8 things to watch this week
Mom
Thursday, 9 and 9:30 p.m., CBS
Addiction is no laughing matter on the CBS sitcom “Mom.”
“Our writers walk this fine line every week of finding comedy from real-life drama. It’s never meant to be the butt of a joke,” says Jaime Pressly, who plays Jill, a rich alcoholic who bonds with a group of recovering addicts — including Bonnie (Allison Janney) and her daughter Christy (Anna Faris) — over diner food after AA meetings. Jill’s story was amped up this season to include a drinking relapse and an overeating disorder, the latter to allow Pressly, 40, to hide her real-life pregnancy with facial prosthetics and a “fat suit.” (Pressly and her longtime “other half,” Hamzi Hijazi, welcomed twin boys Leo and Lenon on Oct. 16.) The show, which has been renewed, ends its fifth season Thursday night when Christy grapples with a dormant gambling addiction that bubbles back to the surface after a visit to Reno with her mother.
Pressly, a North Carolina native who retains a charming Southern drawl, recently spoke with The Post by phone from LA.
Do you hear from fans dealing with addiction?
I just got a letter a week or two ago from this fan in recovery who came to see the show, thanking us for doing such a great job. It’s always heartwarming to get those messages because it’s nice to be a part of a show that’s not about just hitting punchlines but is about real topics, real life.
How is it juggling comedy and drama on one show?
It reminds me of the shows I watched growing up, like “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Cheers” and “Golden Girls.” All the great shows that weren’t afraid to end on a low note. Most sitcoms you end on a laugh and we don’t always do that and neither did those shows. That’s something that we all thoroughly enjoy about the show as actors.
Which character has the most significant cliffhanger?
Probably Christy. But there’s not a huge cliffhanger so much as a warm feeling that they’re always going to be there for each other no matter what. More of a touching finale than it is cliffhanger-y.
This season, why did Jill move from one addiction, alcoholism, to another, overeating?
It’s not uncommon. I have a friend who’s been sober for 15 years and he always, like, has a different addiction. One was biking, one was buying and trading art. Those are healthier things — but there are other sides to it. Like what Jill went through with overeating, trying to fill that void.
The fat suit looks uncomfortable. Was it?
It honestly wasn’t. I love prosthetic work. It frees you up to play this character that you don’t normally get to. If we’d have been in Louisiana in the dead of summer to shoot something like that, it would have been a living hell. But we’re on an air-conditioned sound stage, so I was totally fine.
How was it seeing Allison Janney win an Oscar and Golden Globe for “I, Tonya”?
Oh, my God … It was incredible because if anybody deserves that, it’s her. She is such a talented, kind, giving person. It just elevates you to be around her. By far one of my favorite people on the planet.
She hasn’t become a total diva?
That will never happen with her, I can promise you that [laughs].
— Eric Hegedüs
And here’s what else to watch this week:
Young Sheldon
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., CBS
Season finale. When Meemaw (Annie Potts) is pursued by two men, Ira Rosenbloom (Richard Kind) and Dr. John Sturgis (Wallace Shawn), Sheldon (Iain Armitage) forces his grandmother to set some ground rules.
Genius
Tuesday, 9 p.m., Nat Geo
After Picasso (Antonio Banderas, left) rejects Dora Maar (Samantha Colley) for painter Francoise Gilot (Clémence Poésy), Maar has a nervous breakdown and submits to electroshock therapy.
Sweetbitter
Sunday, 8 p.m., Starz
Series premiere. Twenty-two year-old Tess (Ella Purnell, far right) arrives in New York City, interviews for a position at one of its best restaurants and gets one. She is intoxicated by that world, tasting expensive wine, exploring dive bars, and learning who she can trust. Co-starring Caitlin FitzGerald (above left) and Paul Sparks.
Meghan Markle: An American Princess
Friday, 8 p.m., Fox
As the first American to marry into the royal family since 1937, Meghan Markle (“Suits”) has become a figure of fascination and exploitation. In this special, her sister Samantha talks to Piers Morgan. Princess Diana’s butler talks about Prince Harry.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., Hulu
Now that she’s been returned to Gilead, Offred (Elisabeth Moss, inset) checks her churlish attitude. Meanwhile, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) keeps an eye on the anxious Serena (Yvonne Strahovski).
Running wild With Bear Grylls
Monday, 10 p.m., NBC
Season premiere. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (far left, with Bear Grylls) tackles Kenya’s unyielding terrain. Lowered into the elements from a helicopter, Joseph and Bear resort to having to milk a camel for hydration, and ascend a massive rock dome that tests Gordon-Levitt’s fear of heights. The duo also battles a crocodile for the remains of a water buffalo so they can eat dinner.
Safe
Thursday, Netflix
Series premiere. After his teenage daughter goes missing, widowed surgeon Tom Delaney (Michael C. Hall, right) unearths secrets about the people closest to him. Based on the novel by Harlan Coben.