Young Sheldon's George Sr. Returns! Lance Barber On His Georgie & Mandy Comeback And Why The Character Still Resonates

Lance Barber is back on "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" — and once again, George Sr.'s presence looms large over the Cooper family.

In Season 2, Episode 18, "A New Scoreboard and a Horse's You Know What," Georgie (Montana Jordan) sets out to honor his late father — Medford High's beloved football coach, who died during "Young Sheldon" Season 7 — by raising funds for a new scoreboard bearing George Sr.'s name.

Despite donations from Jim, Audrey, Connor, Ruben, Missy (Raegan Revord), Tom (Rex Linn, making his "Georgie & Mandy" debut), and Wayne (Doc Farrow), Georgie comes up short. Worse still, his chief business rival, Fred Fagenbacher (Matt Letscher), offers to foot the entire bill on one condition: the scoreboard must also feature the Fagenbacher Auto logo.

The compromise doesn't sit well with Georgie, leading to another dream featuring his dad — only this time, it plays out as a full-blown nightmare, with George Sr. embracing Fagenbacher as his son while ignoring Georgie entirely.

It's Mary (Zoe Perry) who ultimately forces Fagenbacher to back down, before Georgie uses the money he managed to raise to have the school's snack bar named after his father instead.

Ahead of the episode, Barber spoke with TVLine about revisiting George through Georgie's dreams, why the character's legacy continues to resonate with fans, and what it's meant to remain such a central presence on the show even after his death. Scroll down for our full Q&A.

TVLINE | When we last spoke around George Sr.'s death, you said fans most often approached you about the Season 2 episode where George takes Missy on a father-daughter date to Red Lobster. Has that shifted at all since he's been gone?

No, I think that has stuck, honestly. I just watched that episode again recently, and I understand why. That hasn't shifted in regards to people approaching me and saying it's one of their favorite episodes, that's for sure. People do say they have other things they love about the show, or George, or my relationships, but that still seems to be the one that stands out.

TVLINE | By that point, "Young Sheldon" had already changed how fans saw George Sr. from "The Big Bang Theory" version. Even so, did the intensity of the reaction to his death surprise you at all?

It did. I mean, that's the second thing I hear about, aside from the Red Lobster [episode] — how it crushed people. I mean, just the other day, in public, I've had people approach me about what it meant to them personally because they had a [similar] experience with a parent they lost — certainly about a father they've lost. I've been approached about that a number of times, and that's always quite moving, so I think that really stuck in people's minds. 

I was always curious to come back to "Georgie & Mandy" to see how it would land on people. In the first season, when George appeared, I think it was really appropriate to be seen in Georgie's dreams. Of course he would have dreams of his father. Dreams are something where all kinds of things can happen, right? They're not reality. But just the fact that he shows up, I think showed the significance of what that character had on people that watched the show.

TVLINE | At the time, I didn't realize you had dressed up as a distant relative and attended George's funeral. Beyond the Easter egg for fans, did that help you and the cast get through what must've been a pretty emotional few days on set?
I hope that it did. That was some of the intention. It was for morale, it was for a very heavy day at work, having a funeral. There's a lot of acting going on that required a lot of emotion. And it also marked what was going to be the end of seven years for all of us on the show. So it wasn't just George's death — it was a marker for all of this time that we spent together and it coming to an end. So it was highly emotional, I think, for everybody.

It was also a long-running inside joke on the show. I came into this job knowing that George, in the history of the show, was going to die, right? Those that watched "The Big Bang Theory" — we had fans who didn't watch "Big Bang," but most of them knew that George had passed on when Sheldon was a young man. So there was always the running joke on set with me and Zoe [Perry], and Annie [Potts] and the kids, too, that if George ever kicks the bucket in any of these seasons, there's always a chance for Lance to keep working if I come back as his twin sister.

There was a show called "The Beverly Hillbillies." Max Baer Jr. played Jethro, and he also would come on the show in drag as Jethreen, Jethro's sister. That was kind of our inside joke — I would do a Jethreen or a "Georgette" or a "Georgina," and come back on the show in drag just so I could stay on the show. So part of that day was also to hit the punchline on that joke. One of our producers said, "If we're going to do this, today's the day to do it." And I said, "Well, it would also be great for morale, give everybody a smile... let's do it." They hustled through costume department to find something that would fit me, and hair to find a wig that would fit me, and I went into makeup and showed up in the congregation for George's funeral.

