What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat (Season Premiere)

Call Me Kat: Season 3, Episode 1 “Call Me Ken Jennings” (B-)

There’s something nice about watching a show and seeing that not much has changed, and it can also be an opportunity to bid farewell to it. I’ve enjoyed this show in the past and said upon its season two conclusion that I would be happy to see more of the then-unrenewed series, but I think I feel a bit differently at this point. It might have to do with catching up with so many other series or just that there are other sitcoms that I feel do a much better job of handling their material than this one. Having Ken Jennings appear as himself was a throwaway opener, though it does at least track that Kat would be way too excited and way too chatty with someone famous like that who she met on a plane. Her going to Paris was supposed to change things in a big way, and it did, in that Randi took over the café in her absence and changed everything about it. Naturally, they eventually came to see things from both perspectives and now will be partners, which is sure to get messy given their radically different approaches to just about everything. Max indulging in a Southern accent and boots that didn’t fit were missteps that felt a lot like how his good friend Kat might throw herself too fully into something. I’m sure this show could be fun to tune into every once in a while, but for now, I think I’m going to drop it from my regular viewing rotation in favor of other series that feel like vital watching.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat (Season Finale)

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 18 “Call Me Shellfish” (B+)

I have a feeling this may be the last episode of this show that we’ll see, in part because I was surprised enough that there was a season two in the first place. What I like is that the ending could segue well into another round of episodes but also serves as a satisfying enough closer that could serve as a series finale if necessary, with Kat ready to explore a world of infinite possibilities in Paris. Showing the masked crew was a nice touch too since this show has always been light but relatively entertaining, and it feels good to see the many people involved in this process and not just the smiling and waving actors. Kat going to therapy was enough to open her mind to the fact that maybe she should try something new, and after doing the auction where Randi wanted to sell pictures of their feet and a newly-unemployed Phil expressed that math riddles were dumb, the panic attack following its success cemented that she needed a break. Phil was in desperate need of a return to work after he showed up with stuff he had baked because he couldn’t stand the thought of them serving anything subpar, and it will be good for Randi to stay busy now that she’s told an understandably jealous Carter that she loves him. Max landed a big breakthrough and got to assess how he and Kat were swapping positions for once, and that image of him in the bathrobe with Kat in Paris at the end was likely just a fantasy. I have enjoyed this show and would be happy to see more of it, and if not, I look forward to seeing these actors’ next projects.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Cheyenne Jackson as Max

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 17 “Call Me Flatch” (B-)

I’m all for series crossovers, but I’m not sure why we had to meet the main characters from “Welcome to Flatch” on this show. Using Kat’s direct camera address also allowed for a more shameless plug to watch than the clever references that have sometimes populated “Legends of Tomorrow” during Arrowverse crossovers, and presumably this can get a few viewers over to the new FOX series, which I found slightly funny but ultimately uninteresting. The presence of Kelly and Shrub was used really just to allow Kat to be bleeped out when she swore and for the tub to collapse, further adding to Kat’s stress. It’s no surprise that Nick is not a nice landlord, seizing on the fact that Kat previously had a good arrangement to bump up her rent for both the café and her attached apartment. For someone who boasts publicly about breaking the rules, he’s very big on enforcing them, and hopefully they can all team up to take him down. Phil did not react well to being fired, which is understandable, and I have a feeling that he won’t be gone for good (should this show return for a third season, of course, given that there’s only one more episode left in its current run). I enjoyed Sheila taking advantage of the opportunity to host Kat and charging her a resort fee for the “gym,” which consisted of the treadmill Kat wasn’t using with any incline and was in the room where she had apparently never had boys. While Nicole remains in the picture, I think there is hope for her and Max, but I imagine the finale will be more about getting rid of Nick.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 16 “Call Me What the Kat Dragged In” (B+)

It was very uncomfortable to see a dejected Oscar come to Kat’s lacking any of the liveliness and positivity that we’ve previously seen, and Kat trying to be lighthearted and funny only made it worse. Randi was right to warn her not to read a haiku, but she already had a breakup gift basket and playlist ready, underlining that she does care about him, which is not a sentiment that’s going to make him feel good at the moment. Having her friends show up while she was singing into a spoon was a nice gesture, though Max’s attempt to reassure her about how she could be single for the next forty years of her life didn’t quite come out as planned. Running into Nick during her awkward solo date was the perfect opportunity for her to give in to impulses that she might otherwise deny, and she wasn’t quite as subtle about it as she had planned to be given his very obvious exit down the stairs. He’s also not going anywhere given that he took her up on the suggestion she accidentally gave him and is now her landlord, which is going to mean that he’ll be around a lot, preventing any possibility of her getting back together with Oscar. Carter going over to Randi’s without her permission nearly broke their relationship, but fortunately she gave in and realized she was ready for a next step, one that still comes with rules but is a definite progression in the right direction.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 15 “Call Me Tiny Boo-Boo” (B+)

