Why Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik Thinks Her New TV Show Is 'The Greatest Job I've Ever Had'
While several of her former Big Bang Theory co-stars have already appeared in noteworthy follow-up projects, Mayim Bialik is now finally set for her first big TV role post-Amy Farrah Fowler. Fans can catch her heading up Fox's upcoming sitcom Call Me Kat, which she is executive producing alongside former on-screen hubby Jim Parsons. And not only is Bialik excited about the new project, but she's actually calling it the greatest job she's ever had in her life. I think that's a pretty good sign of approval, don't you?
In the new show, Mayim Bialik – who reprised Amy just recently for Young Sheldon's Season 4 premiere – plays the titular Kat, a socially anxious woman in her late 30s who opens a quaint café for cats using money that was she was supposed to use on a big wedding. Speaking of, her romantic life is nowhere near as active as her mother (Swoosie Kurtz) thinks it should be, but Kat has some inspiration on that front after reconnecting with her old friend Max (Cheyenne Jackson). Call Me Kat, as developed by The Big C's Darlene Hunt, also features stars such as American Horror Story vet Leslie Jordan, The Proud Family's Kyla Pratt and Good Girls' Julian Gant.
That stocked-up cast is certainly part of why Mayim Bialik is so very pumped about being a big part of Call Me Kat. During the show's panel for Fox's TCA winter press event, I asked the actress to compare joining The Big Bang Theory in the midst of its run to being part of the Call Me Kat development process from its early days, and here's how she first responded:
It sounds like Mayim Bialik has been absolutely overjoyed with bringing Call Me Kat to life at Fox, as opposed to signing on to another TV show that already boasted an established cast and sense of humor. That situation obviously worked for her on The Big Bang Theory, since she spent another eight seasons portraying Amy and building up the character's relationship with Sheldon. That said, after spending so long on that particular series, it was presumably a lung-full of fresh air to start working on a project without any built-in expectations. (Well, beyond the fact that it hits some of the same beats as Miranda, the UK comedy Kat is based on.)
In fact, Mayim Bialik is very much enjoying the process of getting more comfortable with Call Me Kat's creative process and working with her talented co-stars. Here's what else she had to say:
Ha! Not only does Mayim Bialik think that working on Call Me Kat is a greater job than her arguably iconic spot within The Big Bang Theory, but she also finds it more pleasing than being a mother. Anyone who has raised their own children for any amount of time would probably agree that starring in a TV show would be less stressful, regardless of the show. So it's probably a good thing that her character Kat only deals with four-legged felines instead of two-legged monster-babies.
While Mayim Bialik will be heading into pretty comfortable multi-camera waters with Call Me Kat, the same can't be said for her former Big Bang cohorts. Over on HBO Max, Kaley Cuoco is dealing with a murder mystery for The Flight Attendant and supervillain shenanigans for Harley Quinn, while the sometimes-blonde-now Jim Parsons made himself at home on Netflix with Ryan Murphy's TV drama Hollywood and the feature adaptation of his stage play The Boys In the Band. Kunal Nayyar can also be found on Netflix, playing a killer in the second season of Criminal: UK.
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But while her former co-stars all went darker, Mayim Bialik is keeping things light and airy for Call Me Kat, which will make its debut on Fox on Sunday, January 3, at 8:00 p.m. ET, before flipping to its normal time slot on Thursday nights at the same time. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage, and head to our Winter and Spring 2021 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows will hit the small screen in the new year.
Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.