Pop Culture Q&A: Anna Faris moves on from 'Mom'

Tribune News Service
November 16, 2020 at 9:08PM
"Chicken Nuggets and a Triple Homicide" -- In order to get the family back together, Christy and Bonnie rent a house with a colorful past. Meanwhile, Bonnie tries to broker a peace between Christy and Alvin, on MOM, Thursday, Nov. 13 (8:31-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Christy (Anna Faris) from left, Bonnie (Allison Janney), shown. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Anna Faris and Allison Janney play daughter and mother on “Mom.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Q: Do you know why Christy was not on "Mom" in the new season?

A: Anna Faris, who played Christy, has left the show — reportedly to pursue other opportunities. There was some speculation that she and Allison Janney (as Christy's mom, Bonnie) were not getting along, but her departure seems to have been amicable. The show left the door open for Faris' return at times, since Christy's absence was explained as her going off to law school at Georgetown. And the show has a solid ensemble remaining, thanks to the increased focus on the women's sober group. Earlier in the series, Christy's children were part of the show; they disappeared as the series became more about the adult group.

'New Amsterdam' will return

Q: Is "New Amsterdam" returning or has it been, heaven forbid, canceled? If it is returning, when?

A: The series will return; in fact, NBC ordered three more seasons last spring. As for when, like many shows it was stalled by the pandemic. NBC has said it will be back in 2021.

Several series have return dates scheduled. CBS' Friday-night lineup of "Blue Bloods," "MacGyver" and "Magnum P.I." will start new seasons on Dec. 4. And Fox has unveiled January 2021 plans including "9-1-1" and "9-1-1: Lone Star" on Jan. 18, and "Prodigal Son" and "The Resident" on Jan. 12. "Last Man Standing," meanwhile, will begin its ninth and final season with a special telecast on Jan. 3 and its time-period return on Jan. 7.

Write to brenfels@gmail.com.

Anna Faris as Christy of the CBS series Mom for the CBS Television Network. Photo: Robert Ascroft/CBS �© 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Anna Faris has portrayed daughter Christy on “Mom.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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