More Strong Females Will Fuel ‘Mom’s Coffee Convos (and Drama)

Christy (Anna Faris) and her mother/roommate, Bonnie (Allison Janney), have faced quite a few challenges on Mom—including the unusual death of Christy’s father (with his head between Bonnie’s legs, no less) last season—but they’ve always powered through. This is a show about strong, independent women, after all. The female presence gets even bigger in Season 3 when moneyed addict Jill (newly promoted series regular Jaime Pressly) becomes a permanent part of their coffee klatch. And Christy and Bonnie—now fully committed to retaining her sobriety after last season’s slipup—reach out to a troubled young drinker (Emily Osment). Former jailbird Regina (Octavia Spencer) will also return—and make a life-altering decision that affects her friends as well.

RELATED: Check Out New and Returning Fall Shows

“The scenes we’d have with all the sober women at meetings or going to the bistro for coffee felt so right,” creator Gemma Baker explains. “We really wanted a lot more of that.” Another new arrival: Bonnie’s birth mother, played by guest star Ellen Burstyn, who brings along an airport taxi’s worth of unresolved baggage. “Bonnie’s got to work on clearing up her past,” Baker says. “Some of it will be her idea and some will not. But together, she and Christy are in a strong place.”

RELATED: Ellen Burstyn Gets Real With Allison Janney

Mom, returns Thursday, Nov. 5, 9/8c, CBS