For the first time since Mom started up as a Chuck Lorre co-creation back in 2013, filming for Season 8 went into full swing without Anna Faris co-starring opposite Allison Janney. Faris made the shocking announcement in September that she was vacating the show as a way to take her career in a new direction with different projects. Fans will no doubt miss the actress and her character Christy when Season 8 kicks off this month, and they certainly won't be the only ones.
In the wake of Anna Faris' announcement, which frustrated crew members, Allison Janney mostly kept mom...er...mum about everything, sharing only a few words about starting Season 8's production for a behind-the-scenes video that was released as filming began. Now, though, the Emmy-winning actress opened up a bit and revealed what she'll miss the most about Faris being around, telling Entertainment Tonight:
It's a huge loss for the show to not have Anna because she was part of creating a character, Christy, that everyone fell in love with, who was so lovable and warm and gullible and funny and we will miss her so much. I think I'll miss the most, for me, the relationship between Bonnie and Christy, even though that will still continue. But she won't be present. That's what I'll miss.
For Allison Janney, it sounds like one of the key losses tied to Anna Faris leaving is Bonnie and Christy's in-person relationship, and that's totally understandable both from an actor perspective and a fan perspective. Despite being showcased on a half-hour CBS sitcom, the mother-daughter pairing has never been played just for laughs, and it's one of the most unique and inspirational familial relationships on TV. As Janney says, their characters will still continue to grow and evolve, only with Christy's evolution being told to audiences, as opposed to being shown.
After co-starring with someone for 20+ episodes a year for seven seasons, one person's absence is almost definitely going to take a toll on the other one in the immediate wake. But even though Allison Janney will be missing Bonnie's up-and-down relationship with Christy, she can take comfort knowing that the writers are finding ways to keep her busy. For one, she and William Fichtner's Adam will grow closer, and get inspired by their own lovey-dovey-ness to offer romantic advice to others in their friend circle. I can only imagine how well that will go over.
Jamie Pressley, who stars as Jill, also shared her thoughts on Anna Faris' absence and how Bonnie and Christy's relationship stays alive through dialogue.
But I do want to say that it feels like she's still here because we do talk about the character all the time. And [Janney's] character is always calling her or vice versa. We still hear the name, we still talk about her. She's not gone as far as we're concerned, and we all spent so much time together over the years and love each other and support each other and we all want each other to be happy, so we're happy for her and we miss her no matter what.
How major do you all think the lack of Anna Faris will be for Mom's future? Let us know in the comments, and remember that Season 8 will premiere on CBS on Thursday, November 5, at 9:00 p.m., so be sure to tune in to see how well the show works without Anna Faris around. While waiting for more, head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.
