Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat is an American comedy television series based on the British sitcom Miranda by Miranda Hart. The series is written by Darlene Hunt and stars Mayim Bialik as the title role, with Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, Julian Gant, Leslie Jordan, and Swoosie Kurtz in supporting roles. The series premiered on Fox as a midseason entry in the 2020–21 television season on January 3, 2021.

In May 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which is set to premiere on January 9, 2022.

Premise
Call Me Kat follows a 39-year-old woman called Kat "who struggles every day against society and her mother to prove that you can not have everything you want yet still be happy". So she spends the money her parents set aside for her wedding to open a cat café in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cast

 * Mayim Bialik as Kat
 * Swoosie Kurtz as Sheila
 * Kyla Pratt as Randi
 * Cheyenne Jackson as Max
 * Leslie Jordan as Phil
 * Julian Gant as Carter

Development
On September 19, 2019, it was announced that Fox Broadcasting Company had given a series commitment, based on the British sitcom Miranda by Miranda Hart. The working title at this stage was Carla. The series was to be executive produced by Mayim Bialik and Darlene Hunt through Sad Clown Productions, Jim Parsons (Bialik's former co-star on The Big Bang Theory) and Todd Spiewak through That's Wonderful Productions, and Angie Stephenson and the original series creator and star Miranda Hart through BBC Studios. That's Wonderful Productions' Eric Norsoph, and Sad Clown Productions' Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught would serve as producers. Production companies named were Fox Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. On February 12, 2020, it was announced that the series title had been changed from Carla to Call Me Kat. On May 11, 2020, it was announced that Fox had ordered the pilot to series. The series premiered on January 3, 2021. On May 10, 2021, Fox renewed the series for a second season. On June 16, 2021, Alissa Neubauer joined the series as the showrunner for the second season to replace Hunt.

During the show's development, Hunt decided to set the show in Louisville, near her hometown of Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, telling Kirby Yates of Louisville's daily newspaper, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville just felt right." In the same interview, Hunt told Yates that Bialik approved of the setting: "She had been to Louisville recently and loved the city and told me she felt it was really unique and special. I gave her the option to set it in her hometown of San Diego, but she doubled down on Louisville." Hunt is not the only Louisville-area native involved in the series' production; a co-executive producer and writer, Amy Hubbs, is from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Hunt noted that she and Hubbs had "a big debate" over Kat's allegiance in the Kentucky–Louisville college rivalry, noting that "I grew up a big U of L fan, and Amy was a huge UK fan." Hunt chose not to reveal Kat's allegiance before the series premiere, but confirmed that the chosen university sent several items to be used in decorating the character's home.

According to Yates, the series is "chock full of Louisville references", with the first three episodes alone making multiple references to Louisville cultural touchstones and locations such as the UK–U of L rivalry, bourbon, the Brown Hotel, Churchill Downs, and Muhammad Ali. Yates added, "Although none of the show is actually filmed in Louisville, the show's art department works off photographs to recreate the references in Louisville on a production stage in Los Angeles." Hunt further added, "It does feel really special to be able to make so many shoutouts to people, places and things around Louisville and to be able to honor them in the show. A new hometown pride is coming out in me, so it's very special."

Casting
Upon series commitment, Bialik was also cast to star in the series. In February 2020, Swoosie Kurtz and Kyla Pratt had joined the cast in starring roles. On March 6, 2020, Cheyenne Jackson was cast in a starring role. On April 2, 2020, it was announced that Leslie Jordan joined the main cast. On April 28, 2020, it was reported that Julian Gant joined the cast as a series regular.

Hunt added local color in casting of minor roles. She told Yates, "I cast one woman who mentioned she was from Louisville when she auditioned because her character works at a hotel, and I needed her to say 'Welcome to Louisville!' Anyone from Louisville knows how hard it is to get people from somewhere else to say that correctly!" The woman cast for that role grew up near Seneca Park in Louisville.

Animal safety
In an interview, Bialik said the cats used in filming are neither drugged nor tethered. Several trainers are on-set to supervise the cats.

Broadcast
Call Me Kat premiered on January 3, 2021 at 8/7c on Fox. On January 7, 2021, the series moved to Thursdays at 9/8c, its regular Thursday timeslot, alongside Last Man Standing. It can also be seen on CTV in Canada.

Critical response
The series has received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 21% based on 14 critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "More gimmick than sitcom, Call Me Kat buries a charming Mayim Bialik in a sandbox of toothless jokes and shallow characterizations." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Accolades
The series was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-Camera Series at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.