Fall TV preview: CBS, Anna Faris, and Chuck Lorre look to score with ‘Mom’
CBS could very well stand for “Chuck Broadcasting Station” within a few years, especially with the way in which things are going. You already had Chuck Lorre comedies “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Mike & Molly” all on the air, but now you are adding a fourth pea to the pod: “Mom,” which premieres this fall. This is a show that harkens back to some of the showrunner’s earlier years with female-driven series, and this one ups the ante when it comes to the generations.
Anna Faris stars on the show as Christy, a woman who is in the middle of a major life change. She’s recently-sober, and trying to improve her life while also helping her two children. She’s also trying to repair things with her own mom, which is not nearly as easily as you would assume, and also working as a waitress at a high-end restaurant.
The first thing that you have to give Lorre credit for is assembling a heck of a cast for the show. In addition to Faris, who has long been underrated for her film work, you have the likes of Allison Janney, Nate Corddry, and “3rd Rock from the Sun’s” French Stewart all as a part of the credits. These are fantastic people with comedy experience, and should all fit together like clockwork.
Something else that clearly makes it stand out? That this year, a female-driven comedy is going against trend, whereas the past two years it has really been all about the ladies in between “The Mindy Project,” “New Girl,” “Whitney,” “2 Broke Girls,” “How To Live with your Parents,” “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” and others.
“Mom” has a good shot at scoring big ratings, and we almost think that CBS is making a mistake by not giving it the 9:00 p.m. Eastern time slot and giving the raunchy “2 Broke Girls” 9:30. Lorre’s shows almost strike gold every time, and this was the biggest lock that the network had going into the upfronts.
Whether or not you enjoy “Mom” will be surely be dependent on your tolerance for all things Lorre. If you dig his style and love a good multi-camera morsel of escapism, then this is your show. Otherwise, run far, far away.