With Sheldon and Amy's wedding approaching as the season finale of The Big Bang Theory draws closer, we're finally going to meet more of Sheldon's family. It was just announced that actor Jerry O'Connell has been cast in the role of George 'Georgie' Cooper, Jr. While we've heard Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons, speak for years about his older brother, we've never had the pleasure of actually meeting him.
Fans of The Big Bang Theory have met the teenage version of Georgie played by Montana Jordan on it's spinoff show Young Sheldon, but O'Connell's casting marks the first time fans will get to meet Sheldon's older brother as an adult. O'Connell will make his series debut during the show's season finale which is said to feature Sheldon's wedding to Amy Farrah Fowler, played by Mayim Bialik.
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The big news was announced during the show's panel at PaleyFest, with executive producer Steve Holland delivering the big news, according to Deadline. “This is the first time it is being announced, so don’t tell anyone,” he joked. Deadline also noted that while the wedding episode hasn't been written yet, fans will also have Sheldon and Amy's bachelor/bachelorette parties to look forward to. “They don’t go the way you think they would go,” Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny on the hit show teased. No word yet on whether Sheldon's twin sister Missy, previously played by Courtney Henggeler, will reprise her role in the wedding episode or Sheldon's beloved MeeMaw, played by June Squibb. Sheldon's mother Mary, played by Laurie Metcalf, will appear to walk her son down the aisle.
With the debut of Young Sheldon, we've met all of Sheldon's family and are given a deeper look in to Georgie and Sheldon's relationship. We know Georgie is tired of constantly being compared to his genius younger brother, while Sheldon resents being excluded by his siblings. Still, despite being at odds, at one point this season Sheldon did discuss with Amy the very slim possibility of having his brother be his best man at his wedding, although we all knew that wasn't going to happen and Leonard will have that honor.
It will be interesting to see the dynamic between a grown Sheldon and O'Connell's Georgie especially since we know so much more of their relationship thanks to Young Sheldon. Described by his own mother as 'dumb as soup', and by Sheldon as a 'mouth breathing idiot,' fans are excited to see how O'Connell brings Georgie to life, especially during Sheldon's big day. So far there's been no news on whether Amy Farrah Fowler's family will be arriving for the wedding. We have seen her mother, played by Annie O’Donnell briefly a few seasons back, but we've yet to meet her father.
Perhaps best known as a child actor when he played Vern Tessio in the classic movie Stand By Me, O'Connell has made appearances in a multitude of television shows and movies throughout his career. Most recently he took over hosting duties on daytime talk show The Wendy Williams Show after Williams took some time off for medical leave.
Sheldon and Amy's wedding will wrap up season 11 of the hit CBS series, and fellow cast member Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard on the show stated Television Critic's Association winter press tour that next season may be the last for the hit show. “The only manner in which the cast has discussed wrapping [The Big Bang Theory] has been that we’re all going to be very sad when that day comes. But I think at this point everyone’s very comfortable with 12 seasons being a good time to go home and see our families.”
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Source: Deadline