I wasn’t sure how this show was going to handle Kat and Max kissing, and I like that Kat wasted no time in sharing that with Phil and Randi, subtly bringing it up as part of their regular meeting agenda. It was particularly bad timing for Oscar to have gotten a promotion and been eager to celebrate with everyone, and Kat deciding that she needed to break up with her only made that more uncomfortable. While he wasn’t quite as forgiving and pleasant as she thought in the dream she had where he ultimately decided to drink the poison with her so that at least they could die together, he did choose to propose, which she nervously accepted only to take back later, which was unfortunate. He didn’t need to guess what the reason for her change of heart was, and Max chose the wrong moment to try to console him, which is going to make things very awkward, if Oscar even sticks around since he could theoretically only show up whenever he has a package to deliver. Max did get a nosebleed to match the one he gave Nicole, and they had a sweet date at the emergency room that revealed connections beyond their musical prowess, but it seems distinctly unlikely that they would be able to proceed now that Max is going to have to explain why it was that Oscar punched him in the face. This doesn’t mean that Kat and Max get together, but they may finally have another shot to get it right this time.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 14 “Call Me Cupid” (B)

It’s really a shame that Kat still has feelings for Max given that Oscar’s a very nice guy and that he had to get over the fact that they were so close when they finally started dating. Randi was able to tell very easily – as were we as audience members – that Kat was jealous, and she didn’t exactly present a warm and welcoming front for Nicole. I thought that Kat was going to eventually admit her feelings and that she just wanted Max to be happy, but then she went ahead and kissed him. It’s especially weird to have that kind of thing happen, like it did a few episodes ago with the horrible sandwich shop guy being in bed between her and Oscar, and then to have the cast come out and gleefully wave to the audience. Nicole is a great fit for Max since they both have musical talent and similar energies, but it seems unlikely to work out given Kat being in the middle of all of it and refusing to back down. Randi always has entertaining commentary about drama going on around her, and it was fun to see her get very invested in the extremely audible lives of her neighbors. Phil and Sheila seized the opportunity to get in on it, but then they had to choose between listening to their own friends Randi and Carter fighting on one side or sticking with the anonymous couple whose future they didn’t care nearly as much about succeeding.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 13 “Call Me a Kingbirdie” (B)

It didn’t seem like a great idea to have Kat join the bowling team from the start, and things only got much more uncomfortable when she decided to make it her personal mission to push them towards victory and take away some of the fun and team spirit that made it all so enjoyable for Oscar. Fortunately, he’s a very forgiving boyfriend, and even though Kat probably could have toned down her controlling energy a bit, he took the blame and declared that he would try to do better in not letting it bother him so much. Wyatt and Phil seemed more open to her taking charge, though Phil was admittedly more focused on trying to figure out if his bowling alley crush Glen was gay and interested, another thing that Kat made sure happened in a more forceful and direct manner than the people originally involved may have liked. It’s nice to see that Phil might have a relationship in his future since we’ve only really seen him moving on from one that didn’t last and pining for people who weren’t always aware of his interest in them. Max hasn’t had a terribly easy time of things lately, and it’s continually amusing to see him try to succeed in a new arena despite being woefully unprepared. Pippa’s songs were indeed terrible, but Max didn’t go about expressing his frustration in the best way. Randi and Carter were helpful allies in his quest for video stardom, a process that was mildly entertaining to watch.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 12 “Call Me a McCluckhead” (B+)

I enjoyed the character pairings in this episode, giving us the opportunity to see people together in a different context than usual. Kat spending time with her mother may not have seemed like something new, but instead it was a chance for Kat to investigate when she realized she knew nothing about her mom. There was a surprising tenderness to Sheila stopping and telling Kat that she welcomed hearing all about her daughter since her mom never knew anything about her. All the stories Sheila tells do seem larger than life, so it’s possible that they’re mostly made up anyway. Randi and Max living together is already making for great entertainment, mainly because of Max’s absolutely ridiculous habit of storing all of his food in the couch so that he had immediate access to it, which I can understand but is also quite impractical. Carter’s get-along shirt seemed like an absurd idea, but it did allow them to find common ground and talk about all the things that he did that annoyed them. That may come back to haunt him, and I do hope that he’ll need to intervene again because these roommates will continue driving each other crazy. Phil being subtly irritated about Oscar using the word “we” to describe their progress in duplicating the sauce was an amusing subplot, one that led to an incredible success and a quick need to cease and desist thanks to the legal challenge to the secret sauce recipe that they outright stole.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 11 “Call Me the Bad Boy of Cheese” (B)

