George & Mandy’s First Marriage — the title of the Young Sheldon spinoff at CBS — may suggest a level of pessimism about the story but that’s the point of the new multi-camera sitcom launching next spring, explains Executive Producer Chuck Lorre.
“Georgie is 19. He dropped out of high school. How smooth is his marriage going to go?” Lorre told reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Tour. “Yes, there is pessimism at first, but there is hope, as well, if you are patient with us.”
The series from executive producers Lorre, Steve Holland and Steven Molaro and Warner Bros Television will center on the characters of Georgie Cooper and his fiancée Mandy McAllister, played on Young Sheldon by Montana Jordan and Emily Osment, respectively. Unlike Young Sheldon, the comedy will be multi-camera — which, predictably, spawned questions from reporters about the viability of the format.
‘We’ve done this long enough and heard multiple times that multi-camera sitcoms are dead,” said Holland. “Before The Big Bang Theory, people liked to make these predictions but all it takes is something the audience connects with and it’s not true anymore.”
“I try to pursue things that I’m excited about, that are wonderful, where I’m working with people I love and admire, to tell great stories that have the potential of making people laugh,” added Lorre. “What a wonderful thing to do. Did you make people laugh? That’s not a bad day. What the industry perceives as viable, that’s none of my business, actually. I try to stay focused on doing things that I love.”
Lorre kicked off the panel for George & Mandy by reminding reporters how, 17 years ago, they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about The Big Bang Theory. “A show about physicists, really?”
“All is forgiven,” Lorre quipped. “I’m doing it again. I’m really excited.”
The comedy, which is filming on the same Warner Bros. soundstage of The Big Bang Theory, will tape its first episode next week in Burbank.