Legendary television producer, Chuck Lorre, has created several hit sitcoms throughout his illustrious career - Grace Under Fire, Dharma & Greg, Two & a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory are but a few. One of Lorre’s sitcoms that tends to fall through the cracks is Mike & Molly.
It’s understandable as the sitcom barely limped to the end of its sixth season with most episodes starting to blend together in terms of premise and jokes told, but the series that won Melissa McCarthy a Primetime Emmy often doesn’t get the comedic credit it’s due. That being said, some episodes were better than others, and this list shows the worst according to IMDb.
The Dice Lady Cometh (Season 4.16) - 6.5
One of the many quirky characteristics of Melissa McCarthy’s character throughout the series was that she had a spending problem, and she certainly spent more than a 4th-grade teacher working in the Chicago public school system earned. However, Molly’s money problems weren’t limited to just shopping sprees as she spent the entirety of this season four episode gambling away nearly $10,000 on a riverboat casino. It’s a sitcom, so Molly won the $10,000 back to come out $800 on top, but that very rarely happens in real life.
Fish For Breakfast (Season 3.11) - 6.5
Fair warning, there are going to be a lot of season 3 and 4 episodes on this list (all of them except for one) and this particular one from season 3 is a perfect example as to what made Mike & Molly feel boring and repetitive at times. The premise of this episode is that Mike and Molly are trying to eat and live healthier to increase their chances of having a baby. However, the two titular characters overdo their diets and end up at each other’s throats due to withdrawal. The premise was overdone as the two characters have been trying to diet and lose weight (successfully) for the first two and a half seasons, so the blown-out-of-proportion starving themselves felt a little too much.
Cigar Talk (Season 1.22) - 6.5
The lone episode on this list that doesn’t come from season 3 or 4 is based on a premise that has quickly become tired in sitcoms. Vince Moranto, the long-time boyfriend to Molly’s mom, confides to Mike that he doesn’t have a GED and asks the titular character to help him study. The concept of a secondary character not having a GED, or some sort of degree, in sitcoms, has been beaten-to-death. This episode’s 6.5 rating is a clear indication that audiences are truly starting to get sick of it.
Rich Man, Poor Girl (Season 4.14) - 6.4
We’re back in season 3 and 4 and we won’t be leaving it. In this particular letdown episode from season 4, Molly’s younger sister Victoria is the focus as she brings a guy home that seems like he could make an honest woman out of her. The episode has some zippy one-liners and isn’t the worst that the series has to offer, but the fact that the premise was so out-of-left-center for Victoria’s character is ultimately what gives it such a low rating. Victoria was known for being wild and free and the episode’s concept of trying to end that was not met well by fans or critics.
What Molly Hath Wrought (Season 4.8) - 6.4
Part of the reason why season 4 has so many episodes on this list is that in the very first scene of the season, Molly had a mental breakdown and quit her tenured schoolteacher job to become a writer. However, she didn’t originally know she was going to pursue writing and spent the first several episodes procrastinating from writing her novel. This was one such episode as Molly decided to take a job as a forklift driver (you read that right) in Vince’s warehouse when she was supposed to be writing. Also, since when did Vince own a warehouse?
Shoeless Molly Flynn (Season 4.6) - 6.4
As we’ve already stated, Molly’s quirks included that she couldn’t stop spending money and decided to quit her career as a schoolteacher on a whim without any plan as to what to do next - this is the episode that combined the two so it’s no surprise what a low ranking it gets. The episode revolves around the fact that Molly, while unemployed, continues to exercise her shopping addiction and buys multiple pairs of shoes, but tacks on even more sitcom cliches by sending Molly to a social worker to look for a new career.
Spring Break (Season 3.18) - 6.4
Season 4 may have dominated the top half of this list, but season 3 was the critics least favorite as every single episode from here on comes from there, starting with an episode that wasn’t Mike & Molly’s strongest moment. While taking junior college classes, Victoria decides that she wants to attend Spring Break and bring Molly along with her… the only problem is that she leaves an exhausted Molly to sleep in the blistering sun which causes her to get 3rd degree burns all over her body. Even worse is that Molly snuck away while her husband was trying to work overtime and earn more money to raise a family.
Mike The Tease (Season 3.15) - 6.4
Most of season 3 revolved around Mike and Molly trying to start a family and having no success, and frankly, the entire premise felt a little premature. Mike and Molly had just gotten married and weren’t in any position financially to start a family, so instead, the writers decided that the titular characters just shouldn’t be able to biologically have children. It resulted in episodes like this one where the two were forced to go to fertility clinics and reevaluate their living choices/habits, a concept that has quickly become overdone on all sitcoms.
School Recital (Season 3.22) - 6.2
This episode was just weird, and it was the season finale so it didn’t exactly help Mike & Molly secure their audience for the following season either. The end of season 3 had Molly directing a play for her fourth-graders, yet being so focused on the play she had no idea that a younger teacher was trying to flirt with her. It resulted in the young teacher trying to kiss Molly, despite knowing she was married, and Molly immediately telling him off, thus concluding the entire arc of the episode without Mike ever finding out. On the flip side, Mike spent the episode debating whether or not to split an investment opportunity with Vince… for ostriches. Again, this episode was weird.
The Princess And The Troll (Season 3.14) - 6.2
Have we mentioned that most of the episodes on this list follow some pretty common sitcom cliches? Well, the second worst-rated episode of Mike & Molly is no different as it takes the tragically overdone “princess and troll” premise (literally the title of the episode) and runs with it. When Molly’s attractive younger sister Victoria accepts a date offer from Harry, Mike’s even fatter and more awkward friend, it throws everybody for a loop. But (surprise, surprise) Victoria never thought it was an actual date. Who could’ve seen that one coming?
Mike Can’t Read (Season 3.20) - 6.0
Let’s start with the fact that the title of the episode has virtually nothing to do with the premise of it and has to do with the fact that Mike just needs glasses (he can read just fine). On top of that, the episode revolves around how Joyce supposedly gave up on her dreams to raise Molly and Victoria - another unbearably overdone sitcom cliche stating that one of the characters would’ve become enormously wealthy or famous had they not chose to have a family instead (that’s just what everyone wants to believe would happen). And even worse, Molly decides that she and Mike should try some new hobbies, which include… rollerskating. No, just no.
