A recent (and excellent) Collider article made note of an inexplicable disparity in FlixPatrol’s Top 10 TV Shows on HBO Max. On the one end is IT: Welcome to Derry, the series that brings Stephen King‘s Pennywise back to the small screen in what is arguably one of the best all-time horror series. On the other is its complete opposite, a low-stakes sitcom that is the definition of comfort watch. A horror event show and a sitcom being on the same Top 10 list isn’t all that strange, but what is strange is the sitcom itself. It’s not a heavy-hitter like Abbott Elementary or Friends, or even a guilty TGIF throwback pleasure like Family Matters. It’s more recent than either, a spin-off of a spin-off. It’s Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, and the underdog series has found streaming success on its own terms.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ Defies Logic to Succeed
It doesn’t take a genius to know that The Big Bang Theory was a huge success for CBS, on air for 12 seasons. It’s not all that surprising that a spin-off centered around the series’ breakout character, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), would also be successful, documenting his formative years in Young Sheldon. But the success of its spin-off, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, is a little surprising. The only character in it to show up on a semi-regular basis on The Big Bang Theory is Mary Cooper, and even her appearance on the series is intermittent. Missy (Raegan Revord), arguably the breakout character of Young Sheldon, has only appeared a handful of times, and Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) not in it at all. And the idea that the titular couple would be moving in with Mandy’s parents, one of which, Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones), was easily the least likable character, had disaster written all over it.
A return to the multi-camera format of The Big Bang Theory placed the series right back into the world of the conventional sitcom, seemingly a step backward from the bold choice of the single-camera format of its parent series. What it did have going for it was the legitimately engaging relationship between Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment), a highlight of Young Sheldon‘s later episodes. But thinking it would be enough to shoulder their own series, especially one that foretells a doomed future right there in the title, was a stretch.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ Overtakes ‘Young Sheldon’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on an Unexpected Streamer
What do you call a spin-off of a spin-off?
But defying logic, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage was a success from the start. Both Jordan and Osment are effortlessly charismatic, especially freed from the restraints of being supporting characters. Audrey, as the series progresses, becomes a little less caustic, while Will Sasso‘s Jim rides a fine line between being supportive and exasperated. The addition of Mandy’s brother, Connor (Dougie Baldwin), proved to be a savvy move as well, a quirky character in the vein of Sheldon, but, again, as the series progresses, he becomes deeper and more interesting. And key moments in their stories, like Georgie becoming co-owner of the tire shop, are spread out well enough to breathe.
It Shouldn’t Be Surprising That ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ Is a Streaming Success
Still, it’s surprising that Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has found streaming success. But should it be? When you realize that it has leapfrogged both of its parent series on streaming, then perhaps yes. Then again, you can’t switch a channel without hitting The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon doesn’t have that same comfort to it. So no, it isn’t all that surprising that of the three it would be on top, but being in the Top 10 shouldn’t be surprising either.
The series has found success on its own. It has the familiarity of a sitcom, with the comforting beats of easy laughs, simplicity, and funny situations, yet, like its predecessor, it holds an emotional depth and warmth that other sitcoms lack. The characters – yes, including Audrey – are easy to root for, with a closeness that is challenged from time to time but stands firm. And where Young Sheldon was held, to a large degree, to those things we knew about Sheldon’s past – his father’s death, for example – making it a checklist of sorts, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage doesn’t have those same restrictions. Sure, it’s counting down to the end of the marriage somehow, someway, but that’s never been explicitly defined anywhere, so its sandbox is much larger. It’s hot chocolate in a world of bitters, and that means something. It means that this underdog’s placing in streaming’s Top 10 is exactly where it should be.
