Over and over again, Netflix subscribers make it abundantly clear that they have an insatiable appetite for long-running shows. From Suits to Younger to Resident Alien, viewers want shows they can settle in to watch night after night for weeks at a time. The latest addition to that list is Mom, an eight-season CBS sitcom that joined the Netflix library this week.
Created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker, Mom aired on CBS from 2013 to 2021. The series stars Anna Faris as Christy Plunkett, a single mother and recovering addict, and Allison Janney as her estranged mother, Bonnie, who also struggles with addiction. Freshly sober, Christy moves to Napa, California, where she and her mother reunite.
Alongside Faris and Janney, the regular cast includes Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, Beth Hall, William Fichtner, Sadie Calvano, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, French Stewart, Nate Corddry, Kristen Johnston, and Matt Jones. High-profile actors had recurring roles as well, such as Octavia Spencer, Kevin Pollak, Emily Osment, and David Krumholtz.
Mom is now streaming on Netflix
You may associate Anna Faris with zany comedies like Scary Movie or The House Bunny, but this role required more from her than just making us giggle. That said, given the critical acclaim, the eight-year run, and the viewership numbers, it’s apparent that she accomplished everything the network could have hoped for as the star of Mom.
“Unlike so many comedies on the air right now, it captures an air of desperation — of people who barely have enough trying to find ways to scrape by,” says Vox’s review of the sitcom from 2014. “That was already evident in season one, but in season two, that has become the show’s mission statement, and to its credit.”
Despite being a mostly traditional, multi-camera network sitcom, Mom tackles serious subject matter frequently, from alcoholism and drug addiction to cancer and homelessness. Balancing these difficult topics with a healthy dose of humor can be a challenge, but it’s a line the writers were able to deftly walk for nearly 200 episodes.
Through eight seasons, 170 episodes of Mom aired on CBS, making it significantly longer than any original series Netflix has ever released. If you’re looking for something to spend the rest of the summer watching as you avoid the heat, Mom should do the trick.
