The series follows Christy Plunkett (Anna Faris), a 35-year-old single mother who—after dealing with her battle with alcoholism and drug addiction—decides to restart her life in Napa, California's wine country working as a waitress at the restaurant Rustic Fig and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Her 51-year-old mother Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney) is also a recovering drug and alcohol addict, as well as her 17-year-old daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano), who was born when Christy was 17, has become pregnant by her boyfriend Luke (Spencer Daniels). Christy also has a younger son Roscoe (Blake Garrett Rosenthal) by her ex-husband Baxter (Matt Jones), a deadbeat drug-dealer. Other prominent characters in the series include the manager of Rustic Fig, Gabriel (Nate Corddry) and the head chef, Rudy (French Stewart). The episodes are usually titled with two odd topics that are mentioned in that episode. Season one of Mom consisted of 22 episodes and aired Mondays in the United States at 9.30 p.m. after Mike & Molly.
After making a series of bad choices, Christy attempts to get her life together but finds it a challenge when her estranged mother, Bonnie, comes back into her life.
Christy has trouble accepting how much easier life is with Bonnie in the house. Baxter parks his van in the driveway and entertains new women.
Absent: Nate Corddry as Gabriel and French Stewart as Chef Rudy
Title meaning: Baxter living in his van complete with appliances such as a waffle iron and his making a deal with Christy to park his van in her driveway.
11
11
"Cotton Candy and Blended Fish"
Jeff Greenstein
Story by : Chuck Lorre & Gemma Baker & Alissa Neubauer Teleplay by : Eddie Gorodetsky & Nick Bakay
Regina is sentenced to four years in a women's jail. Bonnie, Christy, as well as Marjorie take her to prison, but Regina says she didn't get to say goodbye to her ten-year-old son and Christy decides to drive Regina to say her goodbyes to him before she sees him as a teenager. Regina confronts her ex-husband about him keeping her son away from her and that she has friends on the outside. While at home, Alvin tries to act like a grandpa and talks to Roscoe and Violet about the bad decisions he's made. Alvin accidentally tells Roscoe that Violet is giving the baby up for adoption and Roscoe is upset because he "won't be an uncle". It is revealed that Alvin's wife kicked him out of the house.
Absent: Matt Jones as Baxter and Spencer Daniels as Luke
Title meaning: Marjorie tells Regina about toilet wine in jail and Alvin tells Violet and Roscoe the history of sandwiches.
20
20
"Clumsy Monkeys and a Tilted Uterus"
Jeff Greenstein
Story by : Chuck Lorre & Gemma Baker Teleplay by : Alissa Neubauer & Marco Pennette
At an AA meeting, Christy and Bonnie meet a lawyer to help with the adoption. Violet decides on the adoptive parents of her child, while Luke still doesn't want to give up the baby. After Christy talks to Luke, he admits to wanting to keep the baby so that Violet doesn't leave him. Luke then decides that giving the baby up for adoption is what's best for them. The adoptive parents, the Taylors, tell them that Violet and Luke can still be in the baby's life if they want to and offer a Luke a job to learn how to design video games, such as Clumsy Monkey. Violet tells Luke that she's never stopped loving him. Christy decides to go school because it was her childhood dream of being a lawyer and Bonnie is happy for her and says that she was always embarrassed that Christy was a waitress.
Absent: Matt Jones as Baxter, French Stewart as Chef Rudy and Blake Garrett Rosenthal as Roscoe
Title meaning: Name of Mr Taylor's video game and the reason the Taylors cannot have a baby of their own.
21
21
"Broken Dreams and Blocked Arteries"
James Widdoes
Story by : Nick Bakay & Marco Pennette Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Eddie Gorodetsky
Violet needs to be talked into going to prom in her full-term pregnancy state. She and Luke go to the prom, where Violet has a case of false labor. Alvin has a heart attack and someone needs to take care of him. Christy pushes Bonnie to do it and when she refuses, Christy realizes it is because she still loves him. The episode ended with a To Be Continued screen.
Absent: Nate Corddry as Gabriel, Matt Jones as Baxter and French Stewart as Chef Rudy
Title Meaning: Violet's sarcastic answer to the prom's theme and Alvin's blocked arteries resulting in his heart attack.
22
22
"Smokey Taylor and a Deathbed Confession"
Jeff Greenstein
Story by : Gemma Baker & Marco Pennette Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Alissa Neubauer
Bonnie denies she's still in love with Alvin, but the two later share a passionate kiss while he lies in his hospital bed. In the same hospital, Violet has her baby. While holding her newborn daughter, she says a tearful good-bye as the Taylors await the news of their adoptive daughter's birth.
Absent: Nate Corddry as Gabriel and French Stewart as Chef Rudy
Title meaning: Luke's attempt to name the baby "Smokey Taylor" and Alvin confessing that he regrets leaving Bonnie and Christy.