Although “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” is marketed as family entertainment, it includes humor aimed directly at the adults watching at home. The sitcom weaves through the sadness and frustration the main characters face due to their strained economic circumstances while indulging in adult themes and subtle innuendos. It’s a family hour show brimming with elements that are likely to go unnoticed by younger children.

So, what are some of the show’s clever nods and darker twists? What deeper themes exist that only adults may connect with? Which episodes in the emotionally rich first season highlight these ongoing motifs? Here we explore references, moments, and episodes that may fly over kids’ heads but resonate deeply with adult viewers.

The “Big Bang Theory” universe has consistently incorporated bold jokes about the characters’ intimate lives, and “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” follows suit. Hints abound about the Coopers’ fulfilling romantic life, evident from the sultry tango in the opening credits to entire storylines centered around their chemistry in the bedroom. Although the show repeatedly teases their potential breakup, their relationship remains steadfast in this aspect.

Their sex life is most explicitly discussed in “Baby Fight,” where Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) have a huge disagreement over whether or not they should immediately produce a sibling for CeeCee. Georgie doesn’t want their kids to be too far apart in age, as he is with his much younger siblings, while Mandy is just starting to see movement in her weather girl career and doesn’t want to take time out to have a second baby. Georgie tries to solve their impasse by seducing his wife, stripping off his shirt and using his charms to convince her to say yes to his kid-making plot. It doesn’t work on Mandy in that moment, but the show hints that it’s a tactic that’s melted her before — definitely the sort of thing small children wouldn’t understand but grown-ups would laugh about.

Mandy’s model for messy romance is found in two key “Young Sheldon” characters — her parents, Jim (Will Sasso) and Audrey McAllister (Rachel Bay Jones). To be blunt, Jim and Audrey are a total mess. Their marriage is decorated by half-truths and lies and rough fights whose seriousness belies their existence in a sitcom’s plot.

To wit, during Georgie’s first Thanksgiving without his father, Jim and Audrey get into a serious dust-up over Jim’s nonstop drinking during the holiday. It’s dire enough to cause an already-mourning Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) to retreat from the table, reminded of her own relationship with George Sr. (Lance Barber). While it ultimately brings the Coopers together at George’s grave, the storyline shows how wobbly Jim and Audrey’s marriage is at its core. Though the couple repeatedly assures their daughter that small fights in a marriage are a normal thing, the things they argue about most of the time are very big.

Another cardinal example comes up in “A Tire Convention and the Moral High Ground,” where Jim reveals to Georgie that he’s been lying to Audrey for a decade about his annual two-day trip to a New Orleans tire convention. Instead, he goes gambling alone, guilt-free. But Audrey knows where he really is — and leverages Jim’s guilt to get herself gifts. Between the sniping and nagging, is it any wonder Mandy lives in a self-important, self-inflated fantasy land?

They say every happy family is alike, but unhappy ones are unique in their misery. While we certainly wouldn’t suggest the Cooper-McAllisters are miserable, both Georgie and Mandy are clearly struggling with their childhood scars in completely different ways. Their individual reactions to their problems point to who they are as people—  and why their marriage is imperfect and, ultimately, will not last.

While Georgie is still a little bit goofy and immature, the birth of CeeCee has definitely forced him to grow up, and far too quickly. His father’s death at a young age and his own new marriage have also put intense pressure on Georgie to act like an adult, even if he’s not emotionally ready for it. Sometimes that comes out in him trying to act like his dad, with a stiff upper lip and the right answer, no matter how much pain that ultimately puts him in. Whether he’s forcing himself to work while sick or trying too hard to parent Missy (Raegan Revord), he often wears himself down to the bone. It’s only Season 1, and mountainous levels of stress and anxiety have already made him worry about his heart.

Mandy, meanwhile, has responded to Audrey’s favoritism toward Connor (Dougie Baldwin) and their fairly negative relationship by trying to propel herself toward stardom. Her expression of her childhood trauma is to aggrandize herself and lie about her circumstances. She dreams of life in a big city, wearing designer jeans, and having attained all the money and respect a person could want. Unfortunately, her “fake it until you make it” ethos has led her into deep financial debt  — something adults understand all too well, though most kids won’t get it.

Mandy’s tendency to buy tons of designer clothing and shoes to both treat herself and to give off a more sophisticated image really points up her deep insecurities, something that might fly right over a young child’s head. She had those frailties before the spin-off began, of course; she’s the one who lied about her age to Georgie, presenting herself as much younger way back when they met on “Young Sheldon.”

But it’s not her fear of aging but her massive, option-limiting credit card debt that’s the real problem. It’s more of a flashing neon sign that points to her real issue — a massive inferiority complex. For kids and teens, this is a relatable quirk that they might be able to link to their own spending sprees. To adults, it’s a clear sign that she’s trying to protect herself underneath layers of finery.

Money continues to be a huge issue in Georgie and Mandy’s relationship for one simple reason: the lack of it determines their freedom to exist in their own world instead of living with her parents indefinitely. While Mandy’s almost childish belief that fame will solve her problems continues to hang over the family, is it any wonder she’s not comforted by Georgie’s visions of a ranch and a team of dogs? It screams to the world that her husband isn’t enough and that she will never be content with him.

Anyone who watches “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” knows that the word “First” in the title acts as a big harbinger of what’s to come for the family. “The Big Bang Theory” tells us that the couple will divorce at some time in the future and that Georgie will remarry. It does remain up in the air who his second bride is — the ambiguous way Sheldon (Jim Parsons) speaks about his brother’s two wives leaves space for Georgie to marry Mandy twice. But grown-ups watching the show know one thing for sure: the series has given us a ton of reasons why its titular couple shouldn’t be together forever. Unless they figure out how to compromise, their marriage, frankly, seems doomed thanks to their own choices.

