‘It Was Fun’: Lance Barber Talks Reprising ‘Young Sheldon’ Role for ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’

The Feb. 27 episode of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage brought back Lance Barber’s George Sr. and the actor opened up about the return. Despite Barber’s character dying off-screen from a heart attack ahead of the Young Sheldon series finale last year, the spinoff made it so George Sr. appeared in a dream that Georgie (Montana Jordan) had while sick with the flu in “Typhoid Georgie.”

Not only did Barber return, but he and Jordan’s reunion happened in the Cooper family kitchen, and it was as touching as ever. “Some of the people watching the scenes were visually emotional seeing me on that kitchen set,” Barber told USA Today. “This is a beloved character. It was fun to feel those feels and be so appreciated, even in the sadness.”

When George Sr. died on Young Sheldon, it was expected. Fans had known since The Big Bang Theory that Sheldon’s dad passed away when he was a teenager and just before going off to Caltech. It was only just a matter of time before George Sr. died, and the series threw a curveball right before the end, with him dying of a heart attack off-screen. Since many Young Sheldon actors have been returning for Georgie & Mandy, it was hard to tell if Barber would be one of the lucky ones, but the show made it work.

Whether or not Barber has the chance to return to Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is unknown, but since he’s already appeared once, it’s quite possible. If the story makes sense, that is. At the very least, his first appearance on the show was as emotional as ever and probably brought a sense of closure to Georgie and a realization about his life. How this will impact him moving forward will be something to look out for.

Now that Georgie & Mandy has been renewed for a second season, there are plenty of chances for Lance Barber to return or for other Young Sheldon actors to come back yet again. Iain Armitage has yet to appear on the show, but it will probably just be a matter of time before Sheldon Cooper comes back from Caltech, even if it’s just briefly. In the meantime, new episodes air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.