Georgie & Mandy's Emily Osment, EP Talk Threat To First Marriage (Chris Gorham!) And Season 2 Plans
Is divorce already in sight for Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage?
Thursday's Season 1 finale lobbed a pair of curveballs at the titular couple, including the introduction of Mandy's ex-boyfriend, former San Antonio station manager Scott (played by Christopher Gorham). He just so happens to be her boss again, and maybe... possibly... most definitely still has feelings for her.
Meanwhile, after Mary agreed to put the Cooper house up as collateral, Georgie secured a bank loan and, along with new business partner Ruben, bought McAllister Auto & Tire from father-in-law Jim. The future Dr. Tire is determined to keep the family business afloat and take it to new heights, which probably means he'll have less time to devote to his wife — especially if he wants to fend off arch-rival Fred Fagenbacher.
In separate interviews, TVLine spoke with series star Emily Osment and showrunner Steve Holland about the state of Georgie and Mandy's union, and how each of their careers may get in the way of their first marriage in Season 2 (airing Thursdays this fall on CBS).
TVLINE | Shortly after you cast Christopher Gorham as Scott, he went and nabbed a starring role on CBS' Sheriff Country, which is set to shoot in Toronto. Does that change your plans for Season 2? Will it force you to recast?
HOLLAND | We don't want to recast. We love Chris. That's a CBS show as well, so our hope is that we can work it out with their production team when we need him, and we can get ahead. One of the benefits of that show being single camera is he probably won't be shooting every day. Obviously, it's out of the country, which makes it a little tricky, but we're pretty confident we can work it out.
TVLINE | The audience has to believe there's some sort of lingering connection between Mandy and Scott for him to feel like a viable threat to Georgie and Mandy's marriage. What was it like to develop that relationship with Chris?
OSMENT | That's a good question. We're so lucky to have Mark Cendrowski, our longtime director, who did hundreds of episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and he's a really great resource for us when it comes to finding that balance of "How much do we want to tease that these two really had real feelings for each other?" and "Is that still there?" And there is definitely a moment in the finale where they hug each other and there's a little bit of tension. That made me nervous, too. I was, like, "No, no, but we love Georgie!"
TVLINE | Let's talk about that scene in Scott's office. The hug, the lingering stare.... Scott clearly has residual feelings for Mandy. Does Mandy share those feelings? And does she trust herself in that moment?
HOLLAND | She fully trusts herself, but I think she's lying to herself a little bit in that moment. I think, more from him than from her, she senses that there's still something there. After the hug, he says, "I'm just glad to see you happier. I love seeing you happy." I think it's clear that he still has feelings, and maybe she's lying to herself to pretend that everything is fine.
OSMENT | I think Mandy is a very excitable person, and she just got caught up in the moment. But I think it's a telling sign that [Scott] didn't tell his fiancée about her. Of course, she hasn't said anything to [Georgie]. It's interesting the way they are keeping secrets from people. I think [Mandy and Scott] have to have a brutally honest conversation with each other. I mean, that conversation they have in the office isn't really all that truthful. They're still kind of avoiding some stuff. I hope that there's a storyline where Mandy meets his fiancée, too.
TVLINE | Mandy is reluctant to tell Georgie that Scott is her boss again. Why do you think that is? Is she just avoiding an awkward conversation, or is there something deeper there? Maybe she doesn't think her marriage is strong enough to endure this...?
OSMENT | There's a part of Mandy that maybe just didn't want to have an argument. There's a part of her that knows that her husband is 20 and maybe couldn't handle that. Georgie is barely an adult, and he may not take it very well.
TVLINE | Over the course of Season 1, we've seen Audrey warm to Georgie...
OSMENT | Heh!
TVLINE | Well, to a point! She doesn't necessarily approve of this marriage, and she's definitely got her qualms, but she's gained some respect for him. In the finale, Audrey seems conflicted. She clearly likes Scott, and it's clear that there's more to that story than was let on in Young Sheldon. Did that help inform your perspective on Mandy's ex?
OSMENT | I do love that scene, and I think the way that it's written is great because Audrey is just being a mom. She wants her daughter to be secure. She wants her daughter to be taken care, and there was this older man who had a nice career, who had a very wealthy family, and she didn't have to worry about her daughter anymore. Now her daughter is in a relationship with a much younger man whose career is a little bit up in the air, and they're raising a young child together, and that makes her nervous. As a mother, it was easy for her to look at [Scott] and say, "This is what I want for my daughter." But I also know that she loves Georgie, and George has got a lot of years to go when it comes to becoming the man that he ends up being — you know, Dr. Tire, the tire king of Texas.
TVLINE | Let's talk a bit about Georgie's role in this finale. He makes the decision, without Mandy, to buy Jim's shop. As soon as Mandy suggests it would put them in insurmountable debt, Georgie throws her credit card debt in her face. Is that financial pressure, and that distrust, perhaps an even greater obstacle for their first marriage?
OSMENT | Trust is number one, and the largest things people fight about in a marriage are trust and money. We're dealing with both of those right now, and then there's this other layer which is that she's been keeping a secret from him, so we have three back-to-back things that could potentially put a wrench into their marriage, and we'll see in Season 2 whether they can stick it out.
TVLINE | Mandy knows that her husband is a great salesman. But how much does she really trust that this 20-year-old has what it takes to keep the family business afloat?
OSMENT | I think she's still waiting to see whether Georgie can keep this going because he's a salesman at heart, absolutely, but he's also young and he might be a little too big for his britches in some of these decisions that he's making, so we'll see if he can keep his stride going.
TVLINE | A year out from landing on Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, how are you feeling about that title? And how much credence should we give that adjective as we interpret the events of this finale?
HOLLAND | I mean, I don't have a crystal ball. And obviously, we haven't broken out all of the seasons moving forward — that's not the way we ever work — but that title has always been very intentional to us. We don't intend to shy away from the troubles that this marriage is going to have. In the end, there is a deep love there. I don't think this is ever going to be a bitter, angry, unhappy thing, but this is a relationship that has a lot stacked against it, you know?
Moving into next season, one of the things that seems interesting to us is they both have these big wins in some way — he has his new business and she has this new job — but those wins are also going to complicate their relationship. It's going to make it more difficult for them to find time to be a couple. Having those real stakes is part of what we like about the show. Going back to multi-cam, but trying to find a version of it that feels grounded and real, is important to us. That title is not just going to be a wink and a nod. It's going to be a thing that, over the seasons, we are going to own up to.
TVLINE | Emily, how would you characterize the state of their union at the end of Season 1?
OSMENT | I love the way that Season 1 ends. I love that it's them together, in the kitchen, realizing that they have a lot of stuff to talk about, and they have a lot of problems to fix, but they really love each other. I think it would be easy to go out with a big argument, but instead they come together, and they're honest with each other, and to me seems like they're willing to work it out.
What did you think of the Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage finale — and of Season 1 overall? Weigh in via the following polls, then leave a full review in the comments.