It’s fun to see Kat go up against a new neighborhood rival since that’s not something we’ve experienced quite yet. It’s hard to imagine that Nick, no matter how delicious his sandwiches might be, would be able to flaunt every rule possible and get away with it. While Kat may be more prone to speak up about something that bothers her than other people, there are certainly still businesses who wouldn’t be happy about the things that he’s getting away with which they wouldn’t dare do. He’s also freely offering up the fact that what he’s doing isn’t allowed, like serving beer without a liquor license and unpasteurized cheese that’s illegal, which is bound to get him into trouble. But that doesn’t seem to be the focus of Nick’s guest appearance, since Sheila got in Kat’s head and now she’s having sex dreams about him. I would hope that him going after someone he know has a boyfriend would be upsetting enough to get Oscar and Max to finally wake up and not go to his shop for sandwiches and coffee. On the note of a relationship that does seem to be going well, it was fun to see Randi freaking out about how to get gifts for Carter since that’s really not a skill of hers. Apparently sculpting people is also not something she’s great at, and it was funny to watch Carter try to appreciate the gesture while being legitimately terrified of it. She’s sure to only panic more as she works up the courage to tell him that she loves him.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 10 “Call Me Katzilla” (B)

It’s not that surprising that Kat is obsessed with a local reporter, who apparently has enchanted just about everyone aside from Randi. What was less believable to me is that Kat never gets sick, but it was still entertaining to see how completely different and unbearable she was in that rare mode. Max was the only one who knew what she was like since Sheila likely didn’t pay much attention to how Kat ever treated her given how cruel and condescending she was. Oscar tried to go in with a positive attitude and did pretty well, while Randi found herself having to deal with complaints about the chicken soup being too chicken-y and too soupy. It was very sweet, in the end, to hear Sheila give Kat the ultimate compliment on her success with the café and to acknowledge Randi and Phil for their very helpful roles. Randi’s dream apartment did seem way too good to be true, and everyone was busy praising her for her enterprising spirit and not asking what must be wrong with it for it to be both affordable and available. But then those hopes literally burned to the ground, forcing her to start over. Pairing her with Max as a roommate makes some sense, but I can’t be the only one wondering whether Carter is going to take issue with that down the line and wonder why he didn’t ask his girlfriend to move in with him instead. If Max was dating Kat, it would all make more sense for them just to bunk up, but things can’t always be that simple.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 9 “Call Me Irresponsible” (B)

On the surface, Max is a likeable guy who seems like he has it all together. That’s what makes it even more fun to see how little he’s able to manage on his own, not even realizing that Brigitte paid for everything in Paris and spending a whopping $70 on smoothies each week. Offering to take Kat to an expensive lunch place and then planning to drop $80 on concert tickets showed that he’s still hopeful and idealistic even if he’s not quite able to follow through, and he did manage to find a way to make some extra income with the children’s birthday parties. CJ was the real catalyst for that, offering to loan him $80 so that he wouldn’t miss the concert and then haunting Max’s nightmares when he dreamt that he was still on Carter’s couch decades later after his good friend and boss had died. Before that, Kat listing all the embarrassing stuff she’s done and Carter promptly reporting Max’s unauthorized glow-in-the-dark shoes were highlights of that saga. I appreciated the opportunity for two characters who don’t interact all that often aside from a few quips – Sheila and Randi – to get to share a plotline, one which found Sheila not having any clue quite how demanding and unkind she was being to someone who was trying to help her out and Randi not being eager to stand for any of it. I like that Randi stood her ground and refused to be talked down to, ultimately getting into the process in a way that made Kat feel like something was seriously wrong with the intimacy of their collaboration.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 8 “Call Me Señor Don Gato” (B)

