EXCLUSIVE: Chuck Lorre’s praised CBS comedy Mom has received a two-season pickup by CBS. The renewal follows the studio Warner Bros. TV securing new deals with stars Anna Faris and Allison Janney. After lengthy negotiations., the two actresses have inked new two-year contracts with major salary increases to continue on Mom, now in its sixth season.

The move mirrors the two-season (11 & 12) renewal for Lorre’s The Big Bang Theory when the series’ cast reached new two-year agreements with WBTV in 2017.

CBS

“We’re exceptionally proud to have Mom on our air; a high-quality, signature comedy with characters viewers love, that also brings strength and stability to our lineup,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment. “Under Chuck Lorre’s extraordinary leadership and with his outstanding writing and production team, we look forward to having Mom on CBS for many years to come.”

Added SEVP Thom Sherman, “We’re fortunate to have the gifted talents of Anna and Allison, with their wit, intelligence and incomparable comic skill, heading up such a brilliant cast on this noteworthy series.”

No one would comment on the terms but I hear Faris and Janney have parity and their new salaries are north of $350,000 an episode, doubling their current pay, believed to be under $200,000 an episode each. I hear the duo, whose initial contracts were up at the end of Season 6, also increased their backend participation.

Mom has been a strong performer for CBS and WBTV. The show is currently broadcast TV’s #3 comedy series among total viewers behind Lorre’s Big Bang and Young Sheldon.

In addition to its solid ratings on the network, Mom, which crossed the 100 episode mark last season, has been sold to TV Land and CMT in off-network syndication and to the Tribune stations in broadcast syndication.

Mom also is a rare sitcom that tackles important issues. Created by Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker, the comedy stars Faris and Janney as daughter/mother duo Christy and Bonnie Plunkett, who, after having been estranged for years while both were struggling with addiction, attempt to pull their lives and their relationship together by trying to stay sober.

Additionally, Mom is a rare comedy with female leads, and both of them are accomplished actresses. Mom was the first TV series for Faris who had built a formidable feature career before she was approached for it. Meanwhile, Janney, one of the most heralded TV actresses working today who has won seven Emmys, including two for Mom, is coming off an Oscar win for I, Tonya last year.

Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, Beth Hall and William Fichtner also star on Mom, which is executive produced by Lorre, Nick Bakay, Baker and Warren Bell for Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. TV.

On CBS’ 2019-20 schedule, Mom joins the recently renewed freshman series FBI, God Friended Me, Magnum P.I. and The Neighborhood, as well as veteran Criminal Minds, picked up for a final season. A renewal for Lorre’s other CBS comedy series, Young Sheldon, is fully expected.