Opening dance, young Sheldon guests

The producers behind CBS’s new ‘Young Sheldon’ spinoff ‘Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage’ knew the show had to immediately address the comedic elephant in the room: unlike ‘Sheldon,’ which was a half-hour, single-camera affair , were ‘Georgie and Mandy ‘ is a multi-cam laffer recording in front of a live studio audience.

Of course, that’s also how ‘The Big Bang Theory’ – the hit that spawned ‘Young Sheldon’ – was recorded. The multi-to-single-to-multi camera whiplash from ‘Big Bang’ to ‘Sheldon’ to ‘Georgie & Mandy’ may be unprecedented in TV history. That’s why Georgie (Montana Jordan) references it on the show during the very first minutes of the premiere episode.

“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” (which premieres Thursday night on CBS) is set around 1995, which is why we see the cast watching “Frasier” in the opener. Georgie calls that multi-camera sitcom a “laugh show” and compares it to the era’s most prominent single-camera half-hour, “The Wonder Years.” As he notes, while you hear the audience laughing at shows like “Frasier,” you don’t at shows like “The Wonder Years.” So, “Is ‘The Wonder Years’ funny?” he asks. “We’ll never know.”

The question of “what is a comedy” is a hot topic these days, given the debate over “The Bear” and its Emmy campaign in the comedy competition. But executive producer Steve Holland told it Variety that Georgie’s comments were really a way for the new show to acknowledge that change in production style from “Sheldon” to “Georgie & Mandy.”

“Switching formats from single-cam back to multi-cam was partly to give the show its own flavor,” Holland said. “But we also knew it would be something that people would notice and talk about. So we thought, why not just own it right away? Why don’t we just come out and say, ‘We know what we’re doing. We know there is a switch. This is a different kind of show,’ and just face it.’

Viewers won’t be shocked by the new look, however, as much of the feel and style of “Georgie & Mandy” remains true to the tone and visual colors of “Young Sheldon.”

“We were really trying to honor the tone of ‘Young Sheldon,’ and not just have a dramatic departure,” Holland said. “I mean, it’s still alive in that world. We still felt like there needed to be continuity with that world. And also, as we move on to multi-cam, I think there’s a lot of things that people are responding to that are kind of old-school style of multi-cam, that are very bright and very heavy on laughs. We didn’t think we should do a show like that… I think if you’re a ‘Young Sheldon’ fan, the fact that it’s a multi will fade into the background very quickly. It will just feel like you are looking at that world again.

Behind the scenes, Holland said it took some adjustment to write scenes that take place on fewer sets, in front of an audience.

“It kind of changes the way you structure stories,” says Hollard. “But when we started working on it, we realized it didn’t have to be a super funny multi-cam either. We had a tone that was established on ‘Sheldon’, and when we got into it, it was very similar to writing scenes on ‘Sheldon’. The bigger difference was that it’s a bit more like theater. These scenes play out and usually last a little longer than on ‘Young Sheldon’.”

“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” follows Georgie, who is still in his teens when he becomes a father to older Mandy (Emily Osment). The events follow the ending of “Young Sheldon,” which ended with George Sr.’s death. and Sheldon’s transition to college. Georgie and Mandy are back in Medford, Texas, married and moving in with her parents (Rachel Bay Jones and Will Sasso) and brother (Dougie Baldwin) to raise their baby. Georgie also gets a job in his father-in-law’s garage, where colleague Ruben (Jessie Prez) is less than enthusiastic.

“One of the things that was exciting about the show is that this is such an unusual relationship,” Holland said. “There is an age difference and they come from two different worlds. They were thrown together almost by accident. No matter how much love there is, it will not be an easy road for them.”

And that’s where the opening credits come into play. In the title sequence, Jordan and Osment perform a tango, choreographed by “Dancing With the Stars” alumni Jonathan and Oksana Platero.

The idea came from fellow exec producer Steve Molaro. “It was unusual. You don’t expect it. And it really just summed up the show in a really fun, interesting way,” Holland said. “And so we brought in choreographers who had done ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and who were used to working with non-dancers. I think they only had about four days of rehearsal to master that dance. And they were just fantastic.

“It just felt like that was right because there’s a lot of passion in it, and there’s also a push/pull and an energy,” he added. “That will be true in their relationship. I mean, no relationship is easy, and theirs comes with a lot more baggage, which will make it difficult. These characters clearly have a lot of love for each other, but there are a lot of things they have to navigate through. That shouldn’t be easy, and that’s a good thing, because it produces stories.” (And fans of the “Big Bang” universe know that this relationship eventually ends — hence the title, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.”)

It’s a new show, but that doesn’t mean fans of “Young Sheldon” won’t feel right at home. Not only is the character ‘Sheldon’ mentioned often, but it’s not long before Georgie’s mother Mary (Zoe Perry) and his meemaw (Annie Potts) appear in the first episode.

“We try to walk that line of honoring those things, especially for fans of the show, but we’re not doing anything that closes the door to new viewers,” Holland said. “But for us, I think the most important thing is to make the show its own and really give these new characters room to breathe. But we are in the incredibly fortunate position of having a selection of top talent that we can bring in. We’ve got Zoe Perry and Annie Potts waiting in the wings. It was very exciting to be able to do that. And that also ensures continuity. They are still in this world. These people are still part of Georgie’s family. It’s about finding ways to use those characters that feel like they’re serving this show.