'Carol's Second Act' Starring Patricia Heaton: What to Know, When to Watch and What Channel

A new show called Carol's Second Act is coming to CBS this fall, and viewers are already getting excited for the premiere.

Carol's Second Act stars Patricia Heaton as Carol Kenney, a woman divorced woman embarking on the "second act" of her life. Carol has raised her kids and retired from teaching, and now at the age of 50, is pursuing her long-held dream of becoming a doctor.

The new comedy is an intriguing take on middle age from a perspective that is not often portrayed on TV. It also comes with an all-star cast, including Kyle MacLachlan as Dr. Frost, and a guest star appearance by Fear, Inc.'s Lucas Neff.

The cast is diverse, putting characters of different ages, races and backgrounds into a system where the dynamics between them can change in a heartbeat. The show will begin with Carol working as a medical intern, grouped with other hopefuls who are half her age. However, her enthusiastic outlook and her years of life experience may give her the leg up she needs.

The show also stars Ito Aghayere as Dr. Maya Jacobs, Jean-Luc Bilodeau as Daniel and Sabrina Jalees as Lexie. In addition to starring in the show, Heaton will serve as an executive producer along with Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, the writers behind the show. They co-write the pilot episode, which was directed by Pamela Fryman.

Other executive producers on the series include Adam Griffin, David Hunt, Rebecca Stay, Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor. It comes from CBS Television, Kapital Entertainment and Four Boys Entertainment.

Carol's Second Act takes over the 9:30 p.m. slot on Thursday nights this fall, with a favorable lead-in from Mom. The network is putting a lot into the show by giving it this slot, so hopefully it can deliver.

Heaton herself is already helping to drum up a lot of excitement for the series. Last year she finished a nine-year run on The Middle on ABC, and before that she was a household name on Everybody Loves Raymond. She has been helping to drum up excitement for the show on social media.

CBS is getting a bit of a fresh start this fall as its biggest hit, The Big Bang Theory, ended this week. The fall schedule shows some bold new investments at CBS, with Carol's Second Act being one of the most anticipated.

Carol's Second Act premieres on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET this fall on CBS.