Mamma Mia!

How can we resist them? Even after 100 episodes, we can’t get enough of Mom’s Allison Janney and Anna Faris

- Marisa Roffman

RAISE A GLASS of non-alcoholic wine! The CBS comedy Mom—which mines laughter (and plenty of tears) from the highs and lows of living with addiction—is celebrating 100 episodes. And what a journey it’s been. Initially, the series explored the combative relationship between estranged mother-daughter duo Bonnie (Allison Janney) and Christy (Anna Faris) as they raised single mom Christy’s two kids. But the show gradually shifted to focus less on nuclear-family dysfunction and more on Bonnie and Christy’s support group family dysfunction, with both characters fighting to maintain their sobriety. Over the years, Mom has been lauded by critics for its frank, often dark look at the recovery process, and Janney has won two Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmys. “It’s really outgrown my initial idea of what I thought it could be,” executive producer Chuck Lorre says.

Through it all, Janney and Faris have remained the show’s emotional core. “They’re masterful actresses, in both deeply dramatic moments and in over-the-top physical comedy moments,” Lorre says. “They always make the material better than it is on the page. That’s a gift, as a writer, to know if you pen a decent scene, it’s going to be a great one when they’re done.”

Offscreen, the pair couldn’t be closer. When they sat down with us to reflect on 100 episodes, they leaned on each other—literally and figuratively.

You’re clearly close now, but what were your first impressions of one another?