Whether it’s their desire for different types of life, the way they manage money, the things they like, or the ambitions they have, there’s very little overlap between Mandy and Georgie’s aspirations and not much commonality. Sure, they make a pretty fine team — but it’s hard to argue for them sticking together through all eternity unless they grow up a whole lot between the 1990s and the 2010s.

Missy’s reaction to George Sr.’s death has been to enter into full-out rebellion. Since “Georgie and Mandy” has started, she’s earned a suspension from school after pulling a fire alarm mid-class, gotten a dolphin tattoo on her ankle, and tried to run off with a boy on a dirt bike to get married in Mexico. A completely understandable plot choice that makes sense for the character — but only the fully grown will notice that it presages the poor choices she’ll make as a grown-up, details that those who have also watched “The Big Bang Theory” will remember.

Thanks to a series of guest appearances on the mothership sitcom, fans know that Missy will have a brief marriage that will leave her pregnant but not particularly happy. Sheldon also jokes that she waitresses at Fuddruckers, though while it could be her true occupation, it may also be his sarcasm at work. Whatever her career path, it’s a depressing future — especially when compared to Sheldon’s happy marriage and Nobel Prize. Missy may not be a genius, but her fiery, interesting spirit begs for a better life and future. But even the most fanciful adult will comprehend that we all fail to reach our potential. Call it “Georgie & Mandy” continuing the mistake it made with her character in “Young Sheldon” and failing her once again.

Georgie’s relationship with Sheldon (Iain Armitage) has been forced offscreen thanks to Sheldon living the collegiate life at Cal-Tech. With this quasi-estrangement at play, Georgie has taken to spending time with Connor — who happens to be both nerdy and rude but has a strong interest in experimental music versus comic books. While younger viewers might not realize it, plenty of grown-ups have noticed that Connor works as a blatant replacement for Sheldon in the “Georgie & Mandy” universe. In fact, that’s one reason fans initially had a big problem with him.

But there’s a sad air about this choice within the plot of the show. While Connor, on some level, reflects the pampered, insular, and self-interested Sheldon, he tends to come off as a weak copy of the more popular character more often than not. Only when talking about music does he feel fully original. But by and large, it’s as if Georgie is replacing his brother with someone who’s just like him.

To be fair to Connor, he has managed to stand out from Sheldon in certain ways, including spending the night with his music store crush in another moment that’s definitely not kid-friendly, something Sheldon would never do without a twenty-page relationship agreement. Ultimately, though, the closeness between Connor and Georgie ends up feeling like a placeholder for a relationship “Georgie & Mandy” cannot portray on a regular basis.

Kids of all shapes and sizes are likely deeply amused by Connie, Georgie’s Meemaw (Annie Potts), as she schemes her way toward big bucks on a semi-frequent basis. She’s been doing this ever since she was on “Young Sheldon,” after all. But younger watchers might not realize that Meemaw’s money-making activities are super illegal — at least in mid- to late-1990s Texas.

While “Young Sheldon” made it abundantly clear that Meemaw’s job could get her in big trouble, on “Georgie & Mandy,” her illegal betting ring is being handled in a more subtle way, with only occasional beats that hint at what she risks with every bet. Her less-than-legal ways have only been addressed in one episode, “Snitch v. Deadbeat,” where Audrey almost turns both Mandy and Connie in to the cops in revenge for Connie deciding to call in the gambling debts Jim owes her. Audrey decides against it, but the family feud is deep and pretty vicious. Meemaw hasn’t ended up back in an ankle monitor yet, but knowing her luck,` it’s likely a heartbeat away.

Mandy is picking up extra cash working for Meemaw’s betting pool, even tracking down anyone who fails to pay off their failed wagers, but children wouldn’t get why that’s wrong — or why it will potentially lead to Mandy’s further financial downfall — but adults will definitely understand.

Sitcoms aren’t necessarily known for making viewers ponder their mortality, but death hangs over “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” like a shroud. George Sr.’s passing affects everything Georgie does — whether it’s deciding to stay in Texas to watch over his mom and sister instead of following Mandy’s dreams and moving or how he applies his work ethic to life at the tire store. He’s had two health scares caused by the stress of being a father, husband, and provider for Mandy, all while supporting his sister and mother through their own grief. It’s sobering to realize that Georgie is barely twenty, and he’s so stressed out and anxious he feels like he’s on the verge of a heart attack. Only a mature person could relate.

Georgie isn’t the only one being stalked by loss. Missy and Mary, too, have been deeply scarred by George Sr.’s death. Mandy and the rest of the McAllisters, meanwhile, are operating on a different level; they have yet to experience that kind of collective loss. But with the show’s consistently honest portrayal of grief being well-established, one imagines that it’s only a matter of time.

Younger members of the audience watching “Georgie & Mandy” weren’t alive during the 1990s, but for those who lived through that neon-spattered era, there isn’t a whole lot about the sitcom that accurately reflects what it was like to walk the planet during that time period. Sure, there’s a reference to grunge music here, an acid-washed denim jacket and a poofy perm on display there, and no one ever breaks the mood by using a cell phone or mentioning the internet. But adults watching the series are very likely to notice that certain looks and flavors are missing from the show’s depiction of the era. 

While this gives the sitcom a sense of timelessness, it also fails to make adults in the crowd sit up and take notice. Where’s MTV, Lilith Fair, and President Bill Clinton? Mall culture was huge during the decade, but it rarely comes up on the program. There are a few pop cultural references here and there, but there ought to be more, especially in scenes dealing with plugged-in characters like Connor or Missy. Smaller fans may not care, but the grown-ups watching are likely to wonder why nobody ever mentions 2Pac or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.