Mom in the Media

[Sarah 103]

9 hours ago, Blakeston said:

 Tammy kept living with Marjorie even though her business was thriving.

Tammy kept living with Marjorie because Marjorie really needed a roommate due to her own finances. Tammy realized that if she moved out, Marjorie wouldn't be able to afford the house, so Tammy decided to stay to ensure that Marjorie would be able to stay in her house and not need to find another job.

[Sarah 103]

3 hours ago, ch1 said:

The let’s treat Wendy like trash joke has been played out for a while now.  It just makes the rest of the ladies look like shitty people and honestly that and the Christy needs a man joke are 2 things that have lessened my enjoyment of the show.   Christy being gone gets rid of one issue.  Let’s see if Wendy benefits at all with the cast change.

One of my friends and I had the perfect idea for a season long story arc for Wendy. She's dating a doctor, but he keeps getting called to the hospital each time the others are going to be meet him, and every now and then he has to cancel plans with her. The others begin to wonder whether or not he is real. The viewer has seen him and knows he is not only real but a wonderful person. 

[fuzzyreception]

a source told People that no one at Mom is “happy” about Anna leaving, adding:

It was sudden and unwelcome, and it left the entire network scrambling. This is not a good thing at all. . . . Mom has been one of CBS' more profitable scripted shows, in a very challenging economic time. And now one of the leads is gone. It’s actually a nightmare. No one wanted this.

Mom will undoubtedly need to make some unexpected adjustments due to Anna Faris’ exit. That said, the show will go on, as opposed to how The Big Bang Theory team responded to star Jim Parsons' decision to leave the high-rated sitcom, which opted to conclude everything.

Mom does not sound ready to make that big a leap despite Anna Faris’ prominent role in the show. The “nightmare” described by the source behind-the-scenes is tied to Faris allegedly not sharing her future plans with anyone involved with the creative team. In a statement, Faris said that her departure would allow her to “pursue new opportunities.”

Looks like the dust is still settling on this bombshell.  More to come.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, fuzzyreception said:

Mom will undoubtedly need to make some unexpected adjustments due to Anna Faris’ exit. That said, the show will go on, as opposed to how The Big Bang Theory team responded to star Jim Parsons' decision to leave the high-rated sitcom, which opted to conclude everything.

Those are two different situations.  Jim gave his show a year's notice that he wouldn't sign on for a hypothetical thirteenth season but he was going to fulfill the year remaining on his contract.  CBS and Lorre's production company had not decided on a 13th season yet and Jim not doing it was another factor to consider.  They decided 12 was enough and had 22 episodes to bring the show to a conclusion.  Had they decided to go ahead, they also would have had 22 episodes to decide how to write him out.

But had Jim decided in Aug. before the 12th season that he wasn't going to do a 12th season, that show would have gone on.  Like Mom, it was already picked up, episodes had been written and all the cast were signed on.

It's interesting, this article is saying the decision was made very recently while other articles said it was finalized early during COVID.

[Sarah 103]

9 hours ago, fuzzyreception said:

That said, the show will go on, as opposed to how The Big Bang Theory team responded to star Jim Parsons' decision to leave the high-rated sitcom, which opted to conclude everything.

While both shows are ensemble shows, I think Mom is different. Mom started off as a comedic duo; it was the Bonnie and Christy show. Over the course of the series, the show drifted away from that and became much more of an ensemble show and Christy was gradually almost sidelined. To put it another way, I cannot imagine a season of The Big Bang Theory without Sheldon. I can totally picture a season or multiple seasons of Mom without Christy. 

[TVMovieBuff]

12 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

While both shows are ensemble shows, I think Mom is different. Mom started off as a comedic duo; it was the Bonnie and Christy show. Over the course of the series, the show drifted away from that and became much more of an ensemble show and Christy was gradually almost sidelined. To put it another way, I cannot imagine a season of The Big Bang Theory without Sheldon. I can totally picture a season or multiple seasons of Mom without Christy. 

Completely true. Also, TBBT had 11 seasons when it was decided 12 would be it. It was ready to end. Jim Parsons was the center of the show, and I think it is Allison Janney who is the center of Mom. The one without whom, would leave a big hole in Mom without her. Not so much Anna. The remaining actors and more ensemble like structure, and strong cast, can manage without her.

[Blakeston]

On 9/10/2020 at 4:02 PM, Sarah 103 said:

Tammy kept living with Marjorie because Marjorie really needed a roommate due to her own finances. Tammy realized that if she moved out, Marjorie wouldn't be able to afford the house, so Tammy decided to stay to ensure that Marjorie would be able to stay in her house and not need to find another job.

