Patricia Heaton Is Ready For Liftoff In Her Hilarious New Series

Patricia Heaton is ready for liftoff in her heartwarming and hilarious new series, Carol’s Second Act

- John Griffiths

Patricia Heaton needs a cup of joe—badly. “I’ve been having this issue lately where I’ll wake up at 3 a.m. and stay awake until about 5,” she says, sitting in her office near the Studio City, California, set of her new series, Carol’s Second Act.

For a woman who likes to exercise at 6:30 a.m., attend Catholic Mass an hour later, and then chug a protein shake to help get her workday humming, her sudden eyes-wide-open phase is trying. “I have to figure this no-sleeping thing out because it’s disrupting my routine!” Anxiety, she admits, is the likely culprit. Starting up a new series, even for a pro like Heaton, is no small task. And, the star confesses, “I judge myself a lot.”

Heaton’s Second Act character, Carol Kenney—a divorced teacher turned doctor-in-training—might prescribe a word of advice: Relax! “Carol’s funny,” Heaton says warmly as if she’s talking about her BFF. “She’s raised, children. She’s taught high school. So now that she’s older and working with these younger interns, she’s not rude or disrespectful, but she doesn’t stand on ceremony anymore. And I like that. The beauty of getting older,” she declares with a laugh, “is that you don’t have to play games, and you don’t have to wear a bra.”

While