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Mike & Molly

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Mike & Molly
GenreSitcom
Created byMark Roberts
Starring
Opening theme"I See Love" by Keb' Mo'
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes95 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupMultiple
Running time18-22 minutes
Production companiesWarner Bros. Television
Chuck Lorre Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2010 (2010-09-20) –
present

Mike & Molly is an American sitcom created by Mark Roberts which premiered on CBS on September 20, 2010.[1] The series stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as the eponymous Mike and Molly, a couple who meet in a Chicago Overeaters Anonymous group and fall in love.

On March 13, 2014, CBS renewed Mike & Molly for a fifth season, which premiered on December 8, 2014.[2]

Cast

  • Billy Gardell as Officer Michael "Mike" Biggs, a Chicago Police officer attempting to lose weight. He doesn't appear to be a deep thinker, but he's good-hearted and humorous. He often caves in to his mother's demands, much to Molly's dismay, but his relationship with Molly has made him much more independent.
  • Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn, a fourth-grade teacher at Walter Payton Elementary School, also attempting to lose weight. She is sweet, happy, intelligent, and caring. She is the rational member of her family, but is known to have a quick temper and has built up much debt from lavish shopping and traveling. Many students still call her Miss Flynn. She quits her teaching job in Season 4 to become a writer.
  • Reno Wilson as Officer Carlton "Carl" McMillan, a Chicago Police officer and Mike's partner and best friend. He tends towards self-pity, owing to his mother abandoning him. He lived with his grandmother for a long time until she made him move into his own apartment. He struggles in relationships with women and is depicted as lonely. He is a big fan of soul and gospel music and openly dislikes bluegrass. In Season 2 he had a steady relationship with Christina (Holly Robinson Peete), a single mother with a young son, but in Season 3 Christina broke up with Carl to try to work things out with James, her famous football-player ex-husband, her son's father. As of the end of Season 4, Carl is in a relationship with Victoria.
  • Katy Mixon as Victoria Flynn, Molly's dimwitted, kindhearted, party-girl sister who is often high on marijuana. She is employed as a funeral-home beautician. She likes to have fun and sleep around, frequently with married men; but as of the end of Season 4 she is in a relationship with Carl.
  • Swoosie Kurtz as Joyce Moranto, mother of Molly and Victoria. Widowed when her daughters were young, she began dating Vincent Moranto in Season 1. She is very modern and attempts to stay youthful; she also drinks heavily and has a hair-trigger temper. As of the Season 3 episode "Thanksgiving Is Cancelled", she is married to Vincent.
  • Nyambi Nyambi as Samuel, a sarcastic waiter at the restaurant where Mike and Carl eat. He is also a close friend to Mike, Carl, and eventually Molly. He is from Senegal and often refers to the suffering in his home country, so cannot easily sympathize with his restaurant patrons' "petty" problems. He and Carl became roommates in Season 3.
  • Louis Mustillo as Vincent "Vince" Moranto (episode 14-present, recurring previously), Joyce's on/off boyfriend, then fiance', now husband and Molly and Victoria's stepfather, and Mike's stepfather-in-law. A widower, he tends to be flirty, chauvinistic, and sarcastic. A high-school dropout, he's not the most intelligent, but he cares deeply for Joyce and has shown fatherly care toward Molly and Victoria--despite having met Molly after being set up on a blind date with her, and his constant comments about Victoria's "rack." He once married a much-older, very unpleasant woman from whom he fled after borrowing $2,000; he didn't officially end this marriage until the truth came out and Joyce kicked him out of her house until Mike convinced the "wife" to sign divorce papers in exchance for $5,000...and a sharp kick to Vince's nuts.
  • Rondi Reed as Margaret "Peggy" Biggs (episode 15–present, recurring previously), Mike's mother. She is very controlling and traditional, as well as grumpy and cranky. She often refers to her ex-husband Jack leaving her and running away to Florida with a prostitute. Peggy is also very fussy over her dog "Jim" (a Brussels Griffon mix), whom she treats more like a son than a pet. In Season 2 Peggy began working as a lunch-lady at the elementary school where Molly teaches. In Season 3, she starts dating a CPD Captain who is Mike's supervisor.
  • Cleo King as Rosetta McMillan (episode 5–present, guest previously), Carl's grandmother. She is very traditional and has professed deep love for her grandson, but is outwardly annoyed by Carl's behavior and made him move out in Season 3, saying she still loves him and looks forward to him visiting but wants him to finally become a responsible adult on his own. She has a big heart and treats Mike, who calls her "Nana", like a second grandson. She often gives Mike and Carl advice (mostly regarding relationships with women). She once recalled that when Carl was young he could quote the entire speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as every episode of The Dukes of Hazzard.
  • David Anthony Higgins as Harry (season 3-present, recurring previously), a friend of Mike and Molly's who attends the same Overeater's Anonymous meetings. He is nice but socially awkward and tends to say whatever he is thinking, even thoughts that make him seem pathetic. He was shown to have an almost-obsessive crush on Victoria; when she finally kissed him in Season 3, he realized that he is gay.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankAverage viewers (in millions)
First airedLast aired
124September 20, 2010 (2010-09-20)May 16, 2011 (2011-05-16)3511.14[3]
223September 26, 2011 (2011-09-26)May 14, 2012 (2012-05-14)3111.51[4]
323September 24, 2012 (2012-09-24)May 30, 2013 (2013-05-30)3710.22[5]
422November 4, 2013 (2013-11-04)May 19, 2014 (2014-05-19)339.58[6]
522December 8, 2014 (2014-12-08)May 18, 2015 (2015-05-18)449.91[7]
613January 6, 2016 (2016-01-06)May 16, 2016 (2016-05-16)518.46[8]

