'Mom' and Allison Janney Receive Big Emmy News Despite CBS Cancellation

Mom received three major nominations for the 2021 Emmy Awards this year following the CBS show's cancellation. Mom ended back in May after Season 8 came to a close, and many fans and critics praised the show in hindsight. Now, the people behind the series — including co-star Allison Janney — are seeing that praise come to fruition.

Janney is nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on Mom this year, alongside Aidy Bryant for Shrill, Kaley Cuoco for The Flight Attendant, Tracee Ellis Ross for Black-ish and Jean Smart for Hacks. Mom is also nominated for Outstanding Directing For a Comedy Series for the episode "Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak," directed by James Widdoes. Finally, the same episode is nominated for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series, highlighting editor Joe Bella.

This is a lot of last-minute praise for a series that often flew under the radar during its eight years on network television. Mom debuted in September of 2013, and while it never got poor reviews, it took time for the show's to dawn on many viewers — and critics, for that matter.

Mom stars Janney as Bonnie Plunkett, the titular mom to Anna Faris' Christy Plunkett. The show begins with Christy moving in with Bonnie as she adjusts to sobriety and the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program. In the beginning, the show also focused on Christy's daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano), who was a freshly minted teen mom, though she left the main cast early on.

Throughout its run, the show centered around Christy and Bonnie's progress in the AA program and their reliance on the support system they found there. Their social lives generally revolve around the program, and it enables them to reach new heights in their lives while gaining a better understanding of addiction in general.

Janney took on even more of a starring role in Season 8 when Faris left the series. The rest of the cast also became more central, including Adam (William Fichtner), Marjorie (Mimi Kennedy), Jill (Jaime Pressly), Wendy (Beth Hall) and Tammy (Kristen Johnston.)

Many fans were sad to see Mom end this year, feeling that there were still new stories to tell in its surprisingly funny take on a dark subject matter. However, the award show nods are likely a bit of a consolation prize at least. Mom is streaming now on Paramount+, with a free trial here for new users. The 2021 Emmys will air live on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

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