We're back with Jim Parsons.
And that was a clip from Jim's new show, Call Me Cat,
which he's producing.
And joining us is the star of the show, Mayim Bialik.
Hi, Mayim.
How are you?
Hello.
Hi.
[CHEERING]
It's good to see you, and it's great y'all are working
together again after Big Bang.
How did this come about?
Well--
Um.
Jim came to me-- oh, go ahead.
No, no.
You can say it.
I came to you while on set one day.
Well, Jim-- Jim came to me, and he said,
I want to know what you think about this project
that my company has.
It's this Miranda show.
It was really popular on the BBC.
And so I went home.
I did a little research, and I came back the next day.
And I said, well, Jim, that seems
like a really awesome project.
Good luck.
You got my vote of confidence.
And he said, no, I'm asking because I want you to be in it.
And I was shocked because I think I'm very annoying.
But however annoying I am, he obviously
still wanted to work with me.
Yes, Jim?
I think that the annoying quality you bring
is what America responds to, Mayim.
I think that's what this character wanted.
Right.
That's very relatable.
Everyone love-- we know someone annoying, so that's perfect.
Tell everybody what the show is about.
Jim, you want me to take this one, or you want it?
Well, you're working on it, so please.
OK.
This is a show about a 39-year-old single woman who
does not have the life that society often says
39-year-old women should have.
But she's happy anyway.
She has an exciting career.
She just opened a cat cafe--
yes, a cat cafe.
And we have some amazing, amazing guest stars.
We have Swoosie Kurtz playing my mom, and Leslie Jordan,
and Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, and Julian Gant.
And we're just having a blast making this show about a very,
very quirky woman.
She's sloppy.
She's messy.
She's sometimes vulgar.
She's socially anxious.
I don't wear Spanx in real life, so she doesn't
have to wear Spanx either.
And that's a really good thing.
And you work with a lot of cats.
You already-- you have three cats, right?
I do.
I am a cat person, and my character is as well.
We like to say, she's not a sad cat lady.
She's a rad cat lady.
But you have-- I mean, I just--
I look at that, and I think, you know cats.
I know cats.
They usually don't get along.
So how do these actor cats all of a sudden meet each other
and not get into these cat fights?
OK, so here's the thing about our cats.
And I should say, I'm a vegan.
And so I was very, very pleased we
do not have cats that are tethered or drugged.
These are just real cats.
Many of them are the Ragdoll breed,
which is a breed that literally likes to chill out.
And these cats are raised as kittens
to be around other people and other cats.
The exception is a cat named Piper,
who played Firework, who did not like to be around other cats.
So we had to kind of block for Piper special.
So Piper didn't make it?
Piper's audition didn't work out?
Well, Piper just had to be in scenes just with me,
and Piper didn't really care for me either.
But Piper looked like a Firework.
We worked around that diva.
[INAUDIBLE]
It's amazing what we'll do in Hollywood.
We'll put up with anything if you got the right look.
Yeah.
[LAUGHS]
Even with cats, you're right.
That's taking it too far.
And you have not been to the set, Jim,
because of your COVID.
COVID.
But also, you're allergic to cats.
So how--
I am.
Yeah, how did you decide to produce a show
about a bunch of cats knowing you're going
to have to visit that set?
It's the only way he could plan to work with me, if he never
had to be around me.
Because I'm so annoying.
No, no.
I'll tell you honestly.
I kind of didn't think of-- well, first off,
while we were proposing it, Darlene Hunt, who
is running the show, she placed it in the cat cafe.
The original Miranda wasn't.
And so I didn't realize this nightmare was going
to take place in that way.
However, there was one time very early on in Big Bang
where, at one point, they were tossing
around that idea for a script.
And they came up and asked me, are you allergic to cats,
by any chance?
And I said, yeah, I am.
My eyes get puffy and whatever.
About a week later, the script showed up
with a box of Claritin.
And it was like, we're here.
We're going to do one where you're surrounded
by cats the whole episode.
And Mayim was actually there for that.
So I have gone through that.
And if I don't touch my face, like I keep
doing right now-- there I am.
Look at that.
But I didn't.
I was fine.
I just didn't touch my face.
So--
Wow.
I can't believe that they knew you were allergic to cats
and wrote an episode with you surrounded by cats.
I just--
Well, I'll tell you this.
They asked me a few seasons later
if I could ride a unicycle, and I nearly had a digestive issue.
And I said, no.
Because I thought, oh, my God.
They're going to make me do it.
I'm going to crack my skull open.
That's just how they roll around here.
[LAUGHS]
Oh, you can't?
Well, good luck.
That's one of Portia's goals is to learn
how to ride a unicycle.
She's really interested in unicycles.
She's never--
I imagine it takes a lot of core strength.
Yeah, it takes a lot of core strength.
She got a three-cycle instead of a unicycle.
And she rides a three-cycle around.
Have you seen those?
[LAUGHS]
Anyway--
I only know it as a tricycle from when I was a little boy.
I don't think I know what this is.
It's like that, but you just sit upright.
And there's three things, and you have to still balance it.
But it's-- anyway.
Sorry.
I'm just-- when I hear you.
We should cut to a clip.
This is insane.
[LAUGHS]
Well, it's called Call Me Cat.
It airs Thursdays at 9:00 on Fox.
And great talking to you two.
Stay safe, all right?
You too.
All right, we'll be right back.