Dianne Wiest's Big Leap For 'Life In Pieces': See How She Adds Up To The Show's Ratings

It was a different story for Dianne Wiest who was originally from Kansas City - having a difficult time staying away from the gravitational pull of New York that she got used to of in favor of the natural ambiance of Los Angeles for "life in Pieces".

She accepted her role as family matriarch, Joan in "Life in Pieces" airing on CBS at 8:30 p.m. every Thursday despite worries that the staff might not be true to their promise that they will be nice enough not to repeat her trauma from TV series production being always in a hurry.

Her co-star for "Life in Pieces" are James Brolin, as Joan's husband, John. Their three children: Heather (Betsy Brandt of "Breaking Bad"), Matt (Thomas Sadoski, of"The Newsroom") and Greg (Colin Hanks of "Fargo").

Creator of "Life in Pieces", Justin Adler recalls that they were excited to see Dianne Wiest playing stoned when Joan was under the influence of prescribed medical marijuana due to sleeping troubles. Wiest performed it all out thinking that it should only be a one-time deal - or else she could get hooked with acting that way since she felt so free.

At least that's different from her roles in Woody Allen's winning "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway" movies. Adler never thought that the model for the role will eventually say yes to it. Wiest became interested after reading the pilot episode's script, says The Kansas City Star.

Adler admires Wiest's genuinely sweet nature that is evident in the show as Joan in "Life in Pieces" but she thinks that if she has to be mean, it will be a lot easier for her to jump into the mood than maintain the essence of a family matriarch knowing that paying a family member is hard enough.

CBS' "Life in Pieces" ratings has been adjusted up a tenth to 1.5. ratings with 6.25 million viewers, according to TV by the Numbers.