BENCHED: Eliza Coupe on Getting to Play Her ‘Dream Role’

USA Network debuts it’s latest comedy tonight, BENCHED, about a high-powered corporate lawyer’s fall from grace after an at-work meltdown after she found out her ex-fiancé has gotten engaged, and that she won’t be making partner at her firm. In an attempt to start over, Nina (played by former HAPPY ENDINGS star Eliza Coupe) takes a job as a public defender.

For Coupe, getting to play a character like Nina is a dream come true.

“I read the first two pages, and I was like, ‘What? How? Me? Really? They want me? Okay, done and done,'” she shared with reporters on the show’s set earlier this year. “The writing is so good. And I’m a huge fan of [BENCHED co-creator] Michaela [Watkins’], and knowing she was behind it…I had never worked with her, I was just always a fan of everything she did. What’s funny is right before this, she and I had done a table read together, because we’re both with the same agency, so we went to CAA and did a table read, and she was playing a bunch of different parts, and I was blown away — she was amazing. It was really just I read the first few pages, and I was like, this is a dream role. Are you kidding me? And the fact that they want me — is this a typo? Did someone get it wrong?”

And while Coupe has mainly been in ensembles pre-BENCHED — you may have seen her on SCRUBS and HAPPY ENDINGS — she’s relishing the chance to take the lead this time around.

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BENCHED: USA Network Sets Premiere Date for Eliza Coupe and Jay Harrington Comedy

BENCHED is coming to USA Network October 28th, the network announced.

“This is a prime slot on our schedule for BENCHED,” said Chris McCumber, President of USA Network in a statement. “With MODERN FAMILY kicking off the night, followed by our laugh-out-loud hit series, CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST, BENCHED will have a powerful comedic launch pad. We are excited to cap off the night with this standout comedy from some of the most talented creatives in the business.”

BENCHED follows Eliza Coupe’s Nina in a single-camera comedy about a high-powered corporate lawyer’s fall from grace post-finding out her ex-fiancé has gotten engaged and that she won’t be making partner at her firm. Now, she has to remake her life while taking a job as a public defender. BETTER OFF TED’s Jay Harrington co-stars as Phil, a fellow public defender.

Check out a clip from the pilot now…

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In Case You Missed It…SLEEPY HOLLOW, THE FOLLOWING, BONES, and More!

Were you too busy to keep up with everything that happened in TV news? Give Me My Remote‘s got you covered! We’re catching you up on anything exciting you might have missed here at GMMR!

This week on GMMR:

• THE FOLLOWING: Kevin Williamson on Fans Marathoning Season 1
• 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY at TCA: Live-Blog
• Fox at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog
• GLEE: Kevin Reilly on the Plans for the Show’s Final Stretch
• Fox at TCA: Kevin Reilly on the Future of BONES, ALMOST HUMAN, ENLISTED, and BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
• THE FOLLOWING at TCA: Live-Blog
• RAKE’s Peter Tolan Read His Journal at TCA: Take a Look at What Hilarious Tales He Told
• BONES: Stephen Nathan Teases the End of the Ghost Killer Arc
• BACKSTROM: Kevin Reilly on Why This May be the Next ‘Great A-hole Protagonist for Fox’
• CBS at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog
• The CW at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog
• THE FOLLOWING’s Kevin Bacon: Ryan is Still Obsessed with Joe
• ENLISTED: Geoff Stults on Pete’s PTSD, Jill, and Why You Should Keep Watching
• ABC at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog
• SLEEPY HOLLOW: Nicole Beharie and Orlando Jones Tease the Season Finale
• BONES Post-Mortem: Michael Grant Terry Talks About the Heartbreaking Wendell Twist in ‘Big in the Philippines’
• BONES: Stephen Nathan on Why They Opted for the Wendell Twist
• NBC at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: NBC Boss Robert Greenblatt on Cast Changes and the Show’s Future, Plus Dick Wolf Teases a CHICAGO PD Crossover
• ALMOST HUMAN: J.J. Abrams on Airing Out of Order
• THE FOLLOWING Season 2 Premiere Post-Mortem: Kevin Williamson on the Show’s Double Trouble, Joe, and Whether that Death Will Stick
• SLEEPY HOLLOW: John Noble Previews the ‘Astonishingly Good’ Season Finale
• SLEEPY HOLLOW Season 1 Finale Post-Mortem: Mark Goffman on the Henry Twist and What Comes Next
• SLEEPY HOLLOW Season 1 Finale Post-Mortem: John Noble on the Henry Twist: ‘I Don’t Think Anyone Expected That’
• THE FOLLOWING Season 2: Check Out the New Artwork!
• BONES: Hart Hanson, Stephen Nathan, and Tamara Taylor Weigh in On Season 10 Possibly Being the End of the Show
• On the Set of THE CARRIE DIARIES: The Cast Previews Senior Prom in ‘This is the Time’
• BONES: Stephen Nathan Teases ‘The Master in the Slop’
• THE CARRIE DIARIES: Amy B. Harris Teases ‘This is the Time’
• THE FOLLOWING: James Purefoy on the Lessons Joe Learned, the ‘Much, Much, Much Bigger’ Goal for Season 2, and More
• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Episode 200: Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, and Cristin Milioti Preview ‘How Your Mother Met Me’

This week in previews:

• NBC at TCA: Check Out Their Midseason Trailers
• RAKE: Watch the First 16 Minutes of the Series Premiere Now!

This week in pictures:

This week in videos:

This week in news:

This week in recaps and discussions:

• ‘We Have Thoughts’ Vodcast: Danielle and Marisa Talk About the Best New Show, Characters, Twists, and More of the Season So Far
• BONES Recap: ‘Big in the Philippines’
• BONES Recap: ‘The Master in the Slop’

USA Network Picks Up New Comedy, BENCHED

USA Network is adding to its original comedy series lineup: the network has picked up BENCHED, a courtroom comedy starring former HAPPY ENDINGS star Eliza Coupe and former BETTER OFF TED star Jay Harrington.

“BENCHED is one of those unique series that creates an immediate connection with the audience,” Chris McCumber, President, USA Network, said in a statement. “The lead is played brilliantly by Eliza Coupe, who has undeniable chemistry with Jay Harrington’s character. With Mark Gordon and his incredible pedigree behind this project, we are proud to add BENCHED to our line-up of original comedies.”

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