CBS said on Monday that the network will delay airing the season finale of sitcom Mike & Molly in the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornados, due to similarities between the events and the episode's storyline.

"Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight's season finale of 'Mike & Molly,' which has a related storyline," a CBS spokesperson said in a statement on Manday shortly after the extent of the devastation became clear.

The spokesperson told Reuters that the season 3 finale featured a tornado.

Monday's Mike & Molly season finale episode was replaced with a repeat of an earlier season 3 episode, and CBS said the season finale will be "broadcast at an appropriate date."

Mike & Molly, starring Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell, is a comedy about a couple who fall in love after meeting at an overeaters support group.

A huge "mile-wide" tornado devastated the central Oklahoma town of Moore on Monday, ripping up two elementary schools and a hospital. The category-four storm stayed on the ground for 40 minutes, leveling whole neighborhoods and leaving at least 91 dead.