Call Me Kat

• Mayim Bialik as Kat Silver, a 39-year old single woman who runs a cat café in Louisville and struggles to find a balance between her fulfilling life and her constant sense of loneliness.
• Swoosie Kurtz as Sheila, Kat's overbearing mother who cannot understand why her daughter chooses to be single and constantly tries to get her to meet new men.
• Leslie Jordan as Phil, a newly single gay man who works as the head baker at Kat's café.
• Kyla Pratt as Randi, a waitress at Kat's café.
• Julian Gant as Carter, the owner of the bar next to Kat's café.
• Cheyenne Jackson as Max, Kat's friend and former college love interest who works at Carter's bar after returning home from years of traveling abroad.

• Vanessa Lachey as Tara Barnett,[7] Kat's best friend since childhood who is married with three kids.
• Lamorne Morris as Daniel, a customer at Kat's cafe who refuses to tip on social and political grounds and also has a relationship with Randi.
• Greg Cromer as Brandon
• Schuyler Helford as Brigitte, Max's French ex-girlfriend
• Robert Michael Lee as Street Caricaturist
• Tiwana Floyd as Customer
• Usman Ally as Dr. Kevin Khan, a therapist hired by Kat to help her confront her issues with Sheila.[8]
• Sterling Jones as Lane Gaffney, the fiancee of Phil's ex Marty.[9]
• Jack Plotnick as Bennett[7]
• Melody Butiu as Renee Lancaster[7]

On September 19, 2019, it was announced that Fox Broadcasting Company had given a series commitment, based on the British sitcom Miranda by Miranda Hart. The working title at this stage was Carla.[1][3] The series was to be executive produced by Mayim Bialik and Darlene Hunt through Sad Clown Productions, Jim Parsons (Bialik's former co-star on The Big Bang Theory) and Todd Spiewak through That's Wonderful Productions, and Angie Stephenson and the original series creator and star Miranda Hart through BBC Studios. That's Wonderful Productions' Eric Norsoph, and Sad Clown Productions' Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught would serve as producers.[1] Production companies named were Fox Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.[4] On February 12, 2020, it was announced that the series title had been changed from Carla to Call Me Kat.[17] On May 11, 2020, it was announced that Fox had ordered the pilot to series.[4] The series premiered on January 3, 2021.[5]

During the show's development, Hunt decided to set the show in Louisville, near her hometown of Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, telling Kirby Yates of Louisville's daily newspaper, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville just felt right." In the same interview, Hunt told Yates that Bialik approved of the setting: "She had been to Louisville recently and loved the city and told me she felt it was really unique and special. I gave her the option to set it in her hometown of San Diego, but she doubled down on Louisville." Hunt is not the only Louisville-area native involved in the series' production; a co-executive producer and writer, Amy Hubbs, is from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Hunt noted that she and Hubbs had "a big debate" over Kat's allegiance in the Kentucky–Louisville college rivalry, noting that "I grew up a big U of L fan, and Amy was a huge UK fan." Hunt chose not to reveal Kat's allegiance before the series premiere, but confirmed that the chosen university sent several items to be used in decorating the character's home.[6]

According to Yates, the series is "chock full of Louisville references", with the first three episodes alone making multiple references to Louisville cultural touchstones and locations such as the UK–U of L rivalry, bourbon, the Brown Hotel, Churchill Downs, and Muhammad Ali. Yates added, "Although none of the show is actually filmed in Louisville, the show's art department works off photographs to recreate the references in Louisville on a production stage in Los Angeles." Hunt further added, "It does feel really special to be able to make so many shoutouts to people, places and things around Louisville and to be able to honor them in the show. A new hometown pride is coming out in me, so it's very special."[6]

Upon series commitment, Bialik was also cast to star in the series.[1] In February 2020, Swoosie Kurtz and Kyla Pratt had joined the cast in starring roles.[17][18] On March 6, 2020, Cheyenne Jackson was cast in a starring role.[19] On April 2, 2020, it was announced that Leslie Jordan joined the main cast.[20] On April 28, 2020, it was reported that Julian Gant joined the cast as a series regular.[21]

Hunt added local color in casting of minor roles. She told Yates, "I cast one woman who mentioned she was from Louisville when she auditioned because her character works at a hotel, and I needed her to say 'Welcome to Louisville!' Anyone from Louisville knows how hard it is to get people from somewhere else to say that correctly!" The woman cast for that role grew up near Seneca Park in Louisville.[6]

In an interview, Bialik said the cats used in filming are neither drugged nor tethered. Several trainers are on-set to supervise the cats.[22]

The series has received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 21% based on 14 critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "More gimmick than sitcom, Call Me Kat buries a charming Mayim Bialik in a sandbox of toothless jokes and shallow characterizations."[25] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26]