Production

File:Promo mike molly.png
The intertitle used in seasons one through three.

In December 2009, CBS placed a pilot order for Mike & Molly. Mark Roberts wrote the pilot, which was directed by James Burrows, with both Roberts and Burrows serving as executive producers alongside Chuck Lorre, Don Foster and the production companies Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[9]

On May 13, 2010, CBS placed a series order on Mike and Molly.[10] On May 15, 2011, Mike and Molly was renewed for a second season.[11] On March 14, 2012, CBS renewed Mike & Molly for a third season,[12] which premiered on September 24, 2012. CBS pulled the third season finale, titled "Windy City", from its show of May 20, 2013ing. The episode featured a tornado descending on Chicago, and would have been broadcast the same day as the 2013 Moore tornado.[13] The episode was rescheduled for May 30, 2013.

On March 27, 2013, CBS announced that Mike & Molly would return for a fourth season during the 2013–2014 television season.[14] On May 17, 2013, Mark Roberts stepped down from showrunner duties to focus on other projects. Al Higgins replaced him for Season 4.[15] The series received a 22-episode order from CBS for its 4th season.[16] The show's fourth season premiere took place on November 4, 2013 at 9:00 pm ET/8:00 pm CT, in the time slot vacated by 2 Broke Girls when it moved to 8:30 pm ET/7:30 pm CT, replacing the canceled sitcom, We Are Men.[17] Following the breakout feature film success of McCarthy (Identity Thief, The Heat), Lorre intends for the show to more prominently feature Molly in season 4.[18] In promos leading up to the season 4 premiere, CBS billed the series as The New Mike & Molly. Though the cast and setting remains essentially the same, the "new" refers to Molly quitting her teaching job and pursuing a career as a writer.[19]

The light bar on the top of Mike's police car is blue, red, and white. Official Chicago Police vehicles have a blue and white strobe bar. Red is reserved for the Chicago Fire Department.

On March 13, 2014, CBS announced the fifth season renewal of Mike & Molly.[20] CBS did not place the show in a timeslot when it unveiled its initial 2014-15 schedule. The fifth season began airing December 8, 2014.

Casting

Casting announcements began in February 2010, with Katy Mixon and Reno Wilson being the first actors cast in the series. Mixon portrays the role of Victoria, Molly's sister, while Wilson portrays Carl, Mike's partner.[21] Billy Gardell was the next actor cast in the series, as the titular Mike.[22] Swoosie Kurtz then joined the series as Molly's mother, Joyce.[23] Following Kurtz, Nyambi Nyambi boarded the series as Samuel, a regular waiter at Abe's Hot Beef, where Mike and Carl frequent.[24] Melissa McCarthy completed the cast when she signed on to play the role of the titular Molly.[25]

Reception

Ratings

Season Time slot (ET) Episodes Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
1 Monday 9:30 pm 24 September 20, 2010 12.23[26] May 16, 2011 8.64[27] 2010–11 35th 11.14[28]
2 23 September 26, 2011 13.86[29] May 14, 2012 11.79[30] 2011–12 31st 11.51[31]
3 September 24, 2012 9.45[32] May 30, 2013[33] 8.01[34] 2012–13 37th 10.22[35]
4 Monday 9:00 pm 22 November 4, 2013 9.22[36] May 19, 2014 7.05[37] 2013–14 33rd 9.58[38]
5 Monday 8:30 pm December 8, 2014 8.06[39] May 2015 TBA 2014–15 TBA TBA

