Georgie And Mandy's First Marriage Is Bringing Back A Major Young Sheldon Character

"Young Sheldon" spin-off "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" is doing its best to establish itself as a different show from its predecessor in terms of style and tone. However, it has also paid tribute to the sitcom with a huge Cooper reunion, bringing Mary (Zoe Perry), Missy (Raegan Revord) and Connie (Annie Potts) back for cameo appearances — and now it will bring back another beloved character. In a surprising turn of events, Lance Barber is returning as George Cooper Sr. after the character was killed off from the franchise. George tragically died after suffering a heart attack in Season 7, Episode 12, which was one of the saddest ever "Young Sheldon" episodes.

However, while George may be gone, he is definitely not forgotten. And thanks to a bit of TV editing magic, he will return in one of his son Georgie's (Montana Jordan) dreams. "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," executive producer Steve Holland confirmed to TVLine. He added: "[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." 

The date for Barber's small screen return has yet to be revealed, but the producer did confirm that his scenes will air as part of the first season of "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage."

"Young Sheldon" star Lance Barber has always been open to returning to the beloved TV franchise as long as it added it to the story. Of course, "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" has already paid tribute to his character in previous episodes, but this upcoming return will aid Georgie's character progression.

As fans know, Georgie has taken on a lot in the wake of his father's death as the new patriarch of the Cooper clan. And he definitely wishes he could be leaning on his dad now as he navigates being a newlywed and young father, as well as someone who Mary and Missy can count on. To prove that he's coping and can do it all, Georgie has sunk a lot of energy into his career at the tire shop, too, but he seems to be burning the candle at both ends. Viewers begin to see the consequences of this in Episode 2 when Georgie has an anxiety attack in scenes that mirrored George's own near-fatal heart attack in "Young Sheldon" Season 1, Episode 3.

It seems that George's appearance in Georgie's dream could be a much needed wake up call for him to slow down. According to Steve Molaro, Georgie feels like he's failing his dad, but hopefully their dream interaction will prove to him that this is not the case. The upcoming dream sequence, which will manifest as a conversation between the father and son in the old Cooper kitchen, may end up being a very heartwarming scene. Without revealing any specific details, Barber shared his personal thoughts on what words of wisdom George would pass on to Georgie in this moment, noting that the character would want his son to know he's proud of him. "He knew that he was leaving him with a heavy burden, and he knew that he was the kind of man who could handle that kind of burden," he told Dexerto.