CBS’s Classic 2-Part Sitcom Is Officially Climbing Another Streamer’s Charts

Spin-offs of sitcoms are a risky proposition, at best, and most fail spectacularly. Take Joey and The Tortellis, for example: both failed to live up to their parent series — Friends and Cheers, respectively — and, even if we put their lineage aside, they failed to succeed as sitcoms in general. Cheers, however, tempted the fates with a second spin-off and succeeded, scoring a win with Frasier. The Big Bang Theory is set to test those same waters, but with a third spin-off, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, set to debut on HBO Max on July 23. Only time will tell if it leans closer to The Tortellis than to Frasier, but given the success of the first two spin-offs, Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, it’s difficult to write off the ambitious series. In fact, the latter has found success not only on its original streaming home, Paramount+, but also on another streamer: Amazon. And it’s not hard to understand why.

Despite centering the series around The Big Bang Theory‘s breakout character, Young Sheldon kept itself relatively separated from its parent series. The look was different, being shot with single-cam as opposed to multi-cam, and was populated with characters that were rarely seen or even referenced before. And characters seen or referenced more often, like Mary and Meemaw, seemed new, given the setting during Sheldon’s childhood. The biggest difference, though, was in the series’ tone.

Young Sheldon wasn’t a sitcom in the traditional sense like its predecessor, finding laughs in wacky situations rather than building its humor on relatability. The serialized story allowed viewers to get to know the characters more deeply, with the humor arising from how the differing personalities acted during situations. That depth, in turn, made the dramatic elements — and Young Sheldon had no problem addressing more mature themes — that much more impactful.

Arguably, the one character that benefited the most from that depth is Montana Jordan‘s Georgie, Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) older brother. He came in as a typical Texas high school kid who cared more about girls and football than about academics, which he, unlike his prodigious brother, struggled with. Georgie was almost impossible not to like, a responsible young man filled with optimism and moxie, with smarts in practical ways. Over the course of the series, he grew exponentially, making difficult decisions and showing a knack for thinking outside the box.

Then, in Season 5’s “A Lock-In, a Weather Girl and a Disgusting Habit,” he meets Mandy (Emily Osment) and inadvertently gets her pregnant. But he steps up, and their relationship is allowed to foster over the duration of the series; not romanticized but grounded and real, and the onscreen chemistry between Osment and Jordan was tactile. In essence, the heavy lifting of building the relationship and moving it forward was already being done before Georgie & Mandy’s First Wedding even aired.

‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Wedding’ Is the Best of Both Worlds

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage took the best of both worlds: the funny situations and multi-cam filming of The Big Bang Theory, with the depth and honesty of Young Sheldon, separating itself from both. It’s paid off in spades, with the series confirmed for a third season. The dynamic between Georgie and Mandy is still as engaging as it was in its parent series, and the ups and downs of the early days of their marriage are relatable. Jordan alone has great charisma that charms viewers into investing in him, hoping the best for the character.

There’s a strength in its secondary characters that draws viewers. Will Sasso‘s Jim McAllister is a good man, often caught in the crossfire between his wife and Mandy, with a quiet, profoundness beneath the prototypical, rational sitcom husband and father. Furthermore, he has stepped up as a father figure for Georgie in the absence of his own, earning a lot of goodwill from the series’ audience. Connor (Dougie Baldwin), Mandy’s brother, was introduced as a quirky, one-note character but has quickly evolved into an endearing fan-favorite. Audrey McAllister (Rachel Bay Jones) starts the series off on the wrong foot, but has become less caustic and more engaging as the series has progressed.

The other newbie introduced in the series is Ruben (Jessie Prez), a worker at Jim’s tire shop who has been given an increased role as the current co-owner of the same tire shop with Georgie, thanks to the events of the Season 1 finale. Like Connor, Ruben began life as a one-note character, but the increased role has made him far more interesting and well-rounded, with him and Georgie finding a way to work with each other as partners. As far as the “legacy” characters are concerned, like Mary (Zoe Perry) and Meemaw (Annie Potts), they appear often enough to keep the connection with Young Sheldon, but not so often that they trump the journey of the series’ headliners.

So far, those things that appeared to speed up the inevitable divorce between the two leads haven’t presented themselves too clearly, proving that the showrunners are playing the long game. And as long as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage remains popular — on CBS, Paramount+, or on Amazon — that game could play on for many more seasons to come.