‘Call Me Kat,’ New Comedy From ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Stars Jim Parsons and Mayim Balik, Picked up at Fox

FOX just picked up Call Me Kat, a new sitcom starring The Big Bang Theory‘s Mayim Bialik and executive produced by her co-star Jim Parsons, straight to series. The decision is a bit of a surprise, as production has been on hold in Hollywood due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Call Me Kat has been in development for some time already. The show features Bialik as a woman who upends her life and moves to Kentucky.

Parsons and Bialik announced the project back in September 2019. It is based on the BBC series Miranda created by Miranda Hart. In the American version, Bialik will play Kat, a 39-year-old who fights with her mother daily to prove she can still be happy, even if she cannot get everything she wants. So, she decides to move to Louisville, Kentucky and postpones plans to get married. Once there, she opens a cat cafe. The cast also features Swoosie Kurtz, Cheyenne Jackson, Leslie Jordan and Kyla Pratt.

Filming already began in Los Angeles when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the industry, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The show is a Warner Bros. TV and Fox Entertainment co-production and had a series production commitment attached to it. That meant if Fox passed on the project, they would still have to pay a fee.

On Monday, Fox announced its fall plans, which were shaken up by the pandemic, notes THR. Fox will not air any new and returning live-action scripted shows until midseason and decided not to make immediate decisions on renewing bubble shows. Fox picked up Bob’s Burgers for an 11th season, even though it was already in production behind the scenes. Last Man Standing, The Resident and Prodigal Son are expected to return, while Fox will likely cancel Outmatched.

Fox’s fall will instead feature L.A.’s Finest, the Jessica-Alba-and-Gabrielle-Union-starring Bad Boys spinoff, which initially aired on Spectrum. Fox will air the first season this fall in the Monday slot usually occupied by 9-1-1. Tate Taylor’s Filthy Rich and John Slattery’s Next, which were originally set to air during the 2019-2020 season but never did, will also debut in the fall. The show has already completed their first seasons.

Bialik starred on The Big Bang Theory as Amy Farrah Fowler, a role that earned her four Emmy nominations. She rose to fame as the star of Blossom from 1990 to 1995. As for Parsons, he played Sheldon Cooper during Big Bang’s entire run and earned four Emmys. He is now an executive producer and the narrator for the prequel series Young Sheldon.