Critical reception

The show has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It achieved a score of 63 out of 100 on the review aggregator site Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[40] Critic Randee Dawn gave the show a negative review, stating the cast is likable, but the jokes are old and bland.[41]

Controversies

There was a controversy in 2010 around a Marie Claire blog post written by Maura Kelly, in which she refers to the actors on the show as overweight.[42] Show creator Mark Roberts spoke out regarding Kelly's blog post, calling the comments "very high school".[43][44][45][46] He also stated, "This wasn’t about the show, this wasn’t about the writing, this wasn’t about the acting. This was about someone’s hateful response to how these two human beings look."[43] Billy Gardell also addressed the matter when he appeared on the daily talk show The Talk on November 1, 2010.[47][48]

Marie Claire has stood behind the blog.[49] Kelly has since apologized regarding her comments, stating that she "sorely regret[s] that it upset people so much".[50][51]

In the Season 3 episode "Molly's New Shoes", the Peggy character reacts to her fiancé's plans to retire and move to Arizona with the line: "Arizona? Why should I go to Arizona? It's nothing but a furnace full of drunk Indians." This prompted calls for an apology by the Native American Journalists Association, among others.[52]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Mike & Molly
Year Presenter Award Result
2011 People's Choice Awards Favorite New TV Comedy Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Melissa McCarthy Won
Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy - Melissa McCarthy Nominated
2012 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Melissa McCarthy Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-camera Series Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor 18-21 - Ryan Malgarini Won
1st PAAFTJ Television Awards[53] Best Actress in a Comedy Series - Melissa McCarthy Nominated
2013 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-camera Series Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic TV Actress - Melissa McCarthy Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Melissa McCarthy Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-camera Series Nominated
2015 People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic TV Actress - Melissa McCarthy Pending

Broadcast

The series airs in Canada on CTV, City, and M3[54] from September 20, 2010. In the United Kingdom it airs on Comedy Central UK from October 4, 2010.[55] In Ireland | Comedy Central UK began showing it also on October 4, 2010.[55] February 9, 2011 was the premiere for Nine Network in Australia. New Zealand's TV2 started it from April 29, 2011. In South Africa M-Net started it from April 8, 2011.[56]

Syndication

The off-network rights to Mike & Molly have been sold to FX, which began airing the series in 2014.[57]

