Anna Faris' Mom Exit: Can the CBS Sitcom Continue Its High Ratings?

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Will ‘Mom’ Remain a Ratings Hit After Anna Faris Divorced Herself From CBS’ Current Longest-Running Sitcom?

by Tony Maglio and Jennifer Maas | September 4, 2020 @ 1:02 PM

Allison Janney is now the single mother on one of TV’s most consistent comedies

“Mom” has lost half of its moms, but will its impressive audience remain intact without Anna Faris?

On Friday, news broke Faris would be exiting CBS’ currently longest-running sitcom ahead of its Season 8 premiere, leaving co-star Allison Janney alone at the top of the call sheet and the one responsible for keeping “Mom” near the top of the Nielsen rankings.

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It’s safe to say that task will be easy with the first episode of the Chuck Lorre-created show’s eighth season, as fans tune in to see how Faris’ character, Christy, is written off. But will the rest of Season 8 stack up to the numbers “Mom” earned in Season 7?

Also Read: 'Mom' Star Anna Faris to Exit CBS Comedy Ahead of Season 8

From the start of the 2019-20 TV season-to-date, “Mom” is tied for 38th place out of 285 broadcast shows in the key adults 18-49 demographic with a 1.3 rating. (It’s actually a bit fewer than 285 individual series — Nielsen breaks out shows that air on multiple nights or in multiple time slots into their own line item. In other words, “Big Brother” currently occupies three of those 285 slots, one for Wednesday episodes, another for Thursdays and the third for Sundays.)

That rating means “Mom” is tied with “Criminal Minds” as CBS’ fifth best-rated show. “Survivor,” “NCIS,” “Young Sheldon” and “FBI” top those two. And it means “Mom” is CBS’ second highest-rated comedy.

Counting all of broadcast television, “Mom” was TV’s third highest-rated sitcom this season. No. 2, “Modern Family,” has exited the airwaves (as did No. 4, “The Good Place”), leaving that silver-medal podium open for “Mom” — or perhaps for Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” on Fox.

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

In terms of overall audience size, with an average of 8.524 million viewers, “Mom” ranks 33rd on broadcast television. These Nielsen numbers include one week of delayed viewing.

Readers can subtract five slots from both of those rankings by simply omitting football. If you were so inclined to remove newsmagazine programming from this study, one can move “Mom” up by six slots on the total-viewer side.

In addition to the sheer strength of its Nielsen numbers, CBS is particularly enamored with the consistency with which “Mom” delivers an audience. Following 153 episodes of Faris and Janney together, consistency may no longer be a strength of the multi-camera comedy.

Also Read: 90-Day Domination: TLC Topped All of TV on Sundays and Mondays Among Adults 18-49 This Summer

“The past seven years on ‘Mom’ have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career,” Faris said on Friday. “I’m so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience. 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.”

The role of Christy will not be recast, a person with knowledge of the plans told TheWrap. Rather, Christy will be written out of the series when the show returns for its upcoming eighth season, which does not yet have a premiere date after being pushed off of CBS’ fall schedule — along with the network’s other scripted shows — due to COVID-related production delays. And without a debut date, we don’t yet know what competition “Mom” will be facing in its time slot when it returns.

The series is slated to begin filming on the new season later this month. It is unclear if CBS will bring in a new co-star with Janney (Warner Bros. TV, which produces the series, declined to comment on that specifically).

“Mom” featured Faris and Janney as mother-daughter duo Christy and Bonnie Plunkett who rekindled their relationship after years of alcohol addiction. Faris’ character was also a single mother of two. “Mom” also stars Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, Beth Hall, William Fichtner and Kristen Johnston.

Also Read: Which Summer 2020 Broadcast TV Series Has Seen the Largest Lifts From DVR Viewing?

Janney has been the more critically recognized of the two, winning a pair of Emmys for her role and picking up five nominations, while Anna Faris has repeatedly been snubbed by the Television Academy. (Janney has four additional Emmys from “The West Wing” and an Oscar for “I, Tonya.”)

“From the inception of ‘Mom,’ Anna was the first and only choice for the role of Christy,” WBTV, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a statement on Friday. “We are so proud of the stories we have been able to tell during Anna’s seven years with us. We wish Anna all the best, and we thank her for her beautiful portrayal.”

“Mom” premiered on CBS in September 2013, initially airing on Mondays before moving to Thursdays at the start of its second season. It’s remained on that weeknight ever since.