And couldn't she move in with Bonnie, at least temporarily, because Adam is at work all the time and Bonnie feels alone?

The writers are going to do whatever they think will be funniest. And if they want Bonnie living with one of the other women, they'll come up with an explanation for doing it.

[possibilities]

They would have to give Marjorie another source of income, to make up for Tammy's lost rent. I'm sure they could do that, but it's a factor.

[SanDiegoInExile]

13 hours ago, Blakeston said:

The writers are going to do whatever they think will be funniest. And if they want Bonnie living with one of the other women, they'll come up with an explanation for doing it.

Exactly.  I suspect we will start the season with Bonnie seeming *happy* about her daughter's good fortune.  Yet she will spend half the season trying to fill that "Christy Void".  I wouldn't be surprised to see her granddaughter back for an episode.  And some needless stuntcasting, with an previously unknown Adam Child suddenly showing up.  By mid-season, Bonnie will realize that she doesn't need to "mother" anyone (or make up for not being a good mother).

Honestly, for most of the past season, it seemed that Christy's only role was to toss zingers at her mother.

Wallace Langham could also show up again, especially if the son (un?)surprisingly  follows in his mother Marjorie's habits/patterns.

Heck, the show could go crazy and jump multiple sharks by making each actress a "Mom".   Jill adopts, Tammy fosters, Marjorie reconciles, and Wendy shows up in the season premiere 8 months pregnant via IVF with her new girlfriend.

[AnimeMania]

5 hours ago, SanDiegoInExile said:

Exactly.  I suspect we will start the season with Bonnie seeming *happy* about her daughter's good fortune.  Yet she will spend half the season trying to fill that "Christy Void".  I wouldn't be surprised to see her granddaughter back for an episode.  And some needless stuntcasting, with an previously unknown Adam Child suddenly showing up.  By mid-season, Bonnie will realize that she doesn't need to "mother" anyone (or make up for not being a good mother).

Bonnie could pretend the dog is Christy. Bonnie imagines the dog saying all the lines that the scriptwriters wrote for Christy.

[eel21788]

On 9/12/2020 at 12:41 PM, Blakeston said:

The writers are going to do whatever they think will be funniest. And if they want Bonnie living with one of the other women, they'll come up with an explanation for doing it.

Roscoe could have continued to become a troublesome teen. Baxter and Candace get fed up and kick him out, so he goes to live with Bonnie.

I can also see Bonnie deciding to give up her maintenance job since she no longer needs a place for Christy to sleep. They could go back to Adam's condo or decide to live above the bar.

[illdoc]

https://tvline.com/2020/09/14/mom-season-8-anna-faris-leaves-christy-allison-janney/

[wonderwoman]

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

[AnimeMania]

11 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

Everybody was supposed to "embrace the gray" since you aren't allowed to go to hair salons. I am sure they will be all dyed up by the time shooting starts. I hope they won't be wearing masks because I won't be able to tell who anybody is.

[roughing it]

On 9/14/2020 at 8:15 PM, wonderwoman said:

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

In real life, yes, it looks that way.  However I remember reading somewhere that Allison always prefers to wear wigs, and she wears one as "Bonnie".

[wonderwoman]

12 hours ago, roughing it said:

On 9/14/2020 at 10:15 PM, wonderwoman said:

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

In real life, yes, it looks that way.  However I remember reading somewhere that Allison always prefers to wear wigs, and she wears one as "Bonnie".

we shall see...

[ctlady]

On ‎9‎/‎16‎/‎2020 at 10:37 AM, roughing it said:

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2020 at 10:15 PM, wonderwoman said:

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

In real life, yes, it looks that way.  However I remember reading somewhere that Allison always prefers to wear wigs, and she wears one as "Bonnie".

Well, I have nothing against a woman coloring her hair if she chooses.  No woman should be made to feel that because she's of an age that she shouldn't be vain about her hair turning gray.  There are women who look great with it (sadly, I do not).  I remember watching the Go-Go's documentary and thought how frickin' adorable Jane Wiedlen looks with a gray pixie cut.  Jealous.

I'm still mulling over the possibilities of this show keeping the 'Mom' theme as they're stuck with it as title.  I'm just praying it isn't Patty and her precocious daughter moving in with Bonnie who attempts to have a second chance at motherhood.  That would be diving dangerously deep into 'Cousin Oliver' territory

On ‎9‎/‎13‎/‎2020 at 3:57 PM, eel21788 said:

They could go back to Adam's condo or decide to live above the bar.

