Carol's Second Act
A retired teacher pursues her dream of becoming a doctor.
Carol's Second Act is an American medical television sitcom created by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, which aired on CBS from September 26, 2019, to March 12, 2020. The series was canceled after one season in May 2020. It stars Patricia Heaton as Dr. Carol Kenney, a divorced former high school science teacher who, after raising her two children and retiring from teaching, pursues her dream of becoming a doctor by completing medical school and beginning an internship at Loyola Memorial Hospital. The show also features Ito Aghayere, Lucas Neff, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Sabrina Jalees, Ashley Tisdale, Kyle MacLachlan, and Cedric Yarbrough in supporting roles.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Emily Halpern; Sarah Haskins
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 18
- Camera
- Multi-camera
- Runtime
- 21–22 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Cast
Patricia Heaton portrays Dr. Carol Kenney, the oldest intern in her group at Loyola Memorial Hospital. Carol is divorced with two adult children and previously worked as a high school science teacher. In the episode "Peer Evaluations," she mentions being in her early 50s. Ito Aghayere plays Dr. Maya Jacobs, the chief resident known for being a strict disciplinarian and perfectionist who oversees Carol's intern group. Lucas Neff appears as Dr. Caleb Sommers, an intern who secretly feels undeserving because he obtained his position through family connections and has a strained relationship with Dr. Stephen Frost. Jean-Luc Bilodeau plays Dr. Daniel Kutcher, a Harvard and Duke University School of Medicine graduate who has been published twice in The New England Journal of Medicine but remains insecure and overly idealistic, often seeking personal glory. Sabrina Jalees portrays Dr. Lexie Gilani, an intern under pressure as the first in her family to attend college, who has little tolerance for unserious doctors. Ashley Tisdale plays Jenny Kenney, Carol's supportive daughter who works as a pharmaceutical representative; Daniel has a crush on her despite Carol's objections. Kyle MacLachlan plays Dr. Stephen Frost, the senior attending physician and department chair who takes an immediate liking to Carol, unlike the harsher Dr. Jacobs. Cedric Yarbrough portrays Nurse Dennis, the merciless nursing supervisor who demands respect. Additional cast members include Adam Rose as Jake, Patrick Fabian as Dr. Victor Lewis, Camille Chen as Sharon, Carol Mansell as Mrs. Zahn, Matt Braunger as Gary, Larry VanBuren Jr. as Darrin Alexander, Ben Kolyke as Coach Dean, Essence Atkins as Kathleen, and Jane Kaczmarek as Phyllis.
Production
On January 28, 2019, CBS ordered a pilot for the series, written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, who also executive produced alongside Patricia Heaton, Aaron Kaplan, and David Hunt. Production companies included FourBoys Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment, and CBS Television Studios. Pamela Fryman was announced as the pilot's director on February 12, 2019. The series received a full order on May 6, 2019, and was scheduled to premiere that fall on Thursday nights. It debuted on September 26, 2019, and received a back order of five episodes on October 22, 2019. CBS canceled the series on May 6, 2020, after one season. Casting announcements included Bonnie Dennison, Ito Aghayere, Kyle MacLachlan, and Jean-Luc Bilodeau in March 2019; Ashley Tisdale replaced Dennison as Jenny on June 7, 2019. Cedric Yarbrough was promoted to series regular on November 5, 2019. In October 2019, two female writers alleged sexual harassment by executive producer David Hunt; after internal complaints to CBS, they said their access to the set and showrunners was limited, which they believed was retaliation, and they left the show. Hunt denied inappropriate contact and was required to watch a training video; producers stated the restrictions were planned before the complaints. The series was filmed at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, California, but set in Los Angeles.
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