The show was renewed for Seasons 7 and 8 in February 2019.

Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.

For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.

Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien
Fox/ABC/Amazon/FX
Series: "Teen Mom 2" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
Series: "16 and Recovering" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 9 p.m.
MTV
Series: "Transplant" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "House of Payne" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 8 p.m.
BET
Series: "Assisted Living" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
BET
Series: "A.P. Bio" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "Raised by Wolves" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Away" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Noughts + Crosses" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "The Boys" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Black Love" Net: OWN Premiere Date: Saturday, Sept. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
OWN
Series: "Power Book II: Ghost" Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Starz
Series: "American Ninja Warrior" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "L.A's Finest" Net: Spectrum Originals Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
Spectrum Originals
Series: "Woke" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Julie and the Phantoms" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Duchess" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 11 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Our Cartoon President" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 13 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Dancing With the Stars" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Third Day" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "We Are Who We Are" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Enslaved" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
Epix
Series: "Tosh.0" Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Comedy Central
Series: "Challenger: The Final Flight" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Archer" Net: FXX Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
FXX
Series: "Departure" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "The Great Pottery Throw Down" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Pen15" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Ratched" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "World's Funniest Animals" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "L.A.'s Finest"* Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 8 p.m. *Broadcast debut of Spectrum Originals series' first season
Fox
Series: "Filthy Rich" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Masked Singer" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 8 p.m.
Fox
Series: "I Can See Your Voice" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Utopia" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: N/A
Amazon
Series: "A Wilderness of Error" Net: FX Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: 8 p.m.
FX
Series: "The Simpsons" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Bless the Harts" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Bob's Burgers" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Comey Rule" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Family Guy" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Fargo" Net: FX Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 10 p.m.
FX
Series: "Weakest Link" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Gangs of London" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
AMC
Series: "The Salisbury Poisonings" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
AMC
Series: "Monsterland" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
Getty
Series: "Emily in Paris" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Undercover Boss" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Warrior" Net: Cinemax Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
Series: "Saturday Night Live" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Saturday, Oct. 3 Time: 11:30 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Pandora" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 8 p.m.
Series: "The Good Lord Bird" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Britannia" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Sunday Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
Epix
Series: "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Soulmates" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 5 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Swamp Thing"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 8 p.m.

*Broadcast debut of DC Universe series' first season
DC Universe
Series: "Ellen's Game of Games" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Next" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Devils" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Coroner" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Supernatural" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Connecting..." Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Outpost" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "The Right Stuff" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
Disney+
Series: "The Haunting of Bly Manor" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Fear the Walking Dead" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
AMC
Series: "The Bachelorette" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Tell Me a Story"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 9 p.m.

*Broadcast debut of CBS All Access series' first season
The CW
Series: "The Amazing Race" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Sistas" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
BET
Series: "Star Trek: Discovery" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 15 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
Series: "Helstrom" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Grand Army" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Shark Tank" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "America's Funniest Home Videos" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 7 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Supermarket Sweep" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 8 p.m.
Getty
Series: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Card Sharks" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Unsolved Mysteries" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Voice" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Goldbergs" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Conners" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "black-ish" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9:30 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Queen's Gambit" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 23 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Undoing" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "This Is Us" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "American Housewife" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28 Time: 8:30 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Superstore" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Mandalorian" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 30 Time: N/A
Disney+
Series: "The Good Doctor" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Young Sheldon" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "B Positive" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Mom" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "NCIS: Los Angeles" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT
CBS
Series: "NCIS: New Orleans" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
CBS
Series: "A Teacher" Net: FX on Hulu Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10 Time: N/A
FX on Hulu
Series: "Chicago Med" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Chicago Fire" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "S.W.A.T." Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Chicago PD" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Station 19" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Grey's Anatomy" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Unicorn" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "The Blacklist" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Crown" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 15 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Neighborhood" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Bob Hearts Abishola" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "All Rise" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "His Dark Materials" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Bull" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "NCIS" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "FBI" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "FBI: Most Wanted" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Big Sky" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "For Life" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "A Million Little Things" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Animaniacs" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 20 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "SEAL Team" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "The Flight Attendant" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 26 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Virgin River" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 27 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Shameless" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Dec. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "The Stand" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Dec. 17 Time: N/A
CBS All Access

1 of 125

Here’s when 125 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back

Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.

For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.

Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien

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