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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 4 By Kyla Brewer TV Media A fter a trying year, most people are probably ready for a few laughs. Luckily, a new comedy has nav- igated the tricky waters of film- ing during the COVID-19 pan- demic to bring a little light- hearted fun back to prime time, and it stars a familiar fan favor- ite. Mayim Bialik ("The Big Bang Theory") stars as Kat, a thirtysomething woman who leaves her job as a math teach- er to open a cat cafe in "Call Me Kat," premiering Sunday, Jan. 3, on Fox. Inspired by the British BBC series "Miranda," the pilot received a series order from Fox in May 2020 and pro- ducers had to figure out how to get the production up and running safely after the COV- ID-19 pandemic forced an in- dustry-wide shutdown. And it seems they found a way, be- cause that is exactly what they did. Bialik even chronicled her first day on set in a YouTube video on her official channel. She showed fans exactly what filming in the era of COVID-19 involves as she gave them a sneak peek at the new series. In the video, posted on Friday, Oct. 30, she started off by ex- plaining that she had to show up to work in a mask and an- swer a series of questions, just like everybody else — no pref- erential "star" treatment there. As she panned around her dressing room, she showed off her wipes, gloves and hand sanitizer, even later showing viewers the podium by her chair on set where she keeps her mask. She also talked about some of the challenges they were facing while trying to bring a little laughter into people's lives. "Typically, we film with a live studio audience and, be- cause of COVID, we cannot," Bialik said in the YouTube vid- eo. "So, essentially, we're film- ing like it's a little movie, which means we film all day." She continued by explaining why that was difficult. "A lot of sitcom acting is de- pendent on timing, based on laughs and based on what works for the audience, so it's definitely a new way of learn- ing to do this kind of comedy," she said. Still, she and the rest of the cast and crew persevered to bring TV viewers the story of a modern woman forging ahead with her life plan, determined to be happy despite being sin- gle. In the show, Kat struggles to prove to her mother, Sheila (Swoosie Kurtz, "Mike & Mol- ly"), that she can live a fulfilling life without having every little thing that she wants. She takes the money her parents had been saving for her wedding and sinks it into the cafe, where she works alongside millennial Randi (Kyla Pratt, "Doctor Dolittle," 1998), a self- proclaimed non-cat person. Kat also enlists the services of Phil (Leslie Jordan, "The Cool Kids") to make all of the pas- tries she sells at the cafe. As Kat celebrates her independence, Phil deals with the fallout of re- cently breaking up with his longtime partner. Kat also has the support of her best friend, Tara (Vanessa Lachey, "Truth Be Told"), whose life as a wife and mother looks very differ- ent from her own. However, as often happens in sitcoms, a wrench is soon thrown into Kat's seemingly perfect, happy single life. Her former crush, Max (Cheyenne Jackson, "American Horror Sto- ry"), reappears on the scene and lands a job as a bartender at the piano bar across from the cafe, where he works with his friend Carter (Julian Grant, "Key and Peele"). Although based on the 2009 BBC U.K. hit "Miranda," star- ring Miranda Hart ("Call the Midwife"), the quirky premise has been tweaked slightly for American audiences. For ex- ample, while Kat runs a cat cafe in "Call Me Kat," Miranda ran a joke shop and boutique. While odd duck Miranda didn't seem to fit in with her old boarding school chums, Kat appears to have some genu- inely close friends. In a June in- terview with Metro.co.uk, Bi- alik joked about the U.S. pro- duction, saying: "We've defi- nitely Americanized it. We're not as funny as you are over there, but we are doing our best." The "we" Bialik is referring to includes an old pal who knows a thing or two about what makes American audi- ences laugh. She teamed up with former fellow "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons, who serves as an executive producer for "Call Me Kat" alongside Bialik, Hart, Todd Spiewak ("Young Sheldon"), Darlene Hunt ("The Big C") and Angie Stephenson ("The Night Of"). With such a stellar team both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, it's no wonder Fox has confidence in the series. The network has given "Call Me Kat" a prime premiere time-slot after the NFL's Sunday doubleheader — that could lead to a nice ratings boost for the fledgling series, and there's even more good news for people who like the series and its stars. Viewers won't even have to wait a full week for more of the sitcom, as it also airs on Fox on Thursday, Jan. 7, in what will be its regular time- slot. It will serve as the lead-in for the final season of the Tim Allen ("Home Improvement")-led sitcom "Last Man Standing." Don't miss the series pre- miere of "Call Me Kat," airing Sunday, Jan. 3, on Fox. coverstory Mayim Bialik stars in "Call Me Kat" Feline fine: 'Call Me Kat' pulls through COVID to premiere on Fox By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I was just watching the movie "Cabin in the Woods" and I recognized the red-haired control-room guy. What do I know him from? A: Bradley Whitford is either the great "hey-it's-that- guy!" of our time, or he's Josh Lyman from "The West Wing," no question. It depends how obsessed you were with "The West Wing." If you weren't particularly obsessed with it, or (and there must be some of you) you've never seen it, the chameleonic Whitford has disappeared into more than 100 film and TV roles since arriving on the scene back in a 1985 episode of "The Equalizer." That was an early indication of his prefer- ence for TV. He's done some great big-screen support work (he had roles in recent hits such as 2013's "Saving Mr. Banks" and 2017's "Get Out," among dozens of others), but he seems to do better with the intimacy of the small screen. In terms of lead roles, he re-teamed with his "West Wing" boss, Aaron Sorkin, for the one-season drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and starred in the similarly short-lived cop comedy "The Good Guys" in 2010. Q: I was watching a show on National Geographic Channel or History in September about early Ameri- can settlers in conflict with native tribes. The word "Bark" was part of the title. Are there more episodes coming? A: You aren't alone in wanting more episodes of "Bark- skins" (you were halfway there), but there's a good chance you won't get it. National Geographic Channel officially billed this show — its first foray into fictional programming — as a "limited series," and that's supposed to mean one season, one com- plete story. And in that sense, "Barkskins" did not deliver. "Cliffhangers are nothing new," TVfanatic.com reviewer Dale McGarrigle complained of the show's finale, "but usu- ally they come at the end of a potentially ongoing series. Limited series usually include, oh, I don't know, conclu- sions." While the show's final episode did indeed leave a lot of questions open, as is often the case, it seems that the "limit- ed" tag is negotiable. Series creator Elwood Reid said he does see this show ending, but not yet. "I think stories have finite beginnings and ends, and I definitely feel that with this story," he told pop-culture site AssignmentX.com. "I think you could ac- complish a really great, satisfying story in four seasons, maybe five at the most." It is, of course, not up to him. National Geographic hasn't made a decision either way, and it's tough to even guess. Because fictional shows aren't really the channel's core business, it's hard to say what they expect in terms of rat- ings. The first season averaged 704,000 viewers per episode, which isn't great, even for cable, and its ratings dropped sig- nificantly over the course of the season. However, it gener- ated significant awards-season buzz — something the ca- ble channel doesn't often get. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A

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