With Young Sheldon having wrapped up with its seventh and final season, fans were forced to say goodbye to many characters they grew to love. George Cooper’s death and Sheldon Cooper leaving for graduate school in California meant that the family dynamic would never be the same again. One other character that will be dearly missed if she doesn’t return for the spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, is Connie Tucker.
While initially written as a slightly irresponsible grandmother to the Cooper children in its first season, Young Sheldon developed Connie (aka “Meemaw”) into the funniest and most sincere character on the show. She may have been brutally honest at times, but she always had her family’s backs at the end of the day. That’s why when Georgie Cooper got his then-girlfriend Mandy McAllister pregnant, she was quick to reprimand him, but help him and Mandy prepare for their baby. She was the glue that held Georgie and Mandy together during their worst moments, so it’s a bit odd that she won’t be a main character in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Connie Was Instrumental in Pushing Georgie & Mandy Together
In the early stages of Georgie and Mandy’s relationship, Connie disapproved of them. She disliked Georgie lying to Mandy about his age since he’s 11 years younger than her, which led to a bunch of “I told you so’s” from Connie when Mandy discovered the truth. But when push came to shove, she always stood right next to Georgie because, at the end of the day, he just wanted to do the right thing. When he dropped out of high school, she supported him, but was also strict with him about his new independence. She gave him a job in her gambling room and entrusted him to keep the illegal nature of the business a secret. It was no surprise that, despite the surprise pregnancy, she would stand by him.
Between Georgie and Mandy, Connie actually grew to enjoy the latter more. Connie helped integrate Mandy into the Cooper family as they were going through a rough patch, and supported Mandy when her parents didn’t. Connie related her experience of Mary’s own unexpected pregnancy to Mandy’s situation, and felt obligated to step in. She drove Mandy to doctor’s appointments, paid her medical bills, gave her a job and even a room to sleep in. Connie was always apologetic for Georgie whenever he acted like a kid who was too big for his britches, but also sneaked in a defense of her grandson along the way. Connie’s support for both Georgie and Mandy was why their daughter, Constance, was named in her honor.
Neglecting Connie’s influence on Georgie and Mandy’s relationship would be a disservice to her character. Since she’ll still be living in the same town as Georgie and Mandy in the spinoff, it’ll be weird if she’s not a constant presence in their lives. Medford, Texas has always been described as a small town where someone’s business is everybody’s business. How can Connie be ignored entirely? Bringing her back for the spinoff doesn’t mean she has to be a main character like she was in Young Sheldon, although it wouldn’t be unsolicited if she was. It just means giving her a subplot where she occasionally checks up on her grandson and great-granddaughter. Connie isn’t the type to abandon the Cooper family. There was a time in her life where she begged her son-in-law not to take a job in Oklahoma just to stay close to her daughter and grandkids.
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What would really spice up Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is Georgie falling back into his criminal ways. After he dropped out of high school, he joined Connie in running an illegal gambling room in the back of the town’s laundromat. Most of the funniest scenes in the later Young Sheldon seasons came from Georgie and Connie bantering about how to run the business, or catching close calls with the law. The entire gambling room subplot gave Young Sheldon an edge, and raised the stakes for both Georgie and Connie. Georgie had an entire life ahead of him that could’ve easily been ripped away if he had been arrested. For Connie, her final run-in with the law put her criminal past behind her, making her feel like all the fun had been sucked out of her life.
Judging by Georgie’s future as a legitimate tire shop business owner on The Big Bang Theory, his own spinoff will see him mirroring his father-in-law’s entrepreneurial journey. But with the inclusion of Connie, a conflict of interest could arise. Would Georgie rather go down the safe but hard route that his father-in-law approves of, or Connie’s risky and easy route? Georgie’s loyalty to his biological family vs. his in-laws would be an interesting obstacle that he has to overcome in order to grow as a father and husband.
An Explanation Is Still Needed for Connie’s Character Change
The Young Sheldon finale closes the door on many characters’ fates, but also leaves it open for others. One such character is Connie, who isn’t explicitly mentioned by adult Sheldon over narration of where she ends up. The Big Bang Theory, however, does. In The Big Bang Theory, Connie is much older in her 90s. She’s stern, conservative and frankly isn’t afraid to show her disapproval. Throughout the original series, Sheldon always held his grandmother in high regard as a wonderful cook who nicknamed him “Moonpie.” His memory of her is so pure that he refused to believe she would ever have sex to conceive his mother. Obviously, The Big Bang Theory‘s version of Connie is quite different from Young Sheldon‘s version of her.
The older Connie would never imagine running a gambling room or sneaking cigarettes out of Mexico with her grandson. She would scoff at the idea and criticize anyone for living on the edge. The drastic change of character was partially why Connie wasn’t present at Sheldon’s wedding in Season 11 of The Big Bang Theory. Young Sheldon aired immediately after later seasons of The Big Bang Theory, so the creatives behind both shows were worried that the two versions of Connie would confuse viewers. Nearing the final season of Young Sheldon, viewers thought that the finale would at least justify why Connie left behind her spirit. While losing her home, becoming dependent on Dale and getting arrested could accomplish that, her lackluster ending wasn’t a satisfying enough answer.
Connie’s actor, Annie Potts, has been openly critical of Young Sheldon ending despite its high ratings. Hypothetically, it wouldn’t be difficult to bring her back into this world as the fun grandma who isn’t afraid of a high stakes bet. Continuing her storyline in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage would give an idea of how Connie became a much meaner and traditional grandmother in Sheldon’s life. Maybe her relationship with Dale turned sour at some point, or there was a fallout between her and Georgie when it came to business. Or, as the Young Sheldon finale suggests, Connie couldn’t cope with her daughter’s dependency on religion as a result of George’s death. There’s a strong possibility Connie felt like she failed as a mother, but there’s no way to know for sure if she isn’t brought back for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