A good chunk of this episode was quite predictable, but it still managed to be fun nonetheless. Carter not thinking that waiting in line for sneakers for CJ was Kat’s “scene” was on the right track, and she expectedly got distracted by a cat in need and thought that everyone she had previously sung with would be willing to let her get back in line. I haven’t done much of that, so I’m not sure if it really happens that way, but I have a feeling they might be somewhat more understanding, even if both of them got out of line. Fortunately, Kat managed to find a way to fix things and get a pair for Carter in the end, and he opened up to her about feeling like he needs to compete with his ex-wife for who can move on first. Randi’s efforts to have a quiet night alone failed miserably, and I most appreciate Max stopping by to get a more detailed opinion from Randi and ultimately concluding that her take meant most to him, especially since she was able to offer him the best advice. Sheila and Oscar were a smart pair, even if Sheila pushed him to a place where he didn’t entirely remedy his situation. Phil always seems to have cat- or food-related hijinks, and needing models with the right private parts to get his cookies just right was an amusing diversion that got everyone involved in the end to help with his penis (cookie) emergency.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 7 “Call Me Cupcake” (B+)

It’s fun to see the relationship between the eternally peppy Kat and the eternally peppy Oscar evolve, and for them to show that they can get through the occasional disagreement just fine without their rose-colored goggles being permanently burst. Oscar volunteering to help out at the café while Phil was away seemed like a mistake from the start since working together can put a strain on any romance. Naturally, it was all good at the start, with Kat impressed by all the efficiency-driven changes he had made, and it was only when he unknowingly accepted a crazy huge order that they couldn’t fulfill that the cracks started to show. Insisting on making one giant batch of dough was his first big offense, and it only got worse from there until it all devolved into a food fight. Max and Carter doing a competitive juice cleanse at the same time was funny, and I most enjoyed Max smelling a customer’s food as he delivered it, a far more appealing invasion of privacy than what Carter did with those donuts. I thought that Phil going with Sheila to Bora Bora was going to result in them having to pay back all the money they charged to Preston’s card, but instead it was just an opportunity for Sheila and Phil to commiserate about how their lives didn’t turn out how they had expected. I did like that Phil switched out teaspoons for tablespoons as a way of encoding his recipes so that no one could steal them.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 6 “Call Me Unfaithful” (B)

I do like that the friendship between Max and Oscar continues to develop and that they’re both equally excited about hanging out with each other. Oscar wanting to show off his muscles was his main motivation, while Max seemed very eager to try yoga since it sounded like something different. His sudden interest in being with Max all the time hit Carter hard, and the fact that he was pretty terrible at yoga didn’t help matters. I enjoyed Carter trying to enlist Phil to be his new workout buddy, something that Phil said was a bad idea. Ending the episode with everyone doing yoga and Kat managing to knock them all down was funny, showing that Carter was no longer the worst at it. We don’t see all that much of Sheila but she did have a blast walking in to criticize Kat and then tell Randi that she was too comfortable with her, and that made Randi and Kat having to tell Sheila that her new boyfriend was seeing someone else much more awkward. Sheila saying that she was happy enough and that she now understood why Kat didn’t like her interfering in her love life was a nice role reversal, and when she came back to stay with Kat, she made herself very comfortable right away, demanding service from her unwilling hosts. Kat bringing food for the stakeout, including a pizza with mushrooms because Randi had mentioned that she did mushrooms once, was a humorous example of how she doesn’t always listen all that closely.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 5 “Call Me Your Biggest Fan” (B)

Everyone knows that Max is great at writing music, but it was still fun to see Kat try to encourage him, going to typically excessive lengths to participate him in the jingle contest even after he insisted he didn’t want to do it. He may ultimately not have won, but Kat certainly did since he’s now ready to perform. Contending that he was impervious to reverse psychology failed him almost right away, and I liked how impressed he was that Kat had managed to pull one over on him while he thought he was staying one step ahead of her. I do like the effort all of these characters put in for presentation, even if the intended recipients don’t always bother to notice their hard work. Randi doing CJ’s nails showed how well they got along, and how, even though he didn’t officially know about his dad’s new relationship, he went ahead and suggested it after spending time with her. That storyline was much more about Randi helping to open Carter’s mind, with Phil’s assistance, to the fact that what he learned growing up may not be the extent of what there is out in the world. Getting his nails done was a nice peace offering. Phil did seem like the natural choice to be MC for the event, but that didn’t stop Sheila from showing up in a very distracting red dress and heckling him the whole time, ready to get up there and take over in case he suddenly became unable to keep going.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 4 “Call Me Forty” (B+)

