Mom (TV series)

Mom
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Chuck Lorre Eddie Gorodetsky Gemma Baker
Starring	Anna Faris Allison Janney Sadie Calvano Nate Corddry Matt L. Jones French Stewart Spencer Daniels Blake Garrett Rosenthal Mimi Kennedy Jaime Pressly Beth Hall
Opening theme	"Overture" from Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	64 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Chuck Lorre Eddie Gorodetsky Nick Bakay
Camera setup	Multiple
Running time	18–21 minutes (without commercials)
Production company(s)	Chuck Lorre Productions Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBS
Picture format	1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	September 23, 2013 – present
External links
Website

Mom is an American sitcom that premiered on September 23, 2013, on CBS. The series was created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker and distributed by Warner Bros. Television. It stars Anna Faris and Allison Janney in lead roles as dysfunctional mother/daughter duo Christy and Bonnie Plunkett. Sadie Calvano, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, Matt L. Jones, Beth Hall, Jaime Pressly and Mimi Kennedy appear in supporting roles.

The series has received positive reviews throughout its run. Both Janney and Faris have garnered acclaim for their respective performances and have received numerous accolades with Janney having won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series back to back in 2014 and 2015. The show has also garnered multiple nominations at the Critics' Choice Television Awards and the People's Choice Awards during its run.

The show has also received high ratings, which rose from the first to second season with an average viewership of 11.79 million. CBS renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on November 5, 2015.^[1][2] On March 25, 2016, the series was renewed for a fourth season.^[3]

Synopsis

Mom follows Christy Plunkett (Anna Faris), a single mother who, after dealing with her battle with alcoholism and drug abuse, decides to restart her life in Napa, California, working as a waitress and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Her mother Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney) is also a recovering drug and alcohol addict. Christy's 17-year-old daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano), who was born when Christy was 16, has herself become a teen mother by her boyfriend Luke. Christy also has a younger son Roscoe (Blake Garrett Rosenthal) by her ex-husband Baxter (Matt L. Jones), a deadbeat but likable pothead. The show, as it progresses, adds themes of real-life issues such as alcoholism, teen pregnancy, cancer, homelessness, gambling addiction, domestic violence, death, drug addiction, relapse, and overdose.

Cast and characters

Main

Character	Portrayed by	Seasons
		1	2	3
Christy Plunkett	Anna Faris	Main
Bonnie Plunkett	Allison Janney	Main
Violet Plunkett	Sadie Calvano	Main
Gabriel	Nate Corddry	Main
Baxter	Matt L. Jones	Main
Chef Rudy	French Stewart	Main
Luke	Spencer Daniels	Main
Roscoe	Blake Garrett Rosenthal	Main
Marjorie Armstrong	Mimi Kennedy	Recurring	Main
Jill Kendall	Jaime Pressly		Recurring	Main
Wendy Harris	Beth Hall		Recurring	Main

