The cancellation of long-running comedy Mom surprised a number of people, including series star Allison Janney. When Janney reacted to CBS' decision, she also expressed her gratitude, though she never explicitly revealed why the network pulled the plug. Despite this, the beloved actress has moved on to other movie and TV gigs. Now, a year after her CBS sitcom ended its run, the Emmy and Oscar winner has landed her first big TV role.
The Mom vet will star in the upcoming Apple TV+ comedy Mrs. American Pie, according to TVLine, and she'll be teaming up with some major talent in the process. The show will see her join Laura Dern and Kristen Wiig, who were confirmed to be starring in the project earlier this year. The upcoming series will focus on South Florida’s wealthy elites, and Janney will reportedly play Palm Beach high-society member Evelyn. Needless to say, this character very far removed from Bonnie Plunkett.
The show is based on Juliet McDaniel’s best-selling novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie. Set in the early 1970s, the Apple TV+ comedy will focus on Kristen Wiig's Maxine Simmons, as she attempts to climb the social ladder to obtain a seat in Palm Beach’s closed-off upper society. Based on the description alone, this project seems set to tell a story of the haves and the have nots. The creators have the tricky job of balancing humor and social commentary but, if they can nail it, this could be something special.
Details regarding Laura Dern's exact role are still being kept under wraps. The Jurassic World: Dominion actress developed the TV adaptation alongside her producing partner, Jayme Lemons, and both will serve as executive producers alongside Dead to Me creator Abe Sylvia. Sylvia will also write the comedy and serve as the showrunner. Tate Taylor, John Norris, and Katie O’Connell Marsh round out the list of executive producers for the streaming series.
With this new project, Allison Janney adds to her already-full plate. On the film side, she's been incredibly busy with upcoming movies that are set to release this year, like The People We Hate at the Wedding (another adaptation of a novel). She's also set to star in the sci-fi film True Love, which is currently in production.
The character of Bonnie Plunkett allowed Allison Janney to shed The West Wing’s C.J. Gregg, and there's a chance that this new role of Evelyn will allow the star to branch off from her stint as the lovable mother and former addict. Still, if the star's sweet fan message, which she sent out after the Mom series finale, is any indication, she'll continue to hold the character close even as she embarks on this new journey in Mrs. American Pie.
It remains to be seen as to when the comedy series will be available to stream. In the meantime, you can check out all the great shows on Apple TV that are currently available. You can also learn about the other TV shows that are coming by looking over CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule.
