WHITNEY -- Pictured: Zoe Lister-Jones as Lily -- Photo by: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC
Though the Whitney Cummings series Whitney (Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, NBC) has struggled to find its audience, NBC has still given the sitcom a vote of confidence by extending the run for a full season.
That’s good news for the cast, particularly Zoe Lister-Jones, who stars as Whitney’s idealistic friend Lily on the show. Lister-Jones is pleased they are getting a chance to learn more about their characters.
“Lily is on this route to marriage with her fiancé Neal (Maulik Pancholy). I think we’re going to get to explore maybe some of the ups and downs that something as stressful as a wedding can bring up in a relationship and in a friendship too,” she says hopefully. “What that also means to Whitney and Lily’s relationship. It keeps getting funnier and funnier. It’s really exciting to see where the show’s going.”
WHITNEY -- Pictured: (l-r) Rhea Seehorn as Roxanne, Zoe Lister-Jones as Lily, Chris D'Elia as Alex, Whitney Cummings as Whitney-- Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC
There are a number of guest stars joining the show in the next few weeks and though the actress wants to keep most of them a surprise for viewers, she tells EntertainmentHeartbeat.com that insult comic Lisa Lampanelli will be making an appearance. Both Cummings and Lampanelli are known for their somewhat raunchy comedy, but Lister-Jones was neither shocked nor surprised at the comments she heard from the women.
“It always so much fun and I think comics just love to snap on each other – and Lisa joined right into that,” she acknowledges. “You know, we’re all pretty dirty on the show so none of us are ever surprised. Our virgin ears are never upset about the dirty jokes that are happening. And Lisa was just the sweetest person. She’s known as the queen of mean in stand up comedy, but she was such fun to work with.”
Lister-Jones is confident the added episodes will translate into a bigger audience for Whitney.
“The ratings are going up every week,” she points out. “I think that’s what should be happening – it’s a steady incline. We’re coming in number two in the night for NBC, just ahead of The Office, which is a really big deal since we’re a new show.
“Some of the greatest shows took time. Friends and Seinfeld weren’t instant out-of-the-park hits and I think especially with ensembles it takes time for people to really get to know the characters and fall in love with them. So, hopefully that’s what’s happening.”