Anna Faris’ unexpected exit from the hit CBS series “Mom” came as a major blow for the show.
After seven seasons, the “Scary Movie” star surprised the cast and crew when she announced in September she was leaving the show.
In a new interview, Allison Janney — who played Faris’ onscreen mom, tells “Entertainment Tonight,” “It’s a huge loss for the show to not have Anna because she was part of creating a character, Christy, that everyone fell in love with, who was so lovable and warm and gullible and funny and we will miss her so much.”
Created by Chuck Lorre — the producer behind “Roseanne,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly” — the half-hour sitcom centers on a mother and daughter and their friends, all of whom are all in recovery for addiction.
“I think I’ll miss the most, for me, the relationship between Bonnie and Christy, even though that will still continue,” Janney added. “But she won’t be present. That’s what I’ll miss.”
The Academy Award winner and her co-stars insisted that while Christy is gone, she’s not forgotten.
“I do want to say that it feels like she’s still here because we do talk about the character all the time,” co-star Jaime Pressly shared. “And [Allison’s] character is always calling her or vice versa. We still hear the name, we still talk about her. She’s not gone as far as we’re concerned.”
“[W]e all spent so much time together over the years and love each other and support each other and we all want each other to be happy, so we’re happy for her and we miss her no matter what,” she added.
Faris said she was leaving the show, “to pursue new opportunities,” insisting her seven years on the comedy were “some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of [her] career.”
As far as Christy’s fate is concerned, it won’t concern any tragedy.
“Mom” co-creator co-creator Gemma Baker has said the character will get her happy ending.
“One of the beautiful things about recovery is that quite often people’s lives get bigger and better than they could have imagined,” Baker told TV Line. “And that will be Christy’s experience. We are pretty sure that our audience, many of whom have been rooting for Christy since the pilot, will be happy for her and satisfied by her new path.”
The eighth season premiere of “Mom” airs Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. on CBS.