TV is back… well, sort of. As the new television season slowly arrives, many shows are now beginning to restart production in the wake of the months-long COVID-19 shutdown. CBS was actually the first network to start filming again, with soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful leading the way. Now, with CBS’ Mom starting back up, Allison Janney has provided us with a look at the set, and it appears the show will be entering a “whole new territory.”
In a recent Twitter post, the 7-time Primetime Emmy winner shared a video from the set of Mom on her first day back. Janney and the crew all seemed excited to begin work on the show’s eighth season, and the actress declared that the COVID-19 protocols had created new territory for them. Check out the video for yourself down below:
It goes without saying that the global health crisis has had a massive impact on TV productions, as plenty of measures are now being put in place to keep cast and crew members safe. Some have had to resort to “unconventional” methods to keep people safe. CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful is even using latex mannequins for actors to perform kissing scenes.
Still, it looks like Allison Janney and the crew at Mom are taking things in stride. Regardless of the situation, they all just seem to be happy to be reunited and working together again. And based on the video, it definitely looks like CBS has taken some solid steps in instituting safety conditions.
Of course, not everyone will be returning for Mom’s new season. Ahead of Season 8, Anna Faris, who served as the co-lead alongside Janney, announced that she would not be returning to the hit comedy. Faris cited a desire to “pursue new opportunities” as her reason for exiting the show, though she said she will be “watching” and “rooting for” her TV family.
Although Anna Faris seemed to have left the show on relatively good terms, her exit reportedly sent shockwaves that are currently being felt by the cast and crew. A source close to the show described Faris’ decision as “sudden and unwelcome” and said that it “left the entire network scrambling.” While it has been reported that Faris’ character, Christy, will not be recast, it is still unclear as to how the producers plan to handle her character’s absence in Season 8.
With COVID-19 protocols and a sudden cast departure, it can certainly be said that Mom is entering uncharted territory. It’ll be interesting to see how production progresses and to find out what’s in store for Christy Plunkett. But above all, let’s just hope that the cast and crew remain safe as they attempt to give us more comedic antics from the Plunkett family.
Mom Season 8 is expected to air sometime during the 2020-2021 television season.