Adam had a really nice apartment.  Didn't he sublet it as an Airbnb for money when the bar was in it's early stages?  I don't recall hearing that he officially gave up the lease

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, ctlady said:

Adam had a really nice apartment.  Didn't he sublet it as an Airbnb for money when the bar was in it's early stages?  I don't recall hearing that he officially gave up the lease

I'm assuming he owns it since he would have had to make a lot of accessibility modifications for himself.

[Gothish520]

On 9/17/2020 at 3:12 PM, ctlady said:

Well, I have nothing against a woman coloring her hair if she chooses.  No woman should be made to feel that because she's of an age that she shouldn't be vain about her hair turning gray.  There are women who look great with it (sadly, I do not).  I remember watching the Go-Go's documentary and thought how frickin' adorable Jane Wiedlen looks with a gray pixie cut.  Jealous.

I'm still mulling over the possibilities of this show keeping the 'Mom' theme as they're stuck with it as title.  I'm just praying it isn't Patty and her precocious daughter moving in with Bonnie who attempts to have a second chance at motherhood.  That would be diving dangerously deep into 'Cousin Oliver' territory.

I agree about the hair. I would love to stop coloring mine simply because I'm lazy and it's a pain, but I just look old and haggard with gray, lol!

I don't think they have to do anything casting or plotwise to keep the "Mom" theme. The show's been on long enough that a lack of actual children in the cast doesn't really matter. Bonnie and Marjorie are still moms.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Gothish520

[LucyEth]

On 9/14/2020 at 10:15 PM, wonderwoman said:

looks like allison has decided to embrace the gray. woo hoo!

I wondered about that, but I doubt Bonnie would adopt that look

[Amazee-Dayzee]

My guess as to why she has left is probably the for the same reason I have been complaining about ever since she and Patrick broke up. They didn’t know what to do with her and have turned the character of Christy in a sad, unfunny clown. They heap piles of abuse on her and think its funny. Plus a lot of focus of the show has shifted towards Bonnie so like I said, they should just rename the show “Bonnie” and be done with it. After dumping on the character for the umpteenth time I’m not surprised that she has left.

Whether or not this is detrimental to a show will be seen. After Charlie Sheen left “Two and a Half Men”, the show continued for for 4 more seasons but whether the quality worsened is up for debate. I just hope that Chuck Lorre doesn’t kill of Christy and give her the “Charlie treatment” which is people badmouth her at her funeral and Violet returns to give a nasty eulogy and spit on her grave.

[greekmom]

Maybe if they recast the role of Violet and brought the new one in for small doses? Starting in AA?

I don't understand Anna Faris. With covid and all, she has a sure fire steady job as an actress on a hit show and she should milk it for as long as possible. If she was unhappy with her role, she could have spoken up and asked for something better. Then she would have had more grounds to leave.

Anyhoo. I am sure the show will be good. I really did like Christy till they gave her that gambling issue.

[Bort]

52 minutes ago, greekmom said:

I don't understand Anna Faris. With covid and all, she has a sure fire steady job as an actress on a hit show and she should milk it for as long as possible. If she was unhappy with her role, she could have spoken up and asked for something better. Then she would have had more grounds to leave.

Honestly, I figured she had already spoken up about being marginalized. It’s not like it’s a recent thing.

[Jane Tuesday]

I'm sympathetic that Anna Faris hasn't been getting the storylines that she used to, but that's not a new thing.  So why sign a two-year contract?  That's the part that bothers me.  She bailed in the middle of a two-year contract, when the show reportedly was renewed based on her (and AJ) signing said contract(s).

It also doesn't sit well that she didn't give the show any notice so that they could write Christy out in a decent way.  (Granted, covid-19 may have derailed any plans they made anyway.)  But it's really a shame that she's going to have to be written out in some hokey off-screen manner.  No matter what they come up with, it's going to be disappointing.  Christy is kind of a dull character, and I think AF is not a strong actor, but she's the heart of the show.  I've loved watching her and Bonnie come to grips with their past and mend their relationship.  And now she's just... poof!  Gone?  Vanished into thin air like Roscoe?

I really hope AF and CL can eventually arrange for Christy to make another appearance, if just a guest role.  I want to see closure for her relationships with Bonnie and the other women, and I want to see her finally get to be a lawyer!

