From People Magazine: "It was a surprise to hear that Anna was leaving. None of us are happy about that,” a source close to the show told the outlet.

Faris announced she was leaving the show just days before the comedy was planning to resume production on Season 8 amid the pandemic, which was pushed back and set to begin on September 14.

“It was sudden and unwelcome, and it left the entire network scrambling. This is not a good thing at all,” the source added, saying “no one” wanted her to leave.

It's difficult to know who exactly pulled the trigger. Faris says she made the decision (to exit her 2-year contract after a year) to focus on other projects. That was a red flag for me. No one leaves a hit TV show to focus "on other projects." especially in the middle of a two-year contract.

Chuck Lorre has been suspiciously noncommittal. He wished her well, but what choice did he have? Faris never bad-mouthed him the way Charlie Sheen did on so many occasions. And there were never any insider reports of tension on the set.

Faris was also quoted that she would be home watching the show when the new season debuts. So that begs the question about who really wanted what? Was Lorre disenchanted with her work ethic? Did Faris feel her role was diminished by the expansion of the cast? Was there a drug problem?

And as for that cast, I don't think there's a better ensemble on network TV right now. Mimi Kennedy can steal a scene with just an arched eyebrow and Jamie Pressly is hilarious as a jilted woman with too much money for her own good. And William Fichtner is a great foil for Janney.

I think one test of how good the writing is, is that I can watch episodes over and over and the humor is never stale. The only other sitcom I can say that about is "Frasier."

I suspect that, whatever was going on behind the scenes, the writers were the last to know. I imagine they're scrambling to get at least one episode in the can as the production emerges from quarantine. Knowing Lorre's track record ("Mike and Molly," "The Big Bang Theory," Two and a Half Men," and "Mom"), I think "Mom" will rise to the challenge of surviving the departure of a lead actor.

One plotline I will miss, though, is the occasional visit to The Rustic Fig. Christy Plunkett's interactions with French Stewart's chef character were always fun. I don't see how the kitchen crew can be worked back into the mix without the one character who worked there.