MOM Co-Creator Previews Christy’s Exit and Why the Comedy Isn’t Incorporating COVID

When MOM returns for its eighth season (on Thursday, November 5), the show will undergo its biggest change yet, as Anna Faris exited the series over its hiatus.

Though MOM is no stranger to tragic twists, the off-screen exit of Christy will be a good curveball. “Christy is moving on to big things, so our characters are happy for her, and we think our audience will be, too,” MOM co-creator Gemma Baker said via email. “However, Bonnie will struggle throughout the season with missing Christy and where to put her focus now that she’s moved away.”

In the season premiere, Bonnie (Allison Janney) shifts her attention on Tammy (Kristen Johnston), as she throws a sleepover birthday party for her former foster sister. But one thing the show won’t be dealing with? The current pandemic.

“The question of whether or not to deal with COVID is something that we grappled with quite a bit,” Baker said. “However, because our show has never before reflected current events in our storytelling, we ultimately decided not to address it. For us, it feels like we made the right decision and hopefully our audience will enjoy a little escape when they watch our show.”

Despite the changes—both on-screen and off—Baker noted the writers were pleasantly surprised with how normal the show itself feels.

“Going into this season, we thought for sure that all of the COVID restrictions would change the type of episodes we could produce,” she said. “But now that we have five shows under our belt, we’re pretty confident that the viewers at home will not feel the restrictions one bit. That’s because our stories have always been small and intimate. So while how we shoot the show has completely changed, what we’re shooting has not.”

But there is one thing they are missing. “The most difficult COVID change by far has been the loss of the live studio audience,” Baker admitted. “To not have that energy and feedback can be a challenge, but we are still holding ourselves accountable.”

While the in-studio audience is often utilized to gauge how well a scene or joke is working, the team has had to adjust. “If a joke’s not working, we still take the time to find something better,” Baker said. “Another thing that’s difficult is that we only have two writers on set instead of the full staff. Writers are watching our filming from home and pitch jokes via zoom and text. It’s working very well, but we can’t wait to be in a room together again.”

MOM, Season Premiere, Thursday, November 5, 9/8c, CBS

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• MOM: Anna Faris Exits Ahead of Season 8
• MOM: ‘Big Sad Eyes and an Antique Hot Dog’ Photos
• MOM Adds Paget Brewster
• CBS Renews MOM For Two Seasons
• MOM: Gemma Baker Previews Christy’s Win
• MOM: Allison Janney Teases Bonnie and Adam’s Dynamic Shift
• MOM: Anna Faris Previews the Group’s Turmoil

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