Who is in the cast of Mike & Molly and which characters do they play? CBS show Mike & Molly is the brainchild of Two And A Half Men writer Mark Roberts and is co-executive produced by Chuck Lorre, AKA “The King of Sitcoms.” The Chicago-set sitcom chronicles the relationship of a couple who meet each other at an Overeaters Anonymous group and fall in love, and it ran for a total of six seasons and 127 episodes between 2010 and 2016 before CBS made the decision to cancel the show.
The sitcom is notable for giving two-time Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy her breakthrough role as the eponymous Molly. At that point in her career McCarthy had played supporting characters in shows like Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?, but it was Mike & Molly that gave the actress her first lead TV role. The show propelled McCarthy to a wider audience and earned her a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a People’s Choice Award in the Favorite Comedic TV Actress category.
Melissa McCarthy wasn’t the only comedic talent in the sitcom’s cast which brought together familiar faces from fellow funny shows including My Name Is Earl and Pushing Daisies. Alongside McCarty, here’s a guide to the cast of Mike & Molly plus which characters they play.
Billy Gardell – Mike Biggs
Billy Gardell plays Chicago police officer Mike who starts attending an Overeaters Anonymous group to lose weight where he meets soulmate Molly. Prior to Mike & Molly, Gardell was known for playing another cop – Jeff Hoyne – on My Name Is Earl and is currently starring in another Chuck Lorre sitcom, Bob Hearts Abishola.
Melissa McCarthy – Molly Flynn
Melissa McCarthy’s character Molly is Mike’s significant other and a sweet-natured fourth-grade teacher who later quits her job to become a writer. While starring on Mike & Molly, McCarthy also had roles in the comedy films Bridesmaids and Spy.
Reno Wilson – Carl McMillan
Fellow Chicago police officer Carl McMillan is Mike’s partner and best friend. He’s played by Reno Wilson who currently stars as Stan Hill on the NBC crime comedy-drama Good Girls.
Katy Mixon – Victoria Flynn
Katy Mixon of Eastbound & Down and American Housewife fame plays Victoria Flynn – Molly’s ditzy funeral home beautician sister who strikes up a relationship with Carl in the sitcom’s fourth season.
Swoosie Kurtz – Joyce Flynn-Moranto
Two-time Tony Award winner Swoosie Kurtz plays Molly and Victoria’s hard-drinking widowed mother Joyce Flynn-Moranto. Kurtz’s other TV shows include Pushing Daisies and the Matt LeBlanc-fronted sitcom Man With A Plan.
Nyambi Nyambi – Samuel
Samuel is a sarcastic Senegal-born waiter who works at a diner frequented by Mike and Carl. He’s played by Nyambi Nyambi who is known for his role as investigator Jay Dipersia on CBS legal drama The Good Fight.
Louis Mustillo – Vince Moranto
Rounding out the main cast of Mike & Molly is The Sopranos actor Louis Mustillo as Vince Moranto – Joyce’s on-off boyfriend and eventual husband and stepfather to Molly and Victoria.