‘Bye, ‘Mom’: Allison Janney’s CBS series signs off
It’s a bit ironic that in the week of Mother’s Day, the time has come to say goodbye to “Mom.”
The Chuck Lorre-produced CBS series – ostensibly a comedy, but also acclaimed for its amount of pathos – ends its eight-season run Thursday, May 13, with Allison Janney wrapping up the role of recovering addict Bonnie that earned the “I, Tonya” Oscar winner two of her six Primetime Emmy Awards. Lorre co-wrote the final episode.
“She’s been really fun,” the friendly Janney says of playing Bonnie, “for someone like me who always gets a thrill out of getting to be any character who’s not me. She’s narcissistic and unapologetic, and it’s just a great excuse to be somebody completely different. And to be celebrated for it.”
Janney gives full acknowledgement to fellow “Mom” star Anna Faris, who left the show before what turned out to be its last season. “It became about the two of us and our relationships with the women they knew in recovery,” Janney reflects. “I loved the way the writers were willing to have the show tell them what it was about, and I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do.”
With that, Janney is clear about her feelings on “Mom” ending now: “I hate it! I’ve cried about it, and that’s still going to come up a lot. We’ve showed living life in recovery, and that was the gift that meant so much to so many fans. The letters I’ve gotten from so many of them ... and the people that come up to me in the street and say they’ve gotten sober with ‘Mom.’ One young lady was worried her sobriety would end with the end of the show, and I said, ‘Lord, no! We must carry on.’ ”
Given the wide syndication “Mom” repeats enjoy – on FXX, CMT and Nick at Nite, among other outlets – the show is destined to remain visible. Still, Janney maintains, “I wish the writers had been given a whole year to set up the finale, instead of a few episodes.”
After taking some time to recharge, “The West Wing” alum Janney will tackle the adventure movie “Lou.” She says the “Mom” staff “always worked with me” whenever she wanted to do an outside project, recalling that “when I filmed ‘I, Tonya,’ that was a huge thing. I was also rehearsing for ‘Six Degrees of Separation,’ which I was going to do on Broadway, and I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work, guys.’ But all of the producers got together and worked it out for me. I’m happiest when I’m working with people on a project. It’s like a community.”