The main difficulty in the presentation – and God knows it’s not new – involves Kat regularly breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience, expressing her insecurities and strangeness. Bialik was very good at that on “Big Bang”, but thanks to the predictable writing here, it’s more boring.
As for the story, the new development in Kat’s life is centered on the return of Max (Cheyenne Jackson), a guy she had a big crush on in college. He’s friendly and single, but her discomfort with him – and the literal collisions that arise – starts to get boring before the pilot episode is over.
Fox made four episodes available, and there is some modest serial progression in Kat’s story, but not enough to plant a hook. There are moments of sweetness and vulnerability, but the coolest thing you can say is that everyone plays in the most foolish aspects, complete with final credits in which the cast says a playful goodbye, paving the way for the show that you just set up.
Hold the bouquets, but as “Friends”, the stars of “Big Bang” returning to TV will be an occasion, and the network is giving “Kat” (whose producers include Bialik and former co-star Jim Parsons) a release enthusiastic. The series will debut after NFL football, along with a preview of an animated show from the producers of “Bob’s Burgers”, “The Great North”, about a family in Alaska. The latter is exactly what you would expect, from the moose jokes, with Nick Offerman providing the grumpy single father’s voice creating an eccentric brood.
As for “Call Me Kat”, even the concept of “cat cafe” seems underused, given the TV theory that you can never go wrong with cute pets. Okay, the “cat herding” image exists for a reason, but they are an appropriate mascot for a comedy that barely makes a living, let alone nine.
“Call Me Kat” and “The Great North” open on January 3 at 8:00 pm and 8:30 pm (Eastern Time) on Fox.