• Anna Faris as Christy Plunkett: a single mother who has gone a year without drinking and is still struggling with addiction and gambling. Now sober, she strives to be a good example to her son Roscoe, and regain the trust of her daughter Violet, who is revealed to be pregnant herself in the first episode. In addition, she is trying to iron out the rough edges in her relationship with her mother Bonnie, who never learned to play her role well and who would rather go out and drink than baby-sit. Christy later finds out that her biological father ran out on Bonnie on Christmas Eve, the day before Christy was born, and allocates the man as a now-married father of two sons who runs an auto repair shop.
• Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett: Christy's mother, a joyful, peaceful recovering addict who is now grateful with life. She tries desperately to regain the love and trust of her daughter, whom she was unable to properly nurture as a child. A single mother, she preferred to party and drink rather than stay home. With time and much therapy, Bonnie managed to find the balance and now wants to catch up, revealing to Christy her past, including who her real father is and how to find him, as well as her past side career as a drug dealer.
• Sadie Calvano as Violet Plunkett: Christy's daughter and older half-sister of Roscoe. Violet is hardworking, smart and sure of herself, though upset with her mother, who never had time to take care of her children and failed to fulfill a true motherly role despite now being sober for some time. After having her boyfriend Luke's baby, Violet made the decision to give up her baby for adoption because she felt that this was the best way to break her family's repeated cycle of poor life choices and give her child a better chance than she, her mother, or her grandmother ever had. During season 2, after a brief downward spiral of bad behavior, Violet gets engaged to Gregory Munshnick, a psychology professor at her university.
• Nate Corddry as Gabriel (regular seasons 1-2): the manager of the restaurant where Christy works. Married to a domineering woman who scares him somewhat, Gabriel and Christy are carrying on an affair which Christy later ends but which Gabriel himself frequently and desperately tries to renew: they briefly resume their affair in season 2 when Christy is promoted as his replacement. He is a hardworking, competent manager, but often put in his place by his subordinates, particularly Chef Rudy.
• Matt L. Jones as Baxter: Christy's ex-husband and the father of Roscoe. Sweet and charming, but very unstable, he is unable to maintain a serious relationship or steady work for much longer than a month. Loves easy life and frequently gets into fraudulent deals to make money. Despite his flaws, he is a loving father who usually comes through for his son. During season 2, under the influence of his wealthy new girlfriend Candace, Baxter gives up his slacker ways and becomes a car salesman.
• French Stewart as Chef Rudy: the head chef for the restaurant where Christy works as a waitress. A dominant and difficult self-made man, Rudy acts superior in his relationships with others. He is boastful and arrogant, often yelling at his subordinates without mincing words and will not hesitate to humiliate anyone who opposes him. He is secretive about his past and distant from people, but briefly dates Bonnie at one point: during this time, he is revealed to be a (bi)sexual fetishist with expensive tastes and hobbies who enjoys stealing food from the restaurant.
• Spencer Daniels as Luke (regular seasons 1–2): a young student who loves to enjoy life and adventure. He had been dating Violet for a little over a year and got her pregnant. Luke is considerably airheaded, smoking marijuana often, but always tries to prove to Christy that he is not as crazy as he appears: he seems to genuinely love Violet, staying beside her and supporting her throughout her pregnancy, and he is often more sensitive towards Christy than her own children are, perhaps because his parents are right-wing religious extremists with whom he does not connect.
• Blake Garrett Rosenthal as Roscoe: Christy's son by Baxter and half-brother of Violet. Unintelligent, bratty and simplistic even for his age, he loves and idolizes his father, even if he is not the best example to follow.
• Mimi Kennedy as Marjorie Armstrong (recurring season 1, regular season 2–present):^[4] an old friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend-again of Bonnie, who meets Christy at AA and they become great friends. She has had many problems with alcohol and drugs in the past and is now facing a greater threat after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Jaime Pressly as Jill Kendall (recurring season 2, regular season 3):^[5] A new AA member whom Christy sponsors, Jill is a wealthy socialite who is prone to relapses and violent behavior.
• Beth Hall as Wendy Harris (recurring season 2, regular season 3):^[6] an attendee at the women's sobriety meetings who is frequently crying. She is a registered nurse.

Recurring

• Octavia Spencer as Regina Thompkins (season 1–present): A fellow AA member and money manager who embezzled from her clients and is now facing a prison sentence. While a close if questionable friend to Christy, Regina and Bonnie typically hold each other in contempt, but beneath the surface they bear some affection for each other. In the middle of season 2, she is given early parole and becomes a born-again Christian.
• Kevin Pollak as Alvin Biletnikoff (seasons 1–2): Christy's father and Bonnie's ex-boyfriend who abandoned them when Christy was born. When Christy found Alvin he was married with two sons; despite that he loves Christy and does what he can to be in her life and help out, including fixing up a used car to give her and attempting to reach out to her children as a grandparent. He and Bonnie initially treated each other with contempt and hatred over the various mistakes each of them has made in their past, but they rekindled their relationship after his wife left him and he survived a heart attack. In season 2, Alvin has a second heart attack while in bed with Bonnie, and dies.
• Courtney Henggeler as Claudia (season 1–present): Gabriel's wealthy and snobbish ex-wife, who has taken over the restaurant from him and briefly appointed Christy as manager.
• Reggie de Leon as Paul (season 1–present): Chef Rudy's silent and often submissive sous-chef.
• Don McManus as Steve Casper (season 1–present): A fellow AA member, Steve is a competent but creepy lawyer and occasionally aids Christy, who becomes his intern and trainee in season 2. He has a casual sex relationship with Bonnie in season 3.
• Sara Rue as Candace Hayes (season 2–present): Baxter's wealthy new wife, under whose influence he has reformed. Christy has an initially one-sided rivalry with her, until both of them start sparring in season 3 when her father starts dating Christy.
• David Krumholtz as Gregory Munschnick (season 2–present): Violet's older fiancé, a psychology professor at the college she attends.
• Jonny Coyne as Victor Perugian (season 2–present): Christy's Armenian former landlord who becomes attracted to Marjorie, marrying her in season 3.
• Emily Osment as Jodi Hubbard (season 3):^[7] A young drug addict whom Christy and Bonnie try to help get sober. She later dies from a drug overdose.
• William Fichtner as Adam Janowski (season 3): Bonnie's new wheelchair-bound love interest, a former stunt man whom she met over the phone after he dialed the wrong number.

