Allison Janney - Bonnie Plunkett
Sadie Calvano - Violet Plunkett
Nate Corddry - Gabriel
Matt Jones - Baxter
French Stewart - Chef Rudy
Spencer Daniels - Luke
Blake Garrett Rosenthal - Roscoe
Mimi Kennedy - Marjorie Armstrong
Jaime Pressly - Jill Kendall
Beth Hall - Wendy
Mom is an American situation comedy that premiered on September 23, 2013, on CBS. The series stars Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Sadie Calvano and Blake Garrett Rosenthal and was created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker. Other original cast includes Nate Corddry, Matt Jones, French Stewart, and Spencer Daniels. Later cast includes Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly and Beth Hall.
The series follows Christy (Anna Faris), a single mother who—after dealing with her battle with alcoholism and drug addiction—decides to restart her life in California's Sonoma County Wine Country working as a waitress and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. However, her history also happens to run in the family: her mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney), is also a recovering drug and alcohol addict, and her 16-year-old daughter, Violet (Sadie Calvano) has begun to follow in Christy's footsteps by sleeping with her boyfriend, Luke, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy that parallels Christy's, who gave birth to Violet when she was Violet's age.
Christy also has a younger son, Roscoe, whose father, Baxter (her ex-husband, as Violet has a different father), is a deadbeat, and drug dealer. Christy also dates Gabriel, her boss at the restaurant (who is also married but wants out despite having a father-in-law who owns the restaurant), and Rudy (a critical chef who takes his job too seriously).
Development and production
Mom was one of the many projects that quickly 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. It was green-lit by CBS for a series order pick up on May 9, 2013. This pickup also gives Lorre the distinction of having 4 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) timeslot following 2 Broke Girls. However, after the cancellation 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.
Casting
The series gives Faris, who had guest starred in various television programs in-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. On January 28, 2013, Janney was next to come aboard the project, playing Christy's mother. 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.
Mimi Kennedy took a recurring role in the first season, and became a main cast in the second.
Like the rest of the cast, French Stewart was credited in every episode during season 1, but was only credited when he appeared in season 2.
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 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 | Beth Hall | Recurring | Main | |
Recurring
| Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
| Alvin Lester Biletnikoff | Kevin Pollak | Recurring | |
| Paul | Reggie De Leon | Recurring | |
| Regina Tompkins | Octavia Spencer | Recurring | |
| Adam Henchy | Justin Long | Recurring | |
| Jackie Biletnikoff | Jordan Dunn (Season 1) Clark Duke (Season 2) |
Guest | Recurring |
| Douglas Biletnikoff | Zachary Stockdale (Season 1) Chris Smith (Season 2) |
Guest | Recurring |
| Lorraine | Beverly D'Angelo | Recurring | |