Oscar really does know Kat well, and he did a great job of engineering a series of surprises for her fortieth birthday. Kat had reason to be nervous meeting Oscar’s mom due to past traumas like setting a rug on fire, and she did get off to a bad start by lying about speaking Spanish and then spilling water all over her. But she ultimately put on the best show she possibly could, but that still wasn’t good enough since Mary had no interest in them being together because she thought Kat was too old. It was sweet that Oscar immediately rose to her defense and then made light of the situation by shouting that he loved her so that he she could hear him. Max’s flirtation spiral was a lot of fun to watch, particularly when he came on way too strong to women he had just met. Experiencing the same thing from the other side showed him just how intense that was, and Carter’s intervention was definitely needed. I didn’t expect to hear Brigitte referenced since it’s been so long since anyone brought her up, and I’d love to see her again, though it’s probably best for Max to move on with someone new. The cat subplots are never my favorite part of this show, but I did appreciate the fact that Randi sought to cheer Phil up and remind him of Cat Sajak by making a mess that he would then have to spend time cleaning up.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 3 “Call Me a Sporty Giant” (B+)

It’s fun to see just how different Kat and Randi are, and how the two of them spending all of their time together might drive Randi just a little bit crazy. Her eternal peppiness and incredible ability to turn anything into a song – including brushing teeth and decaf coffee – were definitely taxing for the less patient Randi, and Kat jumping to conclusions and buying a new couch ended up being a bad move given the money Randi had literally hidden in the cushions of the couch she gave away. Their outing to the grief support group was a longer errand than they had planned, but Kat got some catharsis regarding her dad and they even got to hash out the complicated pieces of their friendship. Kat’s request for a group hug was great distraction, but Randi didn’t pick up on it right away. I enjoyed Randi’s reaction to Carter offering to make coq au vin, which he had never made and didn’t even know exactly what it was, when she was going to stay over two nights in a row. Carter being upset that the bar didn’t make the bar crawl list led to an entertaining series of hijinks following the bourbon tasting. Sheila seemed excited by the idea of getting to step in to help since Kat had never done anything dangerous. Phil did manage to learn how to ride a bike but not how to stop, but Leslie Jordan seemed a lot more well-suited to the task when he rode ride back in for the ending wave session.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 2 “Call Me By My Middle Name” (B+)

Kat is definitely an over-sharer who isn’t good at reading boundaries, and so having her explain what was happening with Oscar and Max to a random customer whose drink she was also in the process of spilling was a predictable introduction to this episode. I did enjoy that Oscar was just thrilled that Kat picked him over Max, and that after some awkwardness with Max coughing when he saw them kissing and everyone getting hurt as a result, things shifted to Oscar and Max trying to be friends. Kat playing piano so that Max would listen to her was a good start, but it was also bad timing to set her boyfriend up with the man she used to love because she went overboard on her celebration of a mini-anniversary. Fortunately, Oscar took it a lot better than Ben did, and made the important note that Kat had to tell him in the future if something mattered to her so that he could make sure to be there. Max had some trouble initially verbalizing an apology to Oscar, but he did much better after that and the two are sure to be friends for a while now. A highlight of Kat’s reaction to the whole situation was her throwing out all the food Phil had just baked, prompting him to stand up for the unduly punished goods. Randi had more trouble keeping her new relationship secret, and Carter learning her middle name almost made her break things off with Peter Backpack. Now that it’s all going to be out in the open, I’m curious to see how things are going to work.

What I’m Watching: Call Me Kat (Season Premiere)

Call Me Kat: Season 2, Episode 1 “Call Me Kerfuffled” (B-)

This was a show I mostly enjoyed in its first season, and I was particularly lucky to have the chance to speak with actor Leslie Jordan about his role as Phil, which was a lot of fun. This premiere didn’t do a resounding job of reminding of the show’s quality, focused instead on a “Blossom” reunion that I’m sure meant plenty to fans but not as much to me since I didn’t watch the show growing up. This show hasn’t emphasized its cats all that often, even it has devoted a few episodes to the more troublesome ones, and I think this half-hour spent a bit too much time on the felines. It also seems that one regular customer, Tim Bagley’s Wyatt, is becoming more of a regular on the show, appearing frequently and eagerly volunteering for all of the jobs that Randi and Phil have learned it’s best to steer clear of because they’re truly undesirable. Kat was understandably freaking about having to make a choice between Oscar and Max, and it’s going to be hard to keep going from all of this given the intensity she’s put into the process and her general inability to move on from things easily. Randi and Carter are still sneaking around trying to navigate their own relationship, which is an entertaining subplot. Whenever an episode of this show ends and all the characters start waving at the camera, I think that it could probably be substantially better if it took itself just a little bit more seriously.

Interview with Abe: Call Me Kat

As Emmy voting is underway, I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with contenders across all categories. 

For Fox’s “Call Me Kat,” here’s star Leslie Jordan. Watch the conversation we had for AwardsWatch above.