From co-creators Chuck Lorre, Susan McMartin and stand-up comedian Leanne Morgan, the 16-episode Netflix comedy series Leanne follows Leanne (Morgan) as her husband of 33 years (Ryan Stiles) shocks her by leaving for another woman. Leanne is a grandmother and Southern matriarch who is not ready to return to the single life, but her supportive sister Carol (Kristen Johnston) is in her corner and more than willing to embrace a little chaos if it gets Leanne out of her shell. Preferring to rely on love and laughter to find the strength she needs to start over, Leanne is ready to embrace what she wants now,

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Morgan and Johnston, along with executive producer Lorre, discussed Morgan’s journey from the stand-up stage to sitcom star, the experience of being in front of a live audience, Lorre’s faith that Leanne would deliver the laughs, finding hope in challenging times, the romance between Leanne and Andrew (Tim Daly), the instant chemistry between Morgan and Johnston, singing while eating lasagna, meeting the other woman, and that they’d like to see this series go on for as long as possible.

Leanne Morgan Just Wants to Give Hope to Women in Similar Situations as Her Sitcom Character

“If you went through being married for over 30 years and your husband left you, I’m sure that it would be hard to feel like you were desirable anymore.”

Leanne Morgan as Leanne holding a fan during a menopausal hot flash in the Netflix sitcom Leanne
Leanne Morgan as Leanne and Kristen Johnston as Carol looking surprised at something on the phone in Leanne
Leanne Morgan as Leanne sitting in the hospital next to Ryan Stiles as Bill in the Netflix sitcom Leanne
Leanne Morgan as Leanne and Kristen Johnston as Carol with their parents as their mother is in bed in Leanne
Leanne Morgan as Leanne sitting at a table at dinner with Tim Daly as Andrew in the Netflix sitcom Leanne

Collider: I’ve seen the first eight episodes, which is what I was sent before this interview. It stopped at the moment that Leanne finally gets up the nerve to go to Andrew’s house and finally kiss him. Leanne, what was it like for you to finally get to have that moment for your character? Did that feel like a moment of courage that she really needed to have?

LEANNE MORGAN: Yes. It was a big deal for me. I don’t even know if I can call myself an actor.

KRISTEN JOHNSTON: Yes, you can.

MORGAN: Thank you. But it was a big deal for me. I thought all these women in the United States of America are going to see that and have hope. If you went through being married for over 30 years and your husband left you, I’m sure that it would be hard to feel like you were desirable anymore. That’s what’s so sweet about it. Women can feel that and have that hope. If you’re going to have any romance in your life after something catastrophic has happened, or you’re going to go back to school, or you’re going to get a job that you’ve always wanted to have, or whatever it is, that’s what’s so special about this. That was one of the scenes that shows that.

Kristen, does Carol think that Andrew is a good match for Leanne, or does she just want her sister to get out there and have fun, however she chooses to do it?

JOHNSTON: I think she actually does. In that way where she’s die hard for Leanne, I think as long as Leanne’s happy, she’s cool.

Chuck, what did you love about seeing Leanne, the character, have that moment, but to also see Leanne, the actress, share that scene with Tim Daly?

CHUCK LORRE: I like that it’s a moment of hope that life goes on and you don’t know where it’s going. In this case, you certainly don’t know that it’s going to an FBI agent who is investigating Carol’s boyfriend. It’s such a convoluted path to get to Tim and that relationship, but it makes me, as a viewer, hopeful. The success and failure of a show depends on whether you care about the characters. You want to root for them to find happiness and peace, and that moment promises just that.

Leanne, how have you found this experience of jumping into your first series with this team, and doing so in front of a live studio audience? Does that make it at all feel similar to stand-up in any way, as far as getting that reaction?

MORGAN: That was the best part of all of this. It’s all been a challenge and a big learning curve for me. I’ve never done anything like that. It was very daunting. But I felt the confidence that, “Okay, maybe I can take this,” when I would get in front of that live audience. We had wonderful audiences come. It [was packed] every week. They gave us so much love, and I could tell they were loving it. I just thought, “Okay, I can do this.” This was a big deal for me. I’m 59 years old and I’ve done one little bitty part in a movie, and then had this happen to me. It was a lot, but it felt like home. By the time we got through it, I thought, “Okay, I’m settling in and it feels right.”