TCA Press Tour: The meat and bones of 'Mike & Molly'
Make no mistakes about CBS’ new sitcom “Mike & Molly.” It’s a show about love, not waistlines.
That was the consensus as the cast and the show’s creators took the stage at the summer Television Critics Assn. media tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “It’s about real people with real issues trying to have a relationship,” said co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre ("The Big Bang Theory").
The sitcom centers on two people who find more than just a penchant for food at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting -- they find each other.
Created by Mark Roberts, who, along with Lorre, serves as executive producer, the show comes at a time when burgeoning bellies are hitting the big time in prime time; ABC Family has “Huge”; NBC, “The Biggest Loser” and VH1 is getting weighty with its upcoming “Money Hungry.” But if viewers can’t see past the size of the stars as the season progresses, then something is wrong, Lorre said.
The stars of the show agreed.
“To me, the show is not about weight,” said Melissa McCarthy, who stars as Molly. “It’s just not the axis that the show revolves around.”
Her overeater-in-crime, Billy Gardell -- who plays Mike, a Chicago cop -- was more to the point: “Yeah, we’re fat, and the show is funny,” he said. “So what? That’s not it.”
“Mike & Molly” will air Mondays at 9:30 p.m. starting Sept. 20.
--Yvonne Villarreal
Photo: Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as Mike and Molly. Credit: CBS
Related
Considering the hefty number of morbidly obese Americans sucking up snacks while plunked in front of the plasma, I'd say a feel-good show about enormous fat people will not only find an audience, but eat the competition alive.
Posted by: Steve G | July 28, 2010 at 12:38 PM