Episodes

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		Nielsen ratings
			First aired	Last aired	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
	1	22	September 23, 2013	April 14, 2014	42	8.34[8]
	2	22	October 30, 2014	April 30, 2015	26	11.79[9]
	3	22	November 5, 2015	May 19, 2016[10]	TBA	TBA

Production

Development

Faris in 2012 was first cast.

Mom was one of the many projects that became a priority for CBS and Warner Bros when it was pitched in December 2012, in part due to Lorre's new four-year deal with Warner the previous September.^[11] It was green-lit by CBS for a series order pickup on May 9, 2013.^[12] This pickup also gives Lorre the distinction of having four sitcoms airing on one network starting in the 2013–14 season. The following week, the network announced that it would place the sitcom in the Monday night 9:30 pm (ET/PT) time slot following 2 Broke Girls.^[13] However, after the cancelation of We Are Men, 2 Broke Girls was moved into the show's 8:30 pm slot, with repeats of The Big Bang Theory occupying the 9 pm lead-in time slot to Mom until the season debut of Mike & Molly on November 4, 2013. The show received a full first season order for 22 episodes on October 18, 2013.^[14]

On March 13, 2014, CBS announced the second season renewal of Mom.^[15] The series moved from Mondays at 9:30 PM to Thursdays at 8:30 PM for the first fourteen episodes until the series moved to Thursdays at 9:30 PM following The Odd Couple series premiere and the series finale of Two and a Half Men.^[16][17]

By season three, the focus became more about Christy and Bonnie and their group from AA, while the restaurant set, the kids and Baxter roles were reduced significantly.

Casting

Janney in 2012 was second cast and won two Emmy Awards for the role.

The series gives Faris, who had guest-starred in various television programs between her film projects and been sought-after for other television projects (including a failed pilot called Blue Skies that was being produced for NBC), her first full-time television role, as she landed the part of the lead character, Christy, in January 2013.^[18] On January 28, 2013, Janney was next to come aboard the project, playing Christy's mother.^[19] Matt Jones and Spencer Daniels were added to the cast in February 2013, with Jones playing Christy's ex-husband, Baxter, and Daniels taking the role of Luke, the boyfriend of Christy's daughter, Violet.^[20]

Reception

Ratings

Season	Time slot (ET)	Episodes	Premiered		Ended		TV season	Rank	Viewers (million)
			Date	Viewers (million)	Date	Viewers (million)
1	Monday 9:30 pm	22	September 23, 2013	7.99[21]	April 14, 2014	6.86[22]	2013–14	42nd	8.34[23]
2	Thursday 8:30 pm Thursday 9:30 pm Thursday 9:00 pm	22	October 30, 2014	11.13[24]	April 30, 2015	8.78[25]	2014–15	26th	11.79[9]
3	Thursday 9:00 pm	22	November 5, 2015	7.28[26]	May 19, 2016[27]	TBA	2015–16	TBA	TBA

Critical reception

Mom has been met with positive reviews from critics, with much praise going to the cast, especially leads Allison Janney and Anna Faris. The show received a Metacritic score of 65 out of 100 in its first season, based on reviews by 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[28] On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season was given a 67% approval rating based on 36 reviews and an average rating of 5.7 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states: "Anna Faris and Allison Janney share an undeniable comedic chemistry, and if the jokes are sometimes too crass, Mom represents a sincere (and often witty) attempt to address addiction issues."^[29] Boston Herald critic, Mark A. Perigard gave a positive review, writing "This is dark material, yet Faris balances it with a genuine winsomeness, able to wring laughs out of the most innocuous lines." New York Magazine critic Matt Zoller Seitz praised the cast, calling it "just about perfect".

For the second season the series was met with even more positive reviews. The show received a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".^[30] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 100% based on 6 reviews and an average score of 8.5 out of 10.^[31]

The third season was also met with positive reviews from critics, receiving a Metacritic score of 82 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".^[32]

Accolades

Awards
Year	Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
2014	People's Choice Award	Favorite New TV Comedy		Nominated
		Favorite Actress in a New TV Series	Anna Faris	Nominated
		Favorite Actress in a New TV Series	Allison Janney	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Won
		Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series	Mimi Kennedy	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Allison Janney	Won
2015	People's Choice Award	Favorite Network TV Comedy		Nominated
	72nd Golden Globe Awards[33]	Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film	Allison Janney	Nominated
	Prism Awards	Performance in a Comedy Series	Anna Faris	Nominated
			Allison Janney	Won
		Comedy Series Episode or Multi-Episode Storyline		Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Comedy Series		Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Allison Janney	Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Won
2016	People's Choice Award	Favorite Network TV Comedy		Nominated
		Favorite Comedic TV Actress	Anna Faris	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Allison Janney	Nominated
		Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series	Ellen Burstyn	Nominated
	Art Directors Guild Awards	Excellence in Production Design in a Multi-Camera Series	John Shaffner	Nominated

Broadcast

In Australia, Mom debuted on Nine Network on April 9, 2014.^[34] In Canada, City airs the series simultaneously.^[35][36] In Greece, Star Channel debut the series on 25 of October 2014.^[37] In the United Kingdom, ITV2 debuted the show on January 20, 2014,^[38] with season two debuting on March 2, 2015.^[39] In India, Comedy Central has been broadcasting the series through 2015.