TVLINE | You knew at that point that "Georgie & Mandy" had been greenlit. What has it meant to you to see George Sr.'s legacy carry over in such a significant way through these first two seasons, even in episodes you don't appear in?

It means the world to me. The fact that that is such a storyline for Georgie and the family, and they're addressed it in very pointed ways — going to the grave site, and having holidays without George — it's there. So George's presence, aside from any sort of dream sequence where I might be there, is felt. And to have a legacy like that for a TV show... you know, I tell my friends, for a while, I felt like "America's Dad," like a lot of sitcom dads did in the '80s for me. And now I got to have a job that had that quality... that status, so to know that carried over into the next show, and that George is felt there so significantly, it means a lot to me.

TVLINE | Your return in Season 1 felt like a perfect bookend to George's last conversation with Georgie in the Coopers' backyard. You're still playing the same character, but it's also something of an idealized version of George, frozen in amber. This latest dream sequence is obviously more comedic, but has it felt different playing him in these moments than it did when he was alive?
Yeah, I think that it has, because of what you just said. These are dreams of George, so I like to address that. These are dreams of who George was in Georgie's mind. And I also think this is who George is or can be in the producers' and writers' minds for a sitcom. So the idea that we might see George again in a dream and it is for comic effect is appropriate to the story for Georgie. It certainly is in this one, in regards to how his father's affected his life beyond the grave — the things that he carries with him that he took from his father. But also to land, as dreams often do, in a strange and funny way.

TVLINE | This episode is built around honoring George — going back to Medford High, revisiting those relationships. What was it like for you watching those scenes unfold, especially that bar scene with Georgie, Tom, and Wayne? Did it feel a bit like being a fly on the wall?
Yeah, it did. I watched rehearsals of [that scene] and it landed, and then I got to see the final episode on screen after it was filmed. The reveal of Coach Cooper's name on something at the ball field, and the very appropriate and funny joke of what it was, and the intentions of what Georgie wanted to do for his dad — it all landed as one would expect. We talked about the way way that they carried George's legacy through the show, and this really hit it — and it really hit me personally to see all that, for sure. To hear them talk about and remember George, in such a fond and funny way, meant a great deal to me, as an actor and just as a person who worked with these people, too.

TVLINE | We actually missed each other on set by one day in December. I was there doing cast interviews, and the next day, on my flight back to New York, I saw on Instagram that you were all back in the Cooper family living room. The show has been rebuilding so much of the "Young Sheldon" world this season — sets we have not seen since the series finale. Is that like stepping back into your old high school, stepping back onto those sets?
It is. It's nostalgic, for sure, in the short time that we've been away, but it's been a couple years since I've been on those sets. So to see them again on the "Georgie & Mandy" set, it smacks you a bit. And then when we were there with [series co-creator] Chuck [Lorre]... it was a great picture of us on the couch in the living room. You notice the dimensions, it's different. The fourth wall's gone, the room's smaller, but it's clearly where we were. Same with the dining room and the kitchen.We all just sat and had a conversation to catch up between takes in the dining room, and that wasn't lost on me that we were sitting there and I was in George's spot at the head of the table. 

It was such a significant and meaningful job for me. None of those things are going to be lost when I see them. I'm so grateful for it, so to revisit it at all, it's moving. I'm just happy to be able to visit and still be a part of that world.

TVLINE | That living room popping back up a few weeks ago made me realize — we hadn't seen that set since George died.
Oh, that didn't land on me.

TVLINE | Yep, that was the first time, when you came to visit during rehearsals for Season 2, Episode 14.
Since Petersen and Wayne came to the front door with the terrible news. How interesting...

TVLINE | I don't know how closely you've been watching, but I've spoken with Montana Jordan and Zoe Perry about Mary's journey this season — from starting to date again, to the early hints of chemistry we see with Fagenbacher. What's your take on how the show has approached that balance, honoring George's memory while also allowing her to move forward?
I mean, that's the story. I think that the writers will do what they did so well [on "Young Sheldon"], which is honor the history of the show and create something new with it that they didn't get to explore before. It was all kind of loose on "Young Sheldon" — we had all these notions about Sheldon's family, but they weren't fleshed out, right? And now is their opportunity to flesh those things out that people don't know about.

