Georgie And Mandy's First Marriage Season 2's Pastor Jeff Storyline Mirrors Another Beloved Sitcom

Contains spoilers for "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" Season 2, Episode 7 — "A Bus Bench and Faith out the Wazoo"

Pastor Jeff Difford (Matt Hobby) may be one of the most hated characters in "Young Sheldon" history, but he's always blazed his own trail in spite of the naysayers. To wit, in "A Bus Bench and Faith out the Wazoo," he decides to start singing and playing his guitar during church services. Though he hopes to reach young parishioners with this plot, Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) points out it's a bad idea. She even mentions that Charles Manson did something similar to attract followers to his cult.

In spite of that rather horrifying comparison, Difford is not dissuaded. He even goes so far as to tape himself awkwardly playing "This Little Light of Mine" to get Mary's thoughts on the matter. When the episode ends, he hasn't given up on his quest to bring music to the faithful. But it's hard not to listen to his singing and think of another God-fearing, guitar-strumming preacher; Reverend TimTom (Paul Hipp), Sue Heck's (Eden Sher) inspiring youth pastor from one of the funniest sitcoms in TV history, "The Middle." TimTom also used his talents to spread the word of God to teenage churchgoers. But unlike Jeff, TimTom is much more talented — and even manages to make Sue's life brighter through his care and attention.

Reverend TimTom is the first adult to take Sue Heck seriously. The fact that he actually remembers her name is a huge deal to her, as no adult has ever managed to do that before. When he announces he's going to leave the Heck's family church, Sue panics. His soothing songs and relatable music — all about how Jesus was once an awkward teenager Himself — help get her through the day, and she can't imagine coping without them. A desperate Sue runs a backyard barbecue to try to keep him in town — but, in one of the funniest moments in "The Middle" history, only manages to raise just over six dollars for the project. It turns out for the best in the end, as TimTom is okay with being a wandering preacher with no fixed address. Wherever there's a troubled teenager, he explains to Sue, he will be there. 

In the end, TimTom doesn't fade out of Sue's life when he leaves Orson, Indiana. He always pops up just when she needs him, and never fails to have the right song in his back pocket when he does. The Coopers likely wish that Jeff Difford was as supportive and giving with his own parishioners — or, at bare minimum, that he could carry a tune as well as TimTom can.