Mayim Bialik Adds a New Character to Her TV CV in Call Me Kat

Mayim Bialik has a pretty great track record on series TV, having found her way into our hearts as both Blossom Russo on Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler on Big Bang Theory. Bialik's new series sees our favorite actor/neuroscientist playing yet another lovable quirky character, a single-and-loving-it 39 year-old who quits her job as a math professor and spends her entire life savings — including the money her parents set aside for her wedding — to open a cat cafe. Call Me Kat premieres Sunday night before settling into its regular Thursday night timeslot next week.

Also this weekend: 96 year-old former president Jimmy Carter rocks out on CNN, Nick Offerman lends his voice to Fox's latest animated comedy, and Saturday morning cartoons stage a comeback. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this weekend:

SATURDAY JANUARY 2nd, 2021:

SERIES PREMIERE: It's been decades since the big three networks aired cartoons on Saturday mornings, but MeTV is resurrecting the tradition with Saturday Morning Cartoons, a new three-hour block of classic shorts, including Bugs, Daffy, Tom & Jerry, Popeye and the Tex Avery catalog. Watch preview. 7:00 AM ET on MeTV

NCAA FOOTBALL: The 2020-21 college football bowl season continues with 4 games scheduled for today:

• NC State vs. Kentucky at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN
• Indiana vs. Ole Miss at the Outback Bowl at 12:30 PM ET on ABC
• Iowa State vs. Oregon at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at 4:00 PM ET on ESPN
• Texas A&M vs. North Carolina at the Capital One Orange Bowl at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN

SERIES PREMIERE: David Spade, Fortune Feimster, and London Hughes host The Netflix Afterparty, dubbed as a "first-of-its-kind" weekly comedy panel show focused on the latest Netflix shows and films. The show's inaugural episode is set to feature interviews and sketches with the cast of Cobra Kai's just-released Season 3. Streaming on Netflix

CABLE PREMIERE: HBO's big Saturday night movie premiere this week is The High Note, the 2020 comedy starring Tracee Ellis Ross as a superstar singer and Dakota Johnson as her overworked personal assistant who are presented with a choice that could alter the course of their respective careers. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on HBO

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: With the world's most infamous shipwreck being consumed by a colony of iron-eating bacteria that promises to sweep away all that's left within a few decades, Titanic: Into the Heart of the Wreck looks at the greatest Titanic expeditions to date, through the eyes of the explorers who have attempted to unlock the ship's secrets. 9:00 PM ET on History

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: An injured NHL hockey star (Luke Macfarlane) ends up Taking a Shot at Love after reluctantly agreeing to take up ballet as a form of therapy and growing close with his teacher (Alexa PenaVega). Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on Hallmark Channel

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: With COVID sidelining this year's Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Induction, the new special ACL Hall of Fame: The First Six Years is offering up highlights from past years, including performances from Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett. Watch preview. Various times on PBS (check local listings)

ENCORE PRESENTATION: John Mulaney ruffled some feathers when he hosted Saturday Night Live's pre-election episode with a joke that implied it didn't matter who won the presidency, a sentiment he later said even he didn't agree with. 11:30 PM ET on NBC

SUNDAY JANUARY 3rd 2021:

SERIES PREMIERE: Mayim Bialik returns to series television in Call Me Kat, in which she plays the quirky owner of a cat cafe whose life takes an unexpected turn when her former crush (played by Cheyenne Jackson) returns to town. Vanessa Lachey guest stars. Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on FOX

NFL FOOTBALL: NBC is closing out the NFL's regular season with a Sunday Night Football match-up that sees the Washington Football team playing the Philadelphia Eagles. Kick-off is at 8:20 PM ET / 5:20 PM PT on NBC   

SERIES PREMIERE: It's not set to "officially" premiere til mid-February, but Fox is giving the first episode of its new animated comedy The Great North a special airing tonight. The new Alaska-set animated comedy from Loren Bouchard (Bob's Burgers) boasts a voice cast that includes Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Will Forte and Megan Mullally. Watch a preview. 8:30 PM on FOX

SERIES PREMIERE: Game of Thrones’ Richard Dormer stars in The Watch, set in a fictional city where crime has been legalized. Described as a "punk rock thriller," the new series is loosely adapted from Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels (too loosely for some). Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on BBC America

SEASON FINALE: Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) will do whatever it takes to clear his mother on Power Book II: Ghost, but knowing he's not in the clear with Monet (Mary J. Blige), he finds his back is against the wall. Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on Starz

STATESIDE PREMIERE: Glenda Jackson won a Best Actress BAFTA for her role as a woman desperately trying to solve two mysteries as she declines into dementia in Masterpiece’s Elizabeth Is Missing. Based on Emma Healey’s acclaimed novel of the same name. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on PBS

SEASON PREMIERE: As it kicks off its ninth and final season, Last Man Standing is skipping the pandemic and time-jumping to a near future that sees Mike (Tim Allen) contemplating his retirement from his lifelong job at Outdoor Man — and who could be his successor. Watch preview. 9:30 PM ET on FOX

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: It may not be the first thing you think of when you think of him, but Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President looks at the significant role music has played in President Carter’s life and work. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on CNN

SEASON PREMIERE: Nolan (Nathan Fillion) faces his biggest challenge yet as The Rookie begins a season that producers promise will "re-invent" the police procedural to address systemic racism. Watch preview. 10:00 PM ET on ABC

Jed Rosenzweig is the Founder and Publisher of Primetimer.