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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THE MILLERS: HAPPY ENDINGS’ Eliza Coupe to Play Will Arnett’s Ex-Wife

Eliza Coupe has landed her first post-HAPPY ENDINGS TV gig: a rep for the show she’ll play the ex-wife of Will Arnett’s character, Nate, on the new CBS sitcom, THE MILLERS. EW.com was first to report the casting.

“[Coupe’s character is] an anchorwoman at the affiliate where [Nate] works,” THE MILLERS creator Greg Garcia shared. “So when we go to work, we’ll have that dynamic to play with.”

THE MILLERS follows Nate, a recently divorced man whose life is rocked when his parents split as well…and his mother moves in with him. The series also stars Margo Martindale and Beau Bridges.

THE MILLERS premieres Thursday, October 3rd at 8:30 PM on CBS.

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