On "Malcolm in the Middle," Jane Kaczmarek took no guff as the frequently exasperated mother of four ridiculously meddlesome sons. Now the seven-time Emmy nominee will have to deal with a puckish woman-child on the upcoming NBC sitcom "Whitney."
An NBC rep confirms to TheWrap that Kaczmarek will jump into a recurring role as the mother of the sarcastic main character, who is played by series creator Whitney Cummings.
Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold in the "Vacation" movies) played the role in the already-shot pilot episode that has been screened for critics. The character's name was Candy, but the rep hadn't heard yet whether the role would be re-jiggered for Kaczmarek. Either way, D'Angelo's scenes will be re-shot.
Kaczmarek will add some proven sitcom class to "Whitney," which has been given a plum spot on NBC's fall schedule: Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m., right after "The Office." The comedy debuts September 22.
Whitney Cummings is also the co-creator of the new CBS sitcom "2 Broke Girls," which debuts after "Two and a Half Men" on September 19.
Deadline first reported the news of Kaczmarek's casting.
