Keeping it 'UnReal': Lifetime series dramatizes reality TV

If you watch ABC's "The Bachelorette" Monday and switch to Lifetime immediately afterward, you might think you've stumbled onto a new round of "The Bachelor." After a minute or so, though, you'll realize you haven't. That second show actually is "UnReal," dramatizing the off-camera world of such allegedly unscripted programs ... which some may contend is already dramatic enough.

Starring familiar television faces Shiri Appleby ("Life Unexpected") and Constance Zimmer ("House of Cards") amid a sea of actresses playing contenders for the heart of the fictional bachelor, "UnReal" premieres Monday, June 1. Based on the short film "Sequin Raze" by Sarah Gertrude Shapiro - who's overseeing the Lifetime series with TV veteran Marti Noxon - "UnReal" casts Appleby as Rachel, a sympathetic producer on a show called "Everlasting," which is ruled with an iron fist and sharp tongue by demanding executive producer Quinn (played by Zimmer).

"When I read the (pilot) script," Appleby reflects, "it wasn't like anything I've ever been a part of, or have ever seen on television. Sarah and Marti really emphasize that the show is not a satire of another show. They've created their own world, and it's really more about exploring the characters, the people who make reality television and their own personal struggles with it, as opposed to taking down any specific show."

Still, Zimmer says "UnReal's" peek behind the curtain of reality programs was "one of the many reasons I was so excited to do the show. I don't really watch reality television, but it was fun to be able to play this character who embodies what supposedly is going on behind-the-scenes. I'm so curious about how it's going to be for those who love reality shows. Are they going to be scared and sad that this is really what's going on, or do we all know in our heart of hearts that's it's not real, and we just like to watch for the drama?"

Those familiar with Appleby and Zimmer's work are likely to see their "UnReal" roles as crystallizations of the kinds of characters they're known for: in Appleby's case, the person who always wants to do the right thing despite opposing circumstances ... and in Zimmer's, the high-powered "Type A" who won't let emotions get in the way of sheer ambition.

Zimmer hopes that the audience "loves to hate or hates to love" her character: "She's doing a job and she has to get the job done."

Also featured in USA Network's soon-to-debut "Complications," Zimmer won't be watching the "UnReal" debut since she'll be occupied that night with her other big project of the week, attending the premiere of the movie version of the former HBO series "Entourage" (in which she reprises her role as studio executive Dana Gordon).

"I'm going to be looking at every camera on the red carpet and saying, 'All of you had better be going home and watching "UnReal,'" she vows with a chuckle. "You could never plan it better."