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Call Me Kat casts Jack McBrayer as new baker following Leslie Jordan's death

Call Me Kat casts Jack McBrayer as new baker following Leslie Jordan's death

There's a new baker down at the cat cafe.

Jack McBrayer will make his Call Me Kat debut on Thursday's episode as a new baker following the death of cast member Leslie Jordan. The 30 Rock alum is portraying Gideon, an Amish man set to replace Jordan's Phil following his move to Tahiti with his new husband.

It hasn't been revealed yet how long Gideon will stick around, but in a preview clip from the episode, Kat (Mayim Bialik) brings him over to the Middle C, the piano bar next to the cafe, to introduce him to her pals. "Gideon is on a journey of self-discovery, and as someone who recently went through this myself, I am giddy to be his guide," she says.

Gideon, who has no social skills, marvels at the sight of Carter (Julian Gant), the "second Black person" he has met thus far.

The Fox sitcom bid farewell to Jordan, who died in October from sudden cardiac dysfunction, three weeks ago with the joyous Tahiti storyline. Bialik previously told EW that the thought of doing a funeral episode for Jordan "felt like a hurdle" the crew wasn't "sure we all wanted to jump together."

"We found a way for him to live forever," the star and executive producer said. "His character will live forever, and he can have whatever adventures we all imagine. And because we break the fourth wall anyway, we were able to use that convention to say simply, we gave this character a happy ending, but there's a lot more going on here."

Mayim Bialik and Leslie Jordan on 'Call Me Kat'
Mayim Bialik and Leslie Jordan on 'Call Me Kat'

FOX via Getty Mayim Bialik and Leslie Jordan on 'Call Me Kat'

Call Me Kat airs Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the preview of McBrayer's introduction above.

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