“Sheldon” gives us another splendid mismatch

Television loves to link opposites.
It gives us Lucy and Desi, Sam and Diane, Turner and Hooch, Frasier and anyone. And now it has Georgie and Mandy. As “Young Sheldon” continues its final season (see overview under “stories”), they’re read for their wedding (shown here) at 8 p.m. April 11 and for their own show, next season.
When they met, she was 28, a former TV weatherperson; he was 17 and lying about his age. And the actors who played them were just as opposite:
Montana Jordan is now 21. Before “Sheldon,” his resume consisted of one obscure movie. Emily Osment is 32; she had already been a regular in six series.
Long before most people realized it, Chuck Lorre (the “Sheldon” producer) recognized her talent. “Chuck always has my back,” she said.
She is the sister of an Oscar-nominee (Haley Joel Osment) and is a busy actress. By 23, she’d co-starred in “Hannah Montana” and starred in “Young and Hungry.”
But those were broad, brash shows; Lorre offered roles with substance and subtlety. In four “Mom” episodes, she was a troubled teen who died of a drug overdose; in 16 “Kominsky Method” episodes, she was an acting student, finding new layers.
She had regular roles in three more series (five if you include cartoons) and then got a call from the “Sheldon” people.
“I was like, ‘So what’s the plan?’” Osment recalled. “(They) were like, ‘I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.’”
On the surface, Georgie was a TV cliché: He was the handsome older brother, a slick salesman who had his own RV, obsessed on sex and lied about his age.
Then came the surprise: Mandy was pregnant.
“I read the script and was excited by it …. You get to see the struggles,” Jordan said.
The first struggle was Mandy’s fury over his lies. Osment’s role deepened.
“I was offered just one episode … and it grew so much from there,” she said. “And I am so grateful to see the arc of Mandy sort of becoming such a staunch feminist, standing up for herself, not wanting to take the Cooper name, wanting to be her own person.”
Even more surprising was the change in Georgie. The TV cliché – girl-chasing teen – became a caring dad.
“I think he’s realized that he’s had to step up a little and had to grow up a whole lot,” Jordan said. “I’m happy to see him … do what he needs to do in order to be a good dad.”
That was the change that surprised viewers … and surprised Mandy. She hesitantly fell in love with the new Georgie, creating TV’s latest mismatched romance.