CBS has confirmed the cancellation of the long-running comedy, Mom, one season after Anna Faris’ departure, proving that her exit impacted the longevity of the show.
CBS issued a statement in February 2021 announcing that the long-running comedy, Mom, will be coming to an end on Thursday, 6 May 2021.
The channel revealed that the series will be ending merely one season after the lead character, Christy Plunket, played by Anna Faris, left the show. This is despite the production’s efforts to continue the storyline without her.
Executive producers, Chuck Lorre, Gemma Baker and Nick Bakay, jointly stated, “For the past eight years, we’ve had the great honour to bring these wonderful characters to life, sharing their struggles and triumphs with millions of viewers every week. We are forever grateful to our brilliant cast and guest stars, wonderful writers, and amazing crew for going on this journey with us.”
The news came months after Anna announced her departure and CBS’ commitment to continuing with a refocus on Christy’s mother, Bonnie Plunket, played by Allison Janney.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in November 2020, Gemma expanded on what the upcoming episodes will include, stating, “We’re going to meet an interesting man from Bonnie’s past and there will be a visit from a beloved character. We will see Bonnie and Adam (Adam Fichtner), who are riding high on being happily married, give relationship advice to Jill (Jaime Pressly) and Andy (Will Sasso) with mixed results.”
Whilst season eight will see the projected storyline come to life, it will also mark the end of the characters’ who were expected to keep the show running for many seasons to come.
Allison released an emotional statement on Instagram in February 2021, following the news of Mom’s cancellation.
She stated, “Getting to be part of Mom these past [eight] years… Showing the laughter, love and hope that can come with recovery, has been one of the great honours of my life… And these amazingly talented actors I got to act with every day!!! Mimi, Jaime, Kristen, Beth, and the coolest man on the planet, Bill Fichtner, and of course, Anna Faris.”
