'Undateable' actress Bianca Kajlich likes show's chances

For Bianca Kajlich, TV history seems to be repeating itself.

Her previous series, the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement, faced seasons of moving on and off the schedule, relocating to a new night, then airing as a midseason replacement.

The show endured for seven seasons, even if viewers needed a tracking device to find it.

Her Undateable seems to have started a similar pattern.

The series aired in a short run during the summer; it has returned as a midseason replacement, with new episodes that began last week.

Undateable features mismatched roommates Danny Burton (Chris D’Elia) and Justin Kearney (Brent Morin), and their group of oddball friends, who hang out at Justin’s unsuccessful bar.

Those buddies include Danny’s sister, Leslie (Kajlich); Shelly (Ron Funches); Burski (Rick Glassman); Brett (David Fynn); and new waitress Candace (Bridgit Mendler).

Despite the worrisome signs, however, Kajlich sees Undateable as being treated differently.

“I feel like what happened with Rules was that we came on the air and then lost our momentum because of the writers strike,” she said. “Then the network never put us back where we should have been.

“With this, I think NBC tried to do something a little different by putting us out in the summer — which gave us a bigger chance of succeeding. With Rules, it just felt like we were forgotten.”

A summer launch meant that Undateable didn’t have to go against the large herd of new programs that often overwhelms viewers in the fall.

Plus, Undateable has been given the time slot after The Voice — a move that Kajlich sees as the network rewarding the show for a successful summer run.

Series creator Bill Lawrence agreed that Undateable has a better chance at survival with The Voice as the lead-in and because of the summer launch.

“When I started in comedy, you had a season to get your legs and to figure the show out, and now you’re getting calls on episode three,” Lawrence said. “In the summer, when nothing is expected of you, you can bring an audience in.”

Although Kajlich never thought her role on Rules of Engagement grew beyond supporting player, she sees the potential as great with Undateable — because she is the main female in the cast.

She calls Undateable the next logical step in her career.

Kajlich first landed a small role in the 1999 feature film

10 Things I Hate About You. Since then she has had roles on the TV series Boston Public, Dawson’s Creek and Vanished. She was also in the feature film Halloween: Resurrection.

Because she is surrounded by comedians who are quick to improvise, she said she is having to rely more on her own comedy skills.

“It’s making me grow a lot as an actor,” Kajlich said. “It’s terrifying. But they are so energetic and hungry for the funny that it’s reinvigorated the love of my art.”

She doesn’t know whether the series will find the audience it needs to land a full-time spot on the schedule.

“If I plan to have longevity and be here for the long haul, I have to have patience,” Kajlich said. “I am ready for that. I just had a little girl, and that has helped me to realize that priorities change.

“I would rather be challenged as an actor and slowly find my way than to have something put on me that I wasn’t ready for.”