CBS premiered one of its best sitcoms of 2010, Mike & Molly, with an unconventional but immensely appealing cast. Mike & Molly premiered on September 20, 2010, and aired for 6 seasons before its finale on May 16, 2016. Although it had dwindling viewership over the years, it’s still one of CBS’s high-rated sitcoms of the 2010s.
Like many CBS TV shows before it, Mike & Molly received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The show centered around Mike Biggs and Molly Flynn, who began a romantic relationship after meeting at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. It follows their budding relationship, engagement, and marriage, as well as their dealings with other family members and friends. With its finale in mid-2016, here’s what the Mike & Molly cast has been up to.
Billy Gardell as Officer Michael “Mike” Biggs
Mike Biggs is a momma’s boy, much to Molly’s dismay. At the start of the show, Mike is intentional about losing weight and joins an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. There, he meets Molly Flynn and is immediately attracted to her. Mike is a police officer with the Chicago Police Department. Although not a deep-thinker, Molly helps him become more independent. Actor and stand-up comedian Billy Gardell played the lead role of Officer Mike Biggs.
Gardell has continued to appear in several other television projects. In 2017, he portrayed Colonel Tom Parker on the CMT 8-episode miniseries Sun Records. That same year, he became one of the frequent comics on the syndicated game show Funny You Should Ask. Gardell joined Young Sheldon in 2018 in a recurring role as Herschel Sparks. TV audiences will find Billy Gardell playing the male lead on the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, which premiered in September 2019. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Billy Gardell has lost over 150 lbs.
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn
Melissa McCarthy joined the Mike & Molly cast as its female lead, Molly Flynn. Molly is introduced as a fourth-grade teacher at Walter Payton Elementary School. However, she quit her job as a teacher in Mike & Molly season 4 to become a writer. Besides a food addiction, Molly loves shopping and traveling and has racked up debts. The character is intelligent and funny but quick-tempered. Actress Melissa McCarthy needs no introduction to American film and television audiences.
Although she earned her first Academy Award (for Bridesmaids) during Mike & Molly, McCarthy received a second Oscar nomination in 2019 for Best Actress for her work in Can You Ever Forgive Me? Although she hasn’t had a lead role in television ever since, she made recurring appearances in Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) and God’s Favorite Idiot (2022), which she both executive produced. Melissa McCarthy has had a more prominent role in movies post-Mike & Molly. McCarthy played leading roles in Superintelligence (2020), Thunder Force (2021), and Genie (2023).
Reno Wilson as Officer Carlton “Carl” McMillan
Actor Reno Wilson played Chicago Police Officer Carlton “Carl” McMillan. Carl was Mike’s colleague, partner, and best friend. While he succeeds as a good friend, Carl struggles to maintain romantic relationships. Abandoned by his mother, he grew up with his grandmother. Having stayed with her for so long, she forced him out to rent his own apartment. After Mike & Molly ended in 2016, Reno Wilson returned to work in 2018 as a series regular in Good Girls (2018-2021). Wilson joined the cast of Peacock’s Bel-Air in a recurring role in season 2, playing James Lewis.
Katy Mixon as Victoria Flynn
Victoria Flynn was Molly Flynn’s younger sister. The life of the party, Victoria, came off as dimwitted but kind-hearted. More than half the time she appears on screen, Victoria is high on marijuana. She and Carl McMillan began dating towards the end of season 4. Although they broke up in season 5, they married in the season 6 finale.
Actress and model Katy Mixon played Victoria Flynn throughout the show’s run. Less than a month after Mike & Molly ended, Katy Mixon led the cast of ABC’s sitcom American Housewife. She played Katie Otto until the show was canceled after the fifth season in 2021. Katy Mixon’s last television appearances were in 2022 when she starred in two miniseries: The Thing About Pam and George & Tammy.
Swoosie Kurtz as Joyce Flynn-Moranto
Emmy Award-winning actress Swoosie Kurtz joined the Mike & Molly cast as Molly and Victoria’s mother, Joyce Flynn-Moranto. Widowed when Molly and Victoria were young, Joyce began a relationship with Vincent Moranto. Joyce loves to act much younger than her age. Although in an on-again, off-again relationship with Vincent, the two finally wed in season 3. In 2017, Swoosie Kurtz joined the Man with a Plan cast in a recurring role as Beverly Burns. Kurtz’s next major work on television was as one of the main cast on the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat. The series was canceled in 2023 after 3 seasons.
Nyambi Nyambi as Babatunde
Nyambi Nyambi was also part of Mike & Molly’s cast in a supporting role as Babatunde. He was introduced in Mike and Molly as Samuel, a waiter at Abe’s restaurant. Although quite sarcastic, he befriends Mike, Carl, and Molly. Samuel is an immigrant from Senegal who never tires of telling everyone about the suffering in his home country. His real name is revealed later in the series as Babatunde, and he goes on to own Abe’s restaurant. Although he hadn’t had many credits since Mike & Molly, Nyambi was cast in a recurring in The Good Fight (2017-2016). Television audiences will recognize him for playing Wyatt Shaw as a series regular on Night Court. If you remember the Mike & Molly cast, catch up with the cast of Peaky Blinders
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