How 'Mom' Producers Wrote Off Anna Faris' Character?

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Season eight of the hit CBS show "Mom" premiered last week, however there was one important person missing from the episode.

Anna Faris, who played Christy Plunkett announced in September that she would be departing the show after seven seasons. 

Faris' character Christy is a single mom and recovering alcoholic. During an AA meeting she meets her estranged mother Bonnie, and the two start to reconnect.

Throughout the seasons, Bonnie and Christy got into plenty of humorous hi-jinks, while also tackling tough subjects such as addiction.

News of Faris' departure from the show was a shock to fans.

As Faris revealed in her statement, she was ready to pursue new opportunities.

Although, in recent years she's become known for her "Mom" role, the 43-year-old actress also has an established movie career.

One of her best known film roles is as Cindy Campbell in the "Scary Movie" franchise. She also starred and produced the critically acclaimed 2008 comedy "The House Bunny."

She's slated to start work on the upcoming film "Summer Madness." With an itching to get back to film work, Faris decided it was time to leave television.

Although Faris departure was sudden, there was no hard feelings between her and the show's cast and crew.

The character of Christy faced plenty of hardships throughout the years.

Not only did the character battle alcoholism, but also a gambling addiction. Aside from her estranged relationship with her mom Bonnie, she also had difficult relationships with her own kids.

In later seasons, fans watched as Christy quit her waitressing and embark on a career as a lawyer.

The season eight premiere had a proper sendoff for the character. Although Faris didn't appear in the episode, it was revealed that Christy moved to Washington to attend law school.

The show left it open for a possible Christy return down the line, and according to producers they'll be plenty of more references about the character in upcoming episodes.

With Faris' departure, the show will now focus on Allison Janney's character Bonnie.

Bonnie married her longtime boyfriend Adam in the season seven finale, and the upcoming season will focus on their life as newlyweds. Plus, Bonnie will also have her group of friends from AA.

Although the show has an ensemble cast featuring Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, and Kristen Johnston, Faris' presence will be missed.

Janney calls Faris departure a "huge loss," and Pressly says that even though Anna's gone it still feels like she at the set.

As is expected, fans had mixed reactions when it came to the CBS show going on without Faris.

After the season premiere, fans chimed in with their opinions. A majority of viewers said it felt weird without Christy being on the show. Although they enjoyed seeing Bonnie and the rest of the group, Christy's absence left a void.

However, there were a few fans who didn't mind the character leaving because they didn't like the character.

With one episode in, it'll be interesting to see if "Mom" can hold on to its loyal fanbase or if Faris departure will have a bigger impact on viewership.