how it copied Young Sheldon’s most upsetting moment, and how the spinoff addresses its most controversial change.