‘Leanne’ picked up for second season. Spartanburg actress plays popular comic’s mother

“Leanne,” has been picked up for a second season on Netflix.

“Leanne” premiered on July 31 and stars popular standup comic Leanne Morgan.

The announcement was made on Sept. 8 by the show’s star, Morgan, and co-creator Chuck Lore.

“We’re coming back for a second season!” Morgan said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “I am so grateful to all the writers, producers, Netflix, (Warner Bros. TV) our amazing cast, and especially to all the fans of the show. Y’all did this for us, and we can’t wait to be back.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter article, “the series spent two weeks in Netflix’s global top 10 rankings for English-language series after its July 31 premiere. In the United States, the first two weeks of the show racked up 1.34 billion minutes of viewing time.”

In the show, Morgan’s character is navigating a new life after her husband has an affair with another woman, and she’s the kind of woman who says Southernisms like “I’ve taken to the bed.” The tagline describes the show this way: “A resilient Southern mom starts over with the support of her loving, but unfiltered family.”

Spartanburg actress plays Morgan’s mom in show

Spartanburg native Celia Weston’s big break in show business was on the popular 1980s working-class sitcom “Alice.”

Weston, a 40-plus-year veteran of stage and screen, played waitress Jolene Hunnicutt with the thick Southern accent for 90 episodes on the hit TV series “Alice” from 1981 to 1985. She slung chili alongside actress Linda Lavin (Alice) and actor Vic Tayback (Mel) for more than four seasons.

Weston’s character, Mama Margaret, is described in Variety as the mother of Leanne (Morgan) and Carol (Kristen Johnston) and the matriarch of the family. “A faithful member of the church and community, Mama always has a kind word and a glass-half-full attitude. She’s fully prepared for death but will probably outlive them all,” according to Variety.

The show is from the creative mind of Morgan and Executive Producer Lorre, best known for “The Big Bang Theory.”

In one clip from the show inspired by Morgan’s stand-up comedy, Weston’s character says, “When I was pregnant with your mama, I put a new roof on our house.” Her character’s husband responds, “Her water broke up there and we didn’t have a single leak.”

This isn’t the first time Weston and Morgan have worked together. Both played wedding guests and family members in the Amazon Prime comedy “You’re Cordially Invited,” with Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon.

When did ‘Leanne’ Season 1 premiere?

All 16 episodes of Season 1 of “Leanne” will premiere on Netflix on July 31.

When will season 2 premiere?

No date has been set for Season 2.

Where have you seen Celia Weston before?

Besides “Alice,” the Spartanburg Day School graduate is also best known for her movie roles in “In The Bedroom” with Sissy Spacek and “Dead Man Walking” with Susan Sarandon. She was nominated for Best Supporting Female at the Independent Spirit Awards for “Dead Man Walking.” The “In the Bedroom” cast received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.

She’s made several guest appearances on hit TV shows, including “Frasier” in 2004, “ER” in 1999, five episodes of “American Horror Story” in 2014-2015, and five episodes of “Modern Family,” as Cam’s handsy mom from 2010-2016.

Who is Celia Weston?

In a 2006 Herald-Journal article, actress Weston told a group of theater students how she started in show business.

“I started out just like you — with a dream,” she said. “We don’t choose our gifts. There is no choice but to acknowledge and honor them. I didn’t come to New York to wait on tables.”

She also said in the 2006 article how demanding the profession of acting can be on a person.

“It’s a very hard choice,” she said at the time. “Eighty to 90 percent of actors are unemployed. Society finds the arts expendable. You are your own instrument, and when that is rejected, it’s hard. You have to get a thick skin, but at the same time, you have to stay vulnerable.”

What TV and film roles have you seen Celia Weston?

Weston’s feature film credits include “Far From Heaven,” “In the Bedroom,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Village,” and “Junebug.” She has worked with directors Ang Lee, Scott Hicks, Diane Keaton, M. Night Shyamalan, Jodie Foster, Stanley Tucci, and Anthony Minghella.

She has also worked with high-profile actors, including Renee Zellweger in “The Thing About Pam,” Diane Keaton in “Poms,” Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett in “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig in “The Invasion,” Seth Rogan in “Observe and Report” and with Susan Sarandon in “Igby Goes Down,” and “Dead Man Walking.”

Nomination for Tony award

Weston is also well-known in the New York theater scene.

In 1996, Weston was nominated for a Tony Award in the featured actress category for the Broadway play “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” by playwright Alfred Uhry.

Weston won the best-featured actress award from the Outer Critics’ Circle and was also nominated for a Drama Desk award for her role in the Broadway play.

TV show ‘Alice’ was Weston’s big break

In the 2006 Herald-Journal article, Weston recalled the first week when she appeared on the popular TV series “Alice” in the 1980s. TV Guide had mistakenly listed her as Celia Watson. Her real name is Celia Watson, but she changed her last name because a British actress was also named Celia Watson. Although the network was upset, she was secretly happy with the mistake.

“I was happy that my big national notice was with my father’s (Robert M. Watson) last name,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye and looking out at the audience of young people at USC Upstate in 2006. “I always get emotional. There is no shame in coming home. It would have been a shame if I didn’t acknowledge and honor my gift. This is the only life we get. There are no dress rehearsals. This is it.”

Celia Weston ties to Spartanburg

Here are some fun facts about Weston related to Spartanburg:

• She started taking dance lessons when she was three at Miss Marion’s School of Dance.
• Her first role was of the candied yam in an elementary school health food play, she told the Herald-Journal in 1996.
• She graduated from Spartanburg Day School and went to Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC School for the Arts.

Weston’s big TV and film roles

• Little Man Tate — 1991
• Dead Man Walking — 1995
• Flirting With Disaster — 1996
• Celebrity — 1998
• Snow Falling On Cedars — 1999
• The Talented Mr. Ripley — 1999
• Hanging Up — 2000
• Hearts in Atlantis — 2001
• Igby Goes Down — 2002
• Far From Heaven — 2002
• How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days — 2003
• The Village — 2004
• Junebug — 2005
• Joshua — 2007
• No Reservations — 2007
• The Invasion — 2007
• Observe and Report — 2009
• Pom — 2019
• You’re Cordially Invited — 2025