Focus has turned toward the spin-off “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” which finds the Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) navigating married life and parenthood as Georgie grieves his dad. As an older Georgie (Jerry O’Connell) mentions on “The Big Bang Theory,” Season 11, Episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” Sheldon wasn’t really around after heading out west for school. So an appearance by Iain Armitage is unlikely, but executive producer Steve Holland told The Wrap that fans can look out for other Cooper family members. “We love these actors and we love these characters, and they’re certainly a part [of] Georgie and Mandy’s life, so it’s our hope that this is a spot where they can pop up from time to time and we can still tell their stories.” Viewers can also expect two key “Young Sheldon” characters to return. Mandy’s parents Jim (Will Sasso) and Audrey McAllister (Rachel Bay Jones) will be popping up, helping their daughter’s young family navigate life.

The series begins in 1994 with Georgie trying to take care of everyone, just as he promised his father. However, Holland is careful to point out that this show will have its own identity, beginning with how it is filmed. He told TVLine, “It’s important for us that it create its own identity and it isn’t just ‘Young Sheldon’ Season 8 — part of the move to multi-cam is for it to have its own identity — but at the same time, these people are family.”

Learning and meeting every challenge that comes his way. That’s Sheldon’s formula for making his dreams come true, and this same formula could propel “Young Sheldon” through a potential eighth season. While Sheldon has been a college student for quite some time, moving away and starting at a new school will come with its own challenges. Before starting the academic year, Sheldon had already visited Caltech with his dad. The series ended with Sheldon processing the last few moments he had with George, wondering if he could have done anything differently. This could continue into a potential Season 8, especially since Sheldon expected both George and Mary (Zoe Perry) to be supporting his scholarly achievements.

A new season could have also set the groundwork for a crossover episode with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” — or vice versa, as a crossover episode of that show could test the waters for a potential “Young Sheldon” return. Despite Sheldon being largely absent from the family during his Caltech days, there is the possibility that a Cooper could pop up in his dorm. A crossover such as this could give Mary the opportunity to check in on his wellbeing.

It’s also important to note that, for Sheldon, Caltech is much more than a space to learn. It later becomes his workplace, which is a transition that could be explored, introducing new characters like professors who helped Sheldon grow his knowledge while leading him to his career at the esteemed college.

“The Big Bang Theory” wasn’t always supposed to end with Season 12. The real reason why “The Big Bang Theory” ended involved Jim Parsons reportedly turning down the offer to play Sheldon for two more seasons. The series managed to create a satisfying ending despite the news, but this could mean that there are still plenty of ideas for the writers to explore. This could lead to a back-and-forth storyline during “Young Sheldon” Season 8, where Parsons’ version of the character takes a trip down memory lane with Iain Armitage’s Sheldon as Parsons tries to solve a current problem.

Sheldon and Amy’s (Mayim Bialik) children have already been introduced off-screen, and Season 8 could introduce fans to on-screen versions of their son and daughter. While Parsons’ voice has been heard during each episode of “Young Sheldon,” Season 7 is the first time that fans have seen him as the character on camera since “The Big Bang Theory.” Parsons told People that he enjoyed being on set, calling the moment a “second closure.” While his reappearance as Sheldon could suggest that he could be up for reprising the role on a regular basis once again, his interview with E! News suggests otherwise. When discussing the possibility of a sequel series, he said, “Look, never say never to anything. Life is long, God willing. But I don’t think so.”

Viewers were glued to the screen amid the possible romantic storyline that emerged between Sheldon and fellow genius Paige Swanson (Mckenna Grace). His potential love interest and academic competitor first appears during Season 2, Episode 2, “A Rival Prodigy and Sir Isaac Neutron.” Sheldon realizes that he may have a crush on her on Season 4, Episode 16, “A Second Prodigy and the Hottest Tips for Pouty Lips,” but it quickly ends after Paige tricks him so that she can draw a mustache on his face. Before Paige, he had briefly developed a crush on fellow high school student Libby (Anjelika Washington) on Season 1, Episode 15, “Dolomite, Apple Slices, and a Mystery Woman,” but that was quickly squashed upon Sheldon hearing that Libby sees him as a child.

On “The Big Bang Theory,” love doesn’t bloom for Sheldon until he meets neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler during Season 3, Episode 23, “The Lunar Excitation.” With Sheldon moving to new a state in “Young Sheldon” Season 7, there is a chance that he may have had a few crushes before finding his one true love. Season 8 could expand on this by giving Sheldon a classmate whom he becomes fond of. Paige disappeared from the show after Season 6, but maybe she could reappear in a potential Season 8, realizing that her years spent teasing Sheldon were really just the basis for a crush that she realizes she now has.

Job changes are normal, especially in the world of academia. So it would only be natural if Sheldon were to reunite with one of his former professors from East Texas Tech. President Linda Hagemeyer (Wendie Malick) did everything she could to keep Sheldon in East Texas, even offering a scholarship for Georgie and Mandy’s daughter CeCe in Season 7, Episode 9, “A Fancy Article and a Scholarship for a Baby.” Given the lengths that she goes to stop Sheldon from leaving, it is safe to say that President Hagemeyer is very loyal to East Texas Tech, but that could always change if Caltech were to offer her the right job title and a big pay increase.

Dr. Sturgis (Wallace Shawn) could make an appearance as well. He has pursued different projects from time to time, so a professorship at Caltech is totally possible, even if it were just a visiting professorship. He has become a mentor for Sheldon, meaning that an appearance by him could be just what Sheldon needs if he finds himself doubting his abilities. Shawn told Vulture in 2019 that he’s never had a TV role that has lasted as long as his character on “Young Sheldon.” “I don’t know how it’s happened, but it’s been very good fortune for me,” he said. That success could be all the more reason for Shawn to return for Season 8.

The runaway success of “Young Sheldon” followed that of “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” could follow suit. Because of the continuous pivoting between spin-offs, it is clear that the minds behind “The Big Bang Theory” universe feel that this is the best strategy for the franchise. This could mean other Cooper-centered spin-offs, like a show solely focused on Mary as she tries to figure out what life looks like without George. There could also be room for flashbacks showing how Mary and George first met, which could be interesting as Mary was known to be a bit of a wild child in her youth. Plus, venturing into Mary’s past has been of interest to Zoe Perry as well. 

There is also the potential for Missy to star in her own series, possibly focusing on connecting the rest of the dots that lead to Courtney Henggeler’s version of the character on “The Big Bang Theory.” No matter what happens next to the Coopers, Steve Holland has told Deadline that being excited about the project has been their goal when it comes to creating stories for “The Big Bang Theory” universe. “I have no idea how audiences are going to respond [to ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’],” he said, “but I know we are excited about it, and that’s been a good sort of guiding light for us throughout all this is, to try to do things we’re excited about and hope an audience follows you along.”