References

  1. ^ "CBS Announces 2010-2011 Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 17, 2014). "'Mike & Molly' Season 5 to Premiere Monday, December 8th". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 1, 2011). "2010–11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 24, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011-12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  5. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Complete List Of 2012-13 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'NCIS,' 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'NCIS: Los Angeles'". Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  6. ^ "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  7. ^ "Full 2014-15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "Full 2015–16 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "CBS Picks Up Chuck Lorre Sitcom 'Mike and Molly'". AolTV. December 17, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  10. ^ "PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: CBS Picks Up First New Series". Deadline. May 13, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  11. ^ "Report: 'Blue Bloods,' 'Hawaii Five-0,' and 'Mike & Molly' Renewed - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. May 15, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  12. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 14, 2012). "CBS Renews 18 Shows: 'The Good Wife,' 'Blue Bloods,' '2 Broke Girls,' 'The Mentalist,' 'Mike & Molly' & Many More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  13. ^ Harnick, Chris (May 20, 2013). "'Mike And Molly' Finale: Tornado-Themed Episode Pulled In Wake Of Oklahoma Tragedy". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  14. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 27, 2013). "'The Good Wife', 'Elementary', 'Person Of Interest', '2 Broke Girls', 'NCIS: LA', 'The Mentalist', 'Mike & Molly', 'Hawaii Five-0' & 'Blue Bloods' Renewed by CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "'Mike & Molly' Creator Mark Roberts To Exit, Al Higgins Upped To EP & Showrunner". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  16. ^ ' + data.results.personName + ' (May 15, 2013). "'Mike & Molly': Season 4 holding until midseason - here's why - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  17. ^ "'We Are Men' Canceled by CBS, 'Mike & Molly' to Return in November". E! Online. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  18. ^ Owen, Rob (October 25, 2013). "TV Q&A: 'The Good Wife,' 'Doc Martin' and local TV news personality injuries". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  19. ^ 'Mike & Molly' is back -- and here's what's 'new' Heldenfels, Rich at mercurynews.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  20. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2014). "CBS Renews 'The Good Wife', 'The Millers', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Mom', 'Blue Bloods', 'Elementary' and 11 More". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  21. ^ "Development Update: Monday, February 1". TheFutonCritic. February 1, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  22. ^ "Development Update: Wednesday, February 3". TheFutonCritic. February 3, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  23. ^ "Pilot Intel: Swoosie Kurtz joins 'Mike & Molly'". EW.com. February 23, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  24. ^ "Development Update: Friday, March 5 (Part 2)". TheFutonCritic. March 5, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  25. ^ "Development Update: Thursday, March 25". TheFutonCritic. March 25, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  26. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 28, 2010). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: Sunday Night Football, Glee,' Grey's Anatomy,' Dancing with the Stars Top Premiere Week". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  27. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 18, 2011). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Dancing,' 'Hawaii Five-0,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'Mad Love,' 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Up; 'The Chicago Code' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  28. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 1, 2011). "2010–11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  29. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 27, 2011). "Monday Broadcast Final Ratings: 'Terra Nova,' '2.5 Men,' 'Castle,' HIMYM, 'Hart Of Dixie,' 'Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Gossip Girl,' 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  30. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 15, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'How I Met Your Mother', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Mike & Molly', 'America's Got Talent' & 'The Bachelorette' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  31. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 24, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011-12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  32. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 25, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'How I Met Your Mother', 'Mike and Molly', 'Voice', 'Bones' Adjusted Up; 'DWTS', 'Revolution', 'Castle' 'Hawaii Five-0' & 'LA Complex' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  33. ^ "ATTENTION! The Mike & Molly SEASON FINALE will air Thursday, May 30th at 8:30/7:30c on CBS". Show's Google Plus Page. May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  34. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 31, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Mike & Molly', 'Hell's Kitchen' & 'Wipeout' Adjusted Up; 'Save Me' Adjusted Down". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  35. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Complete List Of 2012-13 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'NCIS,' 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'NCIS: Los Angeles'". Retrieved May 30, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 5, 2013). "Monday Final TV Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Castle' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'Sleepy Hollow' or 'Mike & Molly'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  37. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 20, 2014). "Monday Final TV Ratings: 'The Voice', 'Dancing With the Stars' & 'The Bachelorette' Adjusted Up; 'The Maya Rudolph Show' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  38. ^ "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  39. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 9, 2014). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Up; 'The Great Christmas Light Fight' & 'Castle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  40. ^ "Mike & Molly reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  41. ^ Dawn, Randee (September 17, 2010). "Mike & Molly - TV Review". Login.vnuemedia.com. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  42. ^ Kelly, Maura (October 25, 2010). "Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?)". 'Marie Claire'. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  43. ^ a b Bierly, Mandi (October 28, 2010). ""Mike & Molly" creator on the 'Marie Claire' blog (and the show moving on with the fat jokes)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  44. ^ Hibberd, James (October 27, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Mike & Molly creator slams Marie Claire's 'fatties' post". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  45. ^ Porter, Rick (October 27, 2010). "'Mike & Molly' creator on Marie Claire controversy: 'It makes me sad'". Zap2it. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  46. ^ ""Mike & Molly" Creator: "Fatties" Blogger Has to Look Herself in the Mirror". CBS News. October 28, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) [dead link]
  47. ^ Deane, Donald (November 1, 2010). "Billy Gardell Responds to Controversial Marie Claire Article on 'The Talk'". TV Squad. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  48. ^ Boedeker, Hal (November 1, 2010). "'Mike & Molly' star Billy Gardell: Public stood up to out-of-line blogger". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  49. ^ Moss, Hilary (October 27, 2010). "Marie Claire Stands By 'Should Fatties Get A Room?' Blog Post By Maura Kelly". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  50. ^ Kelly, Maura (October 25, 2010). "Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?)". Marie Claire. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  51. ^ Powers, Lindsay (October 27, 2010). "Marie Claire Editor Apologizes for 'Mike & Molly' Attack Blog". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  52. ^ Donovan, Bill (March 7, 2013). "Native leaders ask for apology for 'Mike and Molly' comment". Window Rock: Navajo Times. Retrieved March 9, 2013. Indian leaders have reacted negatively to a recent episode of the CBS comedy "Mike and Molly" that they said included racist statements. In the episode in question, Mike's mother, Peggy, who is played by Rondi Reed, reacted negatively to remarks that she should go to Arizona. 'Arizona? Why should I go to Arizona? It's nothing but a furnace full of drunk Indians,' the character says.
  53. ^ "PAAFTJ Television Awards winners announced: "Community" and "Breaking Bad" earn top honors". tvbythenumbers. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  54. ^ Mike & Molly | Show | CTV.
  55. ^ a b Mike & Molly | Show | Comedy Central UK.
  56. ^ "Mike & Molly". TVSA. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  57. ^ Finke, Nikki. "FX Lands Off-Net Rights To 'Mike & Molly' For Bargain Basement Price Of $750,000". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 2, 2013.