It is always a treat to discover a situation comedy on broadcast TV with an ensemble cast this strong combined with scripts this great. The writing for Mike & Molly (M&M) relies far more on clever zingers than slapstick (rather in the style of
The Golden Girls, one of my all-time favorite comedies). And though there are plenty of sexual references, the humor maintains a happy medium between gross-out male humor and female-centric, chick-flick comedy, making it a show aimed fairly equally at both men and women.
Every performer on M&M does a wonderful job at comedic acting, an extremely challenging task, and I completely agree with Melissa McCarthy's Emmy win for her portrayal of the female lead, Molly Flynn, a plus-sized fourth-grade teacher living with her boozy mother Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz) and oversexed younger sister Victoria (Katy Mixon). But so many of the actors in this show deserve an Emmy, in my own estimation, that I won't be surprised if in the future other names from the show receive Emmy nominations and/or wins as well.
Season 2 opened on September 26, 2011, and the season finale airs on May 14, 2012. The producer Chuck Lorre also produces the top-rated comedy,
Two and a Half Men, which M&M follows on CBS. This season offers 23 episodes, one less than last season, but still far more than almost any show on broadcast TV for many years now, where 6-13 shows per season seems to be the norm these days.
M&M is set in Chicago and continues to place its main focus on the romantic relationship of the title characters Molly and her boyfriend Mike Biggs (standup comic, Billy Gardell), who is a beat cop. The two lovers met in Season 1 at an Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meeting. There is a hilarious secondary romance between Joyce and loud-mouthed, crude, and quite lovable Vince Moranto (Louis Mustillo), who hangs out at Molly's house almost as much as Mike. A third, comic romance occurs between Mike's best friend and partner in the police force, Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson), and an eye doctor named Christina (Holly Robinson Peete). In addition, the show's clever writers have provided Carl's grandmother Rosetta (Cleo King) and Mike's mother Peggy (Rondi Reed) with their own romantic misadventures, which are extremely funny. By the way, during Season 1 I formed the opinion that Rondi Reed is one of the most brilliant comic actresses I've ever seen, and that opinion has only solidified this season. Her performance as Mike's mother is right up there, in my personal estimation, with some of Bea Arther's best moments in
Maude and The Golden Girls.
I'm glad to report that cafe worker Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi) is a big part of the show again this season, and Peggy's dog, Jim, continues as an adorable contributor to the series. A new addition this season is Francis Guinan, who played the dad of Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) on
That '70s Show, and is cast as Mike's father, who abandoned his family years before and whom Peggy loathes. I won't post any spoilers, but what the writers have done with the relationship between Peggy and her ex was one of the highlights of the season for me, and a great example of Rondi Reed's comic brilliance.
Finally, I must mention the recurring role of Harry, a loveable loser Mike and Molly meet at an OA meeting played by standup comic, David Anthony Higgins (best known for his continuing role in
Ellen as Joe, the sharp-tongued coffee server in Ellen's bookstore/coffeehouse, a role somewhat similar to Samuel played by Nyambi Nyambi in M&M). Higgins is outstanding as either straight man or comic, whatever a given scene requires.
If you enjoyed Season 1, I guarantee you will be delighted with this season as well. The show is consistently filled with belly laughs, and the characters continue to be as sympathetic and comically compelling as they were in Season 1.