Mike & Molly Creator Chuck Lorre on Female Leads and Playing Favorites

Chuck Lorre has had quite a run during the last 17 years: Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. With Mike & Molly, the over-sized new Monday night sitcom starring Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy, the prolific writer/producer can add another hit to his list, but is the new series his favorite?

When Movieline caught up with Lorre at the Television Critics Association tour this summer, he was a bit more forthcoming than you might imagine.

"Well, everything I've been able to do rests on Two and a Half Men," explained the Emmy-nominee. "Without that, I wouldn't have gotten the shot to do Big Bang and certainly not Mike & Molly. So I kind of cherish Two and a Half Men, without whom nothing else exists. I don't want to play favorites but that is really the show that got us the opportunity to do the other ones."

And what about the other ones? Whereas Lorre was known for creating such iconic female characters in the 90s (see: Roseanne, Cybill Seridan and Dharma Montgomery), the writer/producer has hedged more toward male-centric plots during the last decade. Has that been a tough adjustment?

"Well, Melissa is very much the lead in Mike & Molly," explained Lorre. "I guess she and Billy have equal billing but I would say that Kaley [Cuoco] is of equal billing with the cast on Big Bang. I've written them as female leads and not supporting actresses by any means."

Even if the writer/producer is hesitant to confirm that his current series are more testosterone-based than his prior ones, he is certain about one thing when it comes to gender wars onscreen.

"Women are easier to write for, definitely," said Lorre. "They're more empathetic. They're more compassionate. They communicate their feelings better than men."