Call Me Kat Review: Double Date (Season 1 Episode 2)

On Call Me Kat Season 1 Episode 2, “Double Date,” the show tackles a sitcom trope as old as television itself.

Turns out Kat has two dates on the same night, and like every other time we’ve seen this play out, shenanigans ensue.

One of those dates is karaoke with Max. If you have Cheyenne Jackson in the cast, you’re not going to wait long to find a reason for him to sing. Their medley is the highlight of the night.

Jackson and Bialik have great chemistry and are totally believable as longtime friends.

Kat has feelings for Max, but he’s still hung up on his ex. The series is clearly setting the pair up for a drawn-out will they/won’t they relationship. Considering how good they are as friends, you’d like to see them skip the possible romance and just let them be BFFs.

We also don’t want to spend a lot of time watching Kat pine for a man who isn’t actually interested.

Despite what years of watching TV tells us, men and women are allowed to be just friends without anything else happening.

Now that we’ve gotten the setup of the first episode out of the way, we’re getting to know more of the supporting characters.

As Kat’s employee Randi, Kyla Pratt portrays her with wisdom and endless patience for Kat’s awkwardness. She’s a great wing woman, as she doesn’t let Kat get to down on herself, and encourages her to keep trying to play the field.

If there’s one major drawback, it’s Kat’s mother Sheila, played by Swoosie Kurtz. So far the only thing we’ve learned about their relationship is that she’s desperate to find Kat a husband.

Sure her wacky matchmaking is very funny, but we need to see other parts of their relationship. Of course, Kurtz is good, we just want to know more about Sheila.

Call Me Kat has a lot of over the top physical comedy. For this to work, everyone has to commit 100 percent. Though as the lead, Bialik carries most of the weight.

I love what she’s doing with Kat. The way she balances the hilarious situations the character often finds herself in with Kat’s sweet vulnerability makes her someone we would all want to be friends with.

Perhaps her greatest asset is her unwavering optimism. Even though neither date goes the way she wants, she ends the episode on a hopeful note, still choosing to smile.

The show also starts to find its own identity separate from Miranda. Not one time during this episode do we think about the British hit. There will always be jokes and callbacks that remind viewers of the original, but for longevity Call Me Kat needs to set its own tone.

To that end, the friendship developing between Phil and Carter is an unexpected surprise. The opposite’s attract element of the duo is full of comedic potential.

For a new series, every episode needs to improve on the previous one. With two outings under its belt, Call Me Kat has definitely accomplished that.

What did you think of this episode of Call Me Kat? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Call Me Kat airs Thursday at 9/8c on FOX.

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