What a great opportunity, and what a great opportunity for Zoe, whose comedic talents get to shine in such a way. Her stuff with Fagenbacher — she has a run with him in this episode that is really fantastic. I'm glad we get to see that, and it honors the originator of the role, her mother, in such a way when she gets to lean into it in a different tone and style of comedy with the multi-cam.

TVLINE | Yes. Seeing her in that scene, you almost feel like you're watching Laurie Metcalf at times.
Yeah, it's incredible.

TVLINE | Thus far, the show has brought George back through dream sequences. Has there ever been any discussion — with you, or as far as you know — about bringing him back in newly created flashbacks, to give you the chance to share scenes again not just with Montana Jordan, but also Zoe Perry, Raegan Revord... maybe even at some point Iain Armitage?
Oh, interesting. No, I haven't heard anything like that. Those are conversations I wouldn't be privy to until decisions are made. I have no idea if that's [going to be] the case. But right now, I do love the idea that if we see George again, [those dreams are] the space he lives in. It's the Georgie-and-Mandy show, and this is Georgie's experience. I like the filter of it being through that. 

It would be fun to play with all those people again. That I would consider, jumping at the chance to have moments with them — but also, Georgie can dream anything, including his whole family together. I don't suspect that the writers and producers — they're so smart — would ever do anything that would be considered "jumping the shark." But the idea that this is the world we see George in makes sense to me. I can buy that. Otherwise, it might seem a bit contrived. I like that if he shows up, it's in the memories and dreams of his son, who misses him.

TVLINE | I also thought it was clever that your first appearance last season didn't have a laugh track.
Yes. We pre-shot that scene, and I wasn't sure what they would do. Usually, they would play it for the audience and get real audience laughter, as they do with pre-shot scenes on multi-cams — they're real reactions — and I wondered if they would do that. When I saw that they left it quiet, it landed harder, to great effect, and I'm so glad they did it. It let the moment be what it was without anybody telling you where to laugh at the jokes, so that was thoughtful of the writers to do that.

TVLINE | Certainly the jump scare wouldn't have landed the same way otherwise.
Yes, well the jump scare was something.

TVLINE | Stepping outside the character for a moment, what has it been like for you watching Montana grow into a leading man?
What's neat is that I have kids, so I got to watch my kids grow up — the joy of seeing them get older — and I get to experience that with these kids, too. Montana is someone who came into this from a different place, not having much experience. He wasn't a theater kid, he wasn't a show business kid. He didn't have a context for what we were doing. We would mention shows and movies, and he had no idea what we were talking about. He had other interests, which I loved about the kid.

As our director on the "Young Sheldon" pilot, Jon Favreau, said — watching a scene we did in the locker room, where Georgie and George Sr. are lamenting Sheldon coming to high school — he just killed that scene. And Favreau said, "He's one of those kids... he's got that thing you can't teach." He's not studied. He wasn't studied. He could just do it. People call that talent, I guess.

So he had that, and then he added to it by being in this world where he is a smart, quick study and learned the skills of the business. I watched him grow — not just hitting marks and knowing what to do in front of the camera, but comic timing. Regardless of your talent, you still have things to learn and hone, and he got to do that on this show. And to watch that journey — watching him grow to be the lead of a comedy — is quite an accomplishment, and really fun and satisfying to watch.

TVLINE | And lastly, we've seen Georgie go to his father's grave site when he needs guidance. What does it mean to you that George still serves as his moral compass?
Personally, it means the world to me — that I, Lance the actor, get to live through that character in that way. That's significant to Georgie, but also clearly to the audience. And it's something not just sentimental, but identifiable for so many people — who we look to for guidance, even when those people may no longer be with us.

And they might even be idealized, maybe even a little wrong, but they're still the foundation of how we move forward. So to play with that, to give Georgie that, and to continue to be that element of this new show — to live on through that — is wonderful.

New Season 2 episodes of "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" continue to air Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS (and stream on Paramount+) through May 21.