Yahoo News Mom boss opens up about reasons behind cancellation
CBS sitcom Mom was suddenly cancelled back in February, and now a network chief has finally discussed the reasons why.
The show, which first aired in 2013, followed mother daughter duo Bonnie (Allison Janney) and Christy Plunkett (Anna Faris), who try to overcome their addiction issues and attend Alcoholics Anonymous together.
It was the creation of the aptly nicknamed 'King of Sitcoms', Chuck Lorre, who was behind the likes of Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly and later Netflix's The Kominsky Method.
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While Mom ran for a commendable eight seasons, it's a fair amount shorter than other similar sitcoms. Lorre's other hits, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, both ran for 12 seasons each. Friends ran for 10 seasons, The Office for nine, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is still running after 14.
The final episodes aired in May, and rumours have been flying about the reasons behind its cancellation, but CBS Entertainment chief Kelly Kahl has finally shed some light on the situation.
"Shows come to the end of a life cycle at some point, and it typically has to do with a lot of factors, many of which the audience doesn't see," Kahl explained to TVLine. "Creatively it was a tremendous show, and it was still doing well for us, no question.
"But it also has to do with finding room for new shows and making sure you have a good financial balance on your schedule."
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The decision surprised many, in part, due to comments Kahl made when the show was renewed for its seventh and eighth seasons.
In a statement, he said: "We're exceptionally proud to have Mom on our air; a high-quality, signature comedy with characters viewers love, that also brings strength and stability to our line-up.
"Under Chuck Lorre's extraordinary leadership and with his outstanding writing and production team, we look forward to having Mom on CBS for many years to come."
But alas, news of the cancellation was announced barely two years later.
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When the cancellation was first announced, star Allison Janney expressed her frustration at the decision, saying: "I wish we'd had at least another year for the writers to have that much time to ramp up to the ending.
"We sort of found out sooner than we thought we would hear. We thought, 'Surely they're going to want more Mom' and they decided not."
She added: "There are so many reasons behind it – most of them probably money."
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