Mike & Molly

When Molly finds herself at a crossroads between her career and her dreams, she makes a huge decision to leave her teaching job. While getting drunk with Joyce and Victoria, she reveals that she always wanted to sing in musicals, but it becomes clear that will not work out.

Molly decides writing a crime novel will be her new career, so she goes on a ride-along with Mike and Carl to research a book she wants to pen.

Molly has a "mind-blowing" experience when she goes to Victoria’s workplace, a funeral home, to research her novel. Meanwhile, Mike sneaks a peek at Molly’s writing while she’s out, and is caught by Joyce and Vince. Soon, all three are reading the steamy passages on Molly’s computer.

Molly meets her literary idol, J.C. Small (Susan Sarandon), a cynic who advises her to write about things in her life that she wouldn’t want people to know. Meanwhile, Mike invites his mother to dinner for Thanksgiving in an effort to cheer her up.

Molly believes her suspicious next-door neighbor, Mr. O’Donnell (Christian Clemenson), is up to no good and recruits Joyce to help her spy on him. Meanwhile, the guys get together for a poker game and end up sharing their dreams and aspirations.

Molly needs to adjust her spending habits if she wants to maintain harmony in her marriage. But she can’t resist buying a pair of shoes on credit and it leads to a fight with Mike, making her decide to look for a job.

Mike decides he needs to live every day like it’s his last after being shot while thwarting a robbery. As a result, he tells Carl it’s time for him to quit the police force.

Frustrated with the progress and content of her novel, Molly decides to take a break from writing and accepts a job as a forklift driver at Vince’s warehouse, with mixed results.

Molly is determined to get Mike out of his routine and tells him to embrace doing anything they want in life.

Following a dramatic argument with Joyce over money, Mike and Molly move into Mike’s childhood room at Peggy’s.

Molly wants to get Mike out of the house and suggests a salsa dance class. When Mike isn’t thrilled with the activity, he asks Carl to replace him as Molly’s dance partner, but gets jealous when he realizes they’re having way too much fun.

Molly grudgingly goes to a therapist, Dr. Gayle Rosen (John Michael Higgins), at Mike’s urging. After walking out on a session, she returns and finds that her erratic behavior is the result of finally having stability in her life (provided by Mike), which had been missing since her father passed away.

A confident Molly offers her wisdom to Samuel, who now wants to be a standup comic. Meanwhile, Molly’s advice to Harry causes him to challenge his protective mother.

Victoria brings home a new boyfriend, James (Mather Zickel), and the entire family wonders if he’s finally "the one".

Molly meets the best buddy of her dreams when Peggy’s childhood friend, Kay McKinnon (Kathy Bates), comes to town, but Peggy is not keen on sharing.

Molly looks to win some extra cash when she and the girls head to a riverboat casino for the weekend. Meanwhile, Mike and Vince try to enjoy some college basketball when the guys come over to watch TV.

Carl, Mike and Samuel take a road trip to Memphis to meet Carl’s mother for the first time after Carl finds out she is alive, but ill. Meanwhile, Molly, Victoria and Joyce bond with Carl’s Grandma, as she tries to explain why she lied to Carl all these years.

Mike learns a lesson after his car breaks down and he’s forced to decide whether or not to accept a loan from Carl to fix it.

Mike and Carl arrest Molly’s literary hero, J.C. Small, for a DUI. After Molly repeatedly prevents J.C.’s self-destruction, the writer offers to pay Molly to be her assistant and help her complete her latest novel.

Molly catches Carl coming out of Victoria’s room late at night, with all three parties agreeing that they cannot tell Mike. Things get more complicated when Carl sends Victoria a large stuffed bear that plays The Partridge Family song, "I Think I Love You".

Peggy’s bathtub falls through the ceiling, and she admits she might have forgotten to turn the water off. After another shocking incident of forgetfulness in front of Mike, Carl and Samuel, Mike suggests Peggy see a doctor to get her condition diagnosed.

Molly is accepted into a prestigious writer’s workshop in Iowa, which would have her living out of town for eight weeks. As the household now includes Peggy and the frequently sleeping-over Carl, Molly tries to find a way to break the news to Mike. Mike explodes when he finds out, but later confides in Carl that he is really worried Molly could become a famous writer and leave him.