[possibilities]

Do we know she's leaving because she doesn't like her character? I had been guessing there was something else, and they don't want to talk about it, i.e. something personal. But I have zero evidence to support that. It just seems like it could hurt her career to be known to have left in the middle of her contract, unless there's some very good reason.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Do we know she's leaving because she doesn't like her character? I had been guessing there was something else, and they don't want to talk about it, i.e. something personal. But I have zero evidence to support that. It just seems like it could hurt her career to be known to have left in the middle of her contract, unless there's some very good reason.

I don't think we have any solid information.  When it first came out she was leaving, the official statement said it had been decided a while ago. But then there were leaks that it was a recent decision. 

The official word is so she can "work on other projects."  That rarely tells the whole story in a situation like this.  After her contract wraps?  Sure.  But mid contract?  There's probably something more that's not being said. 

But I think it could really be almost anything. It could that she's upset that she's a supporting player in what was supposed to be a star vehicle and decided 7 years was enough.  It could be that she doesn't want to take the COVID risk.  It could be that she's having personal problems.  It could be that she always intended to leave after 7 if they'd let her but signed a 2 year deal to secure the continuation of her show.

I don't know if we'll ever find out.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

When it first came out she was leaving, the official statement said it had been decided a while ago. But then there were leaks that it was a recent decision. 

The official word is so she can "work on other projects." 

The official statement didn’t say anything about when the decision was made. The Deadline reporter said they heard it was made early in the hiatus. 
 

Anna’s statement was, “While my journey as Christy has come to an end, allowing me to pursue new opportunities, I’ll be watching next season and rooting for my TV family.” It can be read more than one way. 

[Bort]

Yeah, we just don’t know. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if them bumping Kristin Johnston up to regular was when Faris decided to cut and run.

[Harvey]

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

Do we know she's leaving because she doesn't like her character? I had been guessing there was something else, and they don't want to talk about it, i.e. something personal. But I have zero evidence to support that. It just seems like it could hurt her career to be known to have left in the middle of her contract, unless there's some very good reason.

On other websites they think it's because of her highly speculated cocaine addiction.

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, Harvey said:

On other websites they think it's because of her highly speculated cocaine addiction.

That would be really ironic.

Edited October 1, 2020 by eel21788

[KAOS Agent]

Maybe she decided she hates Allison Janney. Or maybe her son is particularly susceptible to COVID and she wants to maintain his privacy on the issue. Who knows? I really dislike it when an unsubstantiated motive is attributed to someone and then used to drag them down. She left and it doesn't seem like it's because she thinks she'll do better elsewhere, so it's likely a personal matter. If it were really scandalous or even slightly juicy, it would have leaked, so I doubt it's some hidden drug addiction.

[sleepysuzy]

I've been thinking if this in relation to Chadwick Boseman's death and the flack he took online for his appearance beforehand because no one knew he was ill. There has been tons of speculation / snark / concern about AF losing weight and seeming frail. When I see sources guessing she has a cocaine addiction or eating disorder (both of which would also be tragedies and illnesses rather than personal failings), I also just wonder about her health. 

[chitowngirl]

Perhaps Christy is going to go help Violet, who realizes that she has addiction issues?

[illdoc]

FALL PREMIERE DATE: https://tvline.com/2020/10/13/mom-season-8-without-anna-faris-christy-preview/

[Harvey]

November 5, nice, I am happy that it's sooner than other CBS comedies. And the episode synopsis is promising as well.

Spoiler

In “Sex Bucket and the Grammar Police,” when Bonnie invites the ladies to a slumber party, childhood games reveal adult problems.

 

[Bastet]

On 10/13/2020 at 11:17 AM, illdoc said:

FALL PREMIERE DATE: https://tvline.com/2020/10/13/mom-season-8-without-anna-faris-christy-preview/

It's disturbing seeing so many people from different households hanging out indoors without masks or proper distancing, yet it's also great to see these characters again.  Such will be the dichotomy of the 20-21 season across television.

[eel21788]

On 9/6/2020 at 6:07 PM, Dani said:

Sasso’s new show was supposed to be a mid-season replacement and filmed before or at the same time as season 7 of Mom. If there was a conflict he would have already been written out.  

His new show has been officially cancelled. We may get Andy back.

[bichonblitz]

On 9/16/2020 at 10:37 AM, roughing it said:

 However I remember reading somewhere that Allison always prefers to wear wigs, and she wears one as "Bonnie".

Ah ha! I always thought she was wearing wigs because, well, her hair always looked "wigish" to me. 

On 10/1/2020 at 2:22 PM, Harvey said:

On other websites they think it's because of her highly speculated cocaine addiction.

