New images from Call Me Kat season 3 reveal Vicki Lawrence as the mother of the late Leslie Jordan's character Phil. Call Me Kat, which premiered on Fox in 2021, is a remake of the British series Miranda following Mayim Bialik as Kat, a single woman in her late 30s who runs a cat café. Jordan was part of the main cast (which also includes Swoosie Kurtz, Kyla Pratt, Julian Gant, Cheyenne Jackson, and Christopher Rivas), portraying the head baker at the café until his death in a car accident this October.
This week, TV Insider shared a collection of images from the upcoming mid-season premiere of Call Me Kat season 3, which airs on January 5, 2023. The images revealed The Carol Burnett Show icon Lawrence as Phil's mother. While the plot details of the episode haven't been revealed yet, it seems that her character has joined the staff of the café, though she may not be doing a very good job given the way her co-stars are reacting to her. Check out the full-size images below:
How Call Me Kat Will Carry On Leslie Jordan's Legacy
Jordan has a lasting legacy on film and television that spreads far beyond his work in Call Me Kat. The iconic actor, who also held a memorable role as Beverly Leslie in the iconic LGBTQ+ sitcom Will & Grace, has been able to translate his charms to a variety of incredibly disparate genres and mediums. In addition to appearing in horror projects like Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and multiple seasons of American Horror Story, he also appeared in prestigious dramas like The Help and cult comedies like the Eating Out franchise, as well as providing his inimitable voice to animated series including The Great North and American Dad!.
The title of the show's upcoming episode, "Call Me Philliam," would seem to indicate that the writers will be using the episode to explore Phil's legacy beyond the appearance of his mother. Despite Phil necessarily exiting Call Me Kat, his character will remain alive and happy as a tribute to the beloved actor. His mother's seemingly abrupt appearance at the diner (where it seems she'll be taking over his role as baker) will take some explaining, but that conversation will be the best way to give Phil and by proxy Jordan the happy ending he deserves.
The future of the series is still in question, including how long Lawrence may stick around in the role, but most of those questions will probably be answered come January 5. Hopefully, the writers of the series can rise to the challenge of navigating such a tragic event while maintaining a light sitcom tone. However, considering what love the Call Me Kat cast has shown to their late co-star Jordan, it seems inevitable that the episode will be as uplifting as it is tender.
Source: TV Insider