Accidentally on Purpose is a new comedy premiering on CBS on Monday, September 21st at 8:30pm ET on CBS. Based on book with the same name, Jenna Elfman stars as Billie, a single woman in her late 30s, who gets pregnant after a brief affair with Zach, a much younger guy. They agree to live together platonically, which gets difficult when his friends start turning her apartment into a frat house.

I recently took place in a conference call interview with Jenna Elfman, Mary Pols (author of the book, Accidentally on Purpose) and Claudia Lonow, executive producer and writer on the television series. The were all extremely friendly and had a mutual admiration for each other. Here are the highlights from the interview:

Jenna Elfman chose this role, not because she had anything in common with the character of Billie, because she doesn't, but because her voice was so appealing and her wit was so unique and fresh. She had never done anything like this before and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Jenna connects to the zest for life and joy of Accidentally on Purpose.

The reason Jenna decided to return to sitcoms was because she loves making people laugh, especially a live audience. It is the most satiating and pleasurable experience.

Mary Pols, author, had been a struggling film critic before Accidentally on Purpose. When asked how she went about getting her book to become a TV series, she answered that she actually did nothing. Her agent shopped it around and it was optioned before even being published. Like a fairy tale, she didn't believe it was really happening until she visited the set.

The book is not all comedy. There are many thoughtful and intimate issues. Will they be incorporated into the TV series? Producer, Claudia, said that there will be some dramatic issues raised but Accidentally on Purpose will still always maintain the form of a comedy.

When asked if she felt pressure portraying a real person, Jenna responded that she has both Mary and Claudia, two very smart witty women helping her. Also, because comedy has its own DNA, she isn't really portraying Mary's exact life. Because Claudia had already produced a show on Showtime that was semi-autobiographical to herself, she knows what it is like to be portrayed on TV and is very protective of Mary.

Mary's large family is a big part of Accidentally on Purpose, the book, so they do have some part on the series also. She said that they all find this very funny and are enjoying it, but are still happy that their names aren't being used. However, Matt, the real life baby father, is not completely on board yet.

Zack is a chef on the TV series, however Matt, was unemployed during this time. Mary thought it was funny that of all jobs they made him a chef because Matt couldn't cook at all. But, as Jenna pointed out, Zack having a job gives another dimension to the show.

When asked how it felt to be portraying a cougar, or old woman, Jenna sounded as if she hadn't thought of their relationship that way before. Since she is still in her 30s, it is no big deal, she added.

When asked about her co-stars (Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, Nicolas Wright, Grant Show, Lennon Parham among others), Jenna said that they all get along great. They are buddies with respect, admiration and trust for each other. Claudia added that one of the reasons that they get along so well is because of Jenna's friendliness.

Claudia was asked if she was excited to be part of CBS's hit Monday night comedy lineup (How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory)? She is very excited about it but panicked at the same time.

Watch a clip from Accidentally on Purpose from CBS:



Don't forget to tune in to CBS on Monday September 21st at 8:30pm ET for the premiere episode of Accidentally on Purpose starring Jenna Elfman, produced by Claudia Lonow and based on the book by Mary Pols.

See also: Review of Accidentally on Purpose: New Jenna Elfman comedy on CBS

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