She didn't look well this last season. I thought drug use, too. She started looking bad after her divorce and her ex's new marriage. So painfully thin, disheveled and frail. If this is the case I hope she gets the help she needs.  

[rtoole1111]

So I've read that Christy won't be on the show this season. Does anyone know why?

 

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, rtoole1111 said:

So I've read that Christy won't be on the show this season. Does anyone know why?

 

Plenty of discussion on the Media thread (starting on about page 2).  In fact, I suspect this will get merged into that soon 🙂

 

[Sarah 103]

On 10/18/2020 at 2:47 PM, eel21788 said:

His new show has been officially cancelled. We may get Andy back.

I am sorry his show was cancelled, but Andy was a great character and I would love to see more of him. 

[illdoc]

https://tvline.com/2020/10/28/mom-anna-faris-leaving-season-8-where-is-christy/      Andy is mentioned, but "Jill & Andy hit a rough patch" does not bode well.

[ctlady]

22 hours ago, illdoc said:

https://tvline.com/2020/10/28/mom-anna-faris-leaving-season-8-where-is-christy/      Andy is mentioned, but "Jill & Andy hit a rough patch" does not bode well.

“We will also get to see a different side of our other ladies,” including Wendy and Tammy,

'Including'?  Other than Bonnie, Marjorie, Jill and Christy, the only ladies in the group left ARE Wendy and Tammy.  Am I missing someone?  Please, please, please don't add Patty (Kate Micucci to the case!)

What I'd rather this read was, "We will also get to see a different side of our other ladies - especially Wendy."

[Guest]

On 10/29/2020 at 11:13 AM, ctlady said:

“We will also get to see a different side of our other ladies,” including Wendy and Tammy,

'Including'?  Other than Bonnie, Marjorie, Jill and Christy, the only ladies in the group left ARE Wendy and Tammy.  Am I missing someone?  Please, please, please don't add Patty (Kate Micucci to the case!)

What I'd rather this read was, "We will also get to see a different side of our other ladies - especially Wendy."

Since it wasn’t a direct quote I think that was the writer’s poorly phrased way of name checking the characters that hadn’t been named yet. 

Edited October 31, 2020 by Guest

[Harvey]

The show got a new official description:

Quote

Emmy and Academy Award winner Allison Janney stars in this funny and often heart-wrenching comedy from executive producer Chuck Lorre. Bonnie must learn to adjust without her daughter and former-roommate, Christy, around. With a chaotic past behind her and a newly empty nest, she focuses on her marriage to her husband, Adam, and on what she wants to be now that she’s finally grown up. Now more than ever, Bonnie depends on the support of her friends, including the wise Marjorie, the wealthy and sometimes misguided Jill, the overly emotional Wendy and her foster sister, Tammy, who was recently released from prison. Collectively, they help each other overcome their mistakes and stay sober in the face of whatever life throws at them.

 

[illdoc]

https://tvline.com/2020/11/03/mom-season-8-anna-faris-leaving-allison-janney-interview/

[illdoc]

From today's "Matt's Inside Line" (at tvline.com): 

How will Mom change with Christy/Anna Faris suddenly gone? –Dee
“This season is really about the ensemble, which means we are going to get the opportunity to get to know all our characters better,” says co-creator Gemma Baker. For example, “We will see Wendy (played by Beth Hall) make a decision that comes as a big surprise to the group.”

[bad things are bad]

Quote

Plus a lot of focus of the show has shifted towards Bonnie

She's Fonzie. 

Quote

 

His new show has been officially cancelled. We may get Andy back.

I am sorry his show was cancelled, but Andy was a great character and I would love to see more of him. 

 

Sucks for him, but I'm glad that show was cancelled. What a waste of him and Jane Curtin

[txhorns79]

On 9/13/2020 at 10:23 AM, AnimeMania said:

Bonnie could pretend the dog is Christy. Bonnie imagines the dog saying all the lines that the scriptwriters wrote for Christy.

I now envision the entire season just being Allison Janney staring at a dog while she does voiceover conversations between the two.

[kwnyc]

Since they sent off Christy so nicely, and had the "call" from her at the end of the premiere episode, it suggests that guest appearances could happen.

And I can see where Anna Farris would decide it's time to leave. The show was a Mom/daughter family sitcom at its start, and only found its feet when it became about chosen family and recovery. (That's my thesis and I'm sticking to it...)

With one of the best casts on TV (including recurring characters), I suspect it'll continue to roll along, and I hope Anna Farris is able to be happy. (I wondered whether her son needs more of her attention.)