'Call Me Kat' Season 2 Is Coming, But With Major Change

Mayim Bialik will be returning to television in the fall, even if she is not chosen as the next permanent Jeopardy! host. The former The Big Bang Theory star's newest show, Call Me Kat, earned a second season on Monday from Fox. However, there will be a major behind-the-scenes chance, as Darlene Hunt will not be returning as showrunner.

Call Me Kat premiered in January as a lead-in to the final season of Last Man Standing. The series stars Bialik as Kat, a single woman running a cat cafe in Louisville after leaving her job as a professor at the University of Louisville. The supporting cast includes Swoosie Kurtz as Kat's mother Sheila, Leslie Jordan as baker Phil, Kyla Pratt as waitress Randi, Julian Grant as bar owner Carter, and Cheyenne Jackson as Kat's former college flame Max. Vanessa Lachey and Lamorne Morris had recurring roles in Season 1.

The series is loosely inspired by the BBC sitcom Miranda, created by Miranda Hart. Bialik is an executive producer, alongside her former Big Bang co-star Jim Parsons and director Beth McCarthy-Miller. Hunt and Hart are also executive producers.

"We are excited to renew Call Me Kat and have Mayim, Cheyenne, Swoosie, Leslie, Kyla, and Julian return for their second season," Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn said Monday, reports TVLine. "Together, they share a winning chemistry that we, and viewers, adore. On behalf of everyone here at Fox, congratulations to this incredible cast and our terrific partners at Warner Bros. on delivering this season's #1 new comedy."

Call Me Kat's Season 2 renewal is a bit surprising since the 13-episode first season did not attract many viewers after its premiere. The March 25 season finale drew just 2.02 million viewers and a 0.5 18-49 rating. The show's renewal makes it the only guaranteed sitcom for Fox's 2021-2022 TV lineup. Last Man Standing is ending this month after nine seasons, and no decision has been made on Denis Leary's The Moodys. Fox's remake of the BBC mockumentary This Country is expected to debut this fall.

Bialik will start her stint as Jeopardy! co-host on May 31. Her run will end on June 11, and she is raising money for the National Alliance of Mental Illness. "It's something I did with tremendous humility and respect for [Alex Trebek] and just, I mean, I had an unbelievable time," Bialik recently told PopCutlure after filming her episodes. "My brain really works the way Jeopardy! brain needs to work."