A Fond Farewell to the Quietly Groundbreaking “Mom”

A cast photo of the “Mom” ensemble (Image copyright: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences)

After 8 seasons and 170 episodes the veteran CBS sitcom wrapped its run last night. Over the course of its run, the show evolved from a zany family sitcom into a nuanced exploration of addiction, recovery, and sisterhood. Here, I pay tribute to the series’ impressive legacy and review its final episodes.

When I started writing on Medium in 2018, one of my first articles was about the evolution of the CBS sitcom Mom. I marveled at how over the course of its first five seasons it evolved from a fairly standard-issue family sitcom from the Chuck Lorre factory into perhaps the most honest, nuanced, and impactful portrayal of addiction and recovery in the history of network television. And now, just over three years later, I am writing about Mom’s series finale, which aired last night.

Click here to read my 2018 article on Mom about the show’s evolution over its first five seasons and my afternoon with the cast and creative team at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Cast photo of the “Mom” ensemble (Image copyright: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences)

A Brief Overview of Mom

When Mom premiered on September 23, 2013, it was primarily a sitcom vehicle for Anna Faris (a beautiful comedienne who had made a name…