References

1. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 12, 2015). "'Mom', 'Mike & Molly' & '2 Broke Girls' Renewed (Officially) by CBS". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved March 13, 2015.
2. Nellie Andreeva. "CBS Sets Fall Premiere Dates: 'Supergirl' Debut Gets 'Big Bang' Lead-In – Deadline". Deadline.
3. Porter, Rick (March 25, 2016). "‘Hawaii Five-0,’ ‘Madam Secretary’ and 9 more CBS veterans renewed; no word on first-year shows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
4. Goldberg, Lesley (April 25, 2014). "CBS' 'Mom' Promotes Mimi Kennedy to Series Regular (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
5. Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2015). "Jaime Pressly Named New 'Mom' Regular". Deadline. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
6. Slezak, Michael (May 29, 2015). "Mom Season 3: Who's In? Who's Out?". TV Line. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
7. "Emily Osment Joins Mom for Multi-Episode Season 3 Arc". TV Line. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
8. "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
9. "Full 2014-15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
10. "Shows A - Z, mom on cbs". the Futon Critic. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
11. "CBS Orders Single Mom Comedy Pilot From Chuck Lorre & 'Two And A Half Men' Writers" from Deadline (December 12, 2012)
12. "Chuck Lorre's CBS Pilot 'Mom' To Get Series Order Tomorrow" from Deadline (May 8, 2013)
13. CBS Announces 2013–2014 Primetime Schedule from The Futon Critic (May 15, 2013)
14. Bibel, Sara (October 18, 2013). "CBS Gives Full Season Orders to 'The Crazy Ones', 'The Millers' & 'Mom'". TV by the Numbers (Press release).
15. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2014). "CBS Renews 'The Good Wife', 'The Millers', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Mom', 'Blue Bloods', 'Elementary' and 11 More". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved March 13, 2014.
16. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 25, 2014). "CBS Shifts 'Mom' to Thursdays, 'The Millers' to Mondays & Extends 'The Big Bang Theory' Hour-Long Monday Run". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
17. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 5, 2014). "'Two and a Half Men' to End Thursday, February 19th Following 'The Odd Couple' + 'Mom' Shifts to 9:30". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
18. Finally! Anna Faris coming to TV in new Chuck Lorre CBS comedy, 'Mom' (from Hollywood.com) (January 4, 2013)
19. "Chuck Lorre's new sitcom casts 'West Wing' star" from Entertainment Weekly (January 28, 2013)
20. Duo Cast In Chuck Lorre's CBS Pilot 'Mom' from Deadline (February 11, 2013)
21. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 24, 2013). "Monday Final TV Ratings: 'The Voice' & 'How I Met Your Mother' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Hostages' or 'The Blacklist'". TV by the Numbers.
22. Bibel, Sara (April 15, 2014). "Monday Final TV Ratings: '2 Broke Girls' & 'The Voice' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
23. "Full 2013–2014 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
24. Bibel, Sara (October 31, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Up; 'Mom', 'Two and a Half Men', 'The McCarthys' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
25. Bibel, Sara (May 1, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'Bones' Adjusted Up; 'American Crime' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
26. Porter, Rick (November 6, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: ‘Elementary’ and 'Mom' adjust down considerably thanks to NFL". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
27. Porter, Rick (March 16, 2016). "'Person of Interest' ending with Season 5, plus CBS finale dates". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
28. "Mom: Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
29. "MOM: Season 1 (2013-2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
30. "Mom: Season 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
31. "MOM: Season 2 (2014-2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
32. "Mom: Season 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
33. "Golden Globes – 2014 – The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2014)". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. HFPA. goldenglobes.org. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
34. Knox, David (March 29, 2014). "Airdate: Mom". TV Tonight. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
35. "City Unveils Prime-Time Schedule for 2013–14 Season". Newswire. Toronto: CNW. June 4, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
36. Wilford, Denette (June 3, 2014). "City, FX Canada Fall TV Lineup 2014–15: Hollywood And Hockey". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
37. "MOM". Star TV.
38. Munn, Patrick (January 8, 2014). "ITV2 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Mom'". TV Wise. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
39. Munn, Patrick (February 18, 2015). "ITV2 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Mom' Season 2". TV Wise. Retrieved February 18, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Mom at the Internet Movie Database
• Mom ratings at TV by the Numbers