'Mom' viewers petition to save it from cancellation: 'This show has no doubt saved countless lives'

Loyal fans of the show Mom are trying to keep it on the air — especially in COVID times.

There are more than 27,000 signatures on a petition to "Save the Brilliant Sitcom Mom!" after CBS announced on Feb. 17 that it will be ending after eight seasons — and one without Anna Faris. The show, starring Allison Janney, centers around substance abuse recovery, so it's being called a "critical support" during the pandemic, as addicts struggle to stay sober.

"Since 2013, Mom has been a crucial voice in de-stigmatizing addiction," the Change.org petition states. This show has no doubt saved countless lives by promoting substance abuse recovery and encouraging people to seek help. The show has also given a huge platform to the under-represented voices and stories of women on television, a fact that should not go unnoticed in this post-#MeToo era."

Stacy Schecter, who created the petition, told Change.org, "I'm a wife and mother and live in New York City as an attorney... I've been sober since April 30, 2018 in no small part due to the storylines that were being shown on Mom.”

Schecter, a longtime Janney fan who's in touch with the actress, shared the petition with the series star.

“This is a wonderful way for all of us at Mom to remember what a positive impact the show had around the world!!" Janney, who plays Bonnie Plunkett on the series, said, according to Change.org. "Hopefully Mom will generate more shows about people living in recovery. It's certainly a worthy subject matter."

The petition calls for CBS/Warner Bros. to "reconsider this decision" — as well as for other networks to "consider picking up this show for a continuation of the series."

Janney has won two Emmys for her role on the show, which has shown her character's recovery journey. Faris played her daughter, Christy, who also struggled with addiction as they both tried to stay sober and attended 12-step meetings. Jaime Pressly, Mimi Kennedy, Beth Hall and Kristen Johnston are part of the female-centric cast and William Fichtner is Janney's on-screen husband.

Faris announced in September — as production resumed for its eighth season — that she would be leaving the show to pursue "new opportunities." Mom explained the departure by saying Christy left to fulfill a dream of attending law school.

A day before CBS announced the end of Mom, Janney appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and said she was "just happy that [Faris is] doing what she wants to do now." But she added that she's happier to continue playing Bonnie, saying she was "happy even more so that we're able to still tell these stories about these great women and recovery. There are some really wonderful characters that have been established... People love the show, so we're going to keep telling the stories as long as we can."

The next day, news came Mom was ending with show creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre saying in a statement: “For the past eight years, we’ve had the great honor to bring these wonderful characters to life, sharing their struggles and triumphs with millions of viewers every week. From the beginning, we set out to tell stories about recovery from alcoholism and addiction that are rarely portrayed in a network comedy series.”

Janney and her co-stars posted on social media reacting to the news.

Kennedy, who plays Mom's Marjorie also reshared the petition saying she's "happy to amplify" the voices of the fans. She made it clear she didn't know why CBS ended the successful show, writing, "Corporate decisions are made in secret & the creative community & audience don’t know why things happen. I have no clue."

The series finale is set to air on May 6.

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