Montana Jordan had no idea a spot on āYoung Sheldonā would lead to a series of his own.
But the Texas nativeĀ ā who plays Sheldonās brother GeorgieĀ ā says the spinoff is a blessing and way to keep his TV family intact.
Montana Jordan, from left, Emily Osment and Iain Armitage star in "Young Sheldon," which ends its run this month.
āThe Georgie and Mandy storyline has a lot more to be told,ā Jordan says. āEverybody knows that, but weāll see where it goes.ā
The series is slated to air this fall.
When he landed in āSheldon,ā Jordan and others werenāt certain where that āBig Bang Theoryā spinoff was headed.
āIt was an opportunity to explore how (Sheldon) affects this family around him and how the family affects him,ā says executive producer Chuck Lorre. āIt was almost immediately an ensemble show.ā
Key to āSheldonāsā success was finding a young actor who could play a younger version of Jim Parsons. Lorre put the call out and Iain Armitageās mom sent a tape.
People are also reading…
Iain ArmitageĀ in the first season of "Young Sheldon."
āWe wrote the most difficult scene imaginable for an 8-year-old and this guy just killed it,ā Lorre says. āIf that had not happened, we wouldnāt have gone forward.ā With the title character in place, it was just a matter of building an ensemble around him.
JordanĀ ā who really does have a thick Southern accentĀ ā was cast as brother Georgie and now, āIām blessed for everything that has been given me.ā
To retain the accent, āI go straight back to Texas, and I can get it all back," he says. "It comes back real fast.ā
As audiences warmed to Georgie,Ā his part expanded. Now, in āSheldonāsā seventh and final season, heās juggling family, marriage and work. In the fifth season, Emily Osment joined the series as his love interest, Mandy.
The cast of "Young Sheldon," from left: Montana Jordan, Emily Osment, Lance Barber, Iain Armitage, Raegan Revord, Zoe Perry and Annie Potts.
āI was just offered one episode on āYoung Sheldonā and it grew so much from there,ā Osment says. āI walked into my trailer one day and there was a big belly in there. Iām so grateful to see the arc of Mandy sort of becoming such a staunch feminist, standing up for herself, not wanted to take the Cooper name and wanting to be her own person.ā
The new series, Jordan says, will look at the struggles of a young couple and how the family ākind of pushes back on it. It just makes it a little bit harder for him to get through it.ā
Fans of āBig Bangā may remember Georgie becomes Dr. Tire, the head of a tire chain. In the new series, however, heās just starting his career at a local store.
Montana Jordan in the first season of "Young Sheldon."
The final episodes ofĀ āYoung Sheldonā will help launch the Georgie and Mandy spinoff while Sheldon heads off to graduate school.
If some of the crew members from that show join the new series, Jordan will be thrilled.
āEverybody is so down-to-earth and great to work with,ā he says. āYouāre excited when you wake up and come to a place like this.ā
For Armitage, whoās now 15 and almost as tall as Jim Parsons, āYoung Sheldonā has been a great launching pad and, likely, the first of many acting projects. When he started the series at 8, he told producers he wanted to be a magician. Since then, he has continued to perform tricks but believes acting is his future.
āMy dad is an actor as well but, if anything, Iāve never been pushed in any direction, certainly not career-wise,ā Armitage says. āIāve always felt very free to pursue what Iām interested in.ā
Now as āYoung Sheldonā nears the end of its run, both Armitage and Jordan say they couldnāt imagine a better āstarterā project.
āItās safe to say it was love at first sight for everybody,ā the 21-year-old Jordan says.
For Lorre, who also served as executive producer of āBig Bang,ā āSheldonā has been a series that doesnāt pander.
āYou do what feels right,ā he says. āYou do stuff that touches yourself and then you hope someone agrees with you. To assume we know what the audience wants is ridiculous. Itās best to do the things that we believe and just trust.ā
A visit to the set of "Young Sheldon"
The Cooper household kitchen.Ā
Note the family assignments attached to the refrigerator door.Ā
The Cooper family bathroom represents a certain flair for home decorating.Ā
The Cooper parents' bedroom has a rare view out the window.Ā
Missy Cooper's bedroom.Ā
Missy and Sheldon no longer share a bedroom. Now, she gets to put her own touch on the room.Ā
Sheldon's desk has an assortment of toys and work projects.Ā
Note Sheldon's diplomas.Ā
The Cooper family backyard.Ā
Georgie's bedroom is now in the garage.Ā
Sheldon's train set is still intact.Ā
The garage has everything a young entrepreneur could want.Ā
The series finale of āYoung Sheldonā airs May 16 on CBS.

