Janina Gavankar Talks About Her New NBC Dramedy ‘The Mysteries of Laura’

Brianne Nemiroff

Wednesday night primetime on NBC is all about the bad-ass women of the law. You can catch “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and “Chicago PD.”

“The Mysteries of Laura” premieres September 17. Janina Gavankar, who plays Detective Meredith Bose, has been a regular on TV for years, playing roles on “True Blood,” “Arrow,” “The League,” “The L Word,” and “The Vampire Diaries.” But while she has played the vixen, and even a shapeshifter before, this time she gets to play the career-driven female cop who resents she will never be as good at her job as Laura.

“The Mysteries of Laura” is one of the rare cop shows on television that is “dramedy,” which will make for a fresh perspective on the otherwise overdone concept. Janina Gavankar recntly took the time to talk to Entertainment Voice about her character, the cast chemistry, and what to expect in Season One of “The Mysteries of Laura.”

You play Meredith Bose on “The Mysteries of Laura.” How were you cast for the role?

Well, it was pilot season and I had just done a pilot for USA [Network] in October that didn’t go. But, pilot season came in January and I started, begrudgingly, looking at things again. This project came across my desk and it had such a great group of people that I was quite excited to give it a go. I read with McG (the director) before. He’s a total rock star. We got along really well and it seemed like something that I could really have fun with and that’s all you can hope for.

What drew you to your character and what do you enjoy about her? What about her is a challenge to play?

She’s, kind-of, a pain in the ass and that’s somebody that I’ve never really played before. I’ve never played someone that’s completely by the book and the annoying one in the office. That’s a lot of fun. I love being the butt of the joke. It’s fun to have people roll their eyes at me.

The challenge to to the role [is the the fact that] we are a dramedy. We solve a murder mystery every week, so sometimes it is a challenge to go between solving the mysteries in a very serious way and going straight into a joke.

“The Mysteries of Laura” has a wonderful cast. How has the cast chemistry been so far?

So far, so good. We really do have a lot of fun. It’s interesting trying to find the tone together. There are real moments when we are cracking up laughing and then there are these moments when we’re solving a crime so seriously that we’re going over every clue. But every so often, somebody does something so hilarious. Even today, I’m on rollerblades on the boardwalk, which is potentially hazardous for everyone involved, but there’s a moment where I turn around and Josh Lucas is [just standing] behind me eating ice cream. He’s making a mountain out of this one action and I’m just trying to keep it together; he has this way of being a total weirdo. I also get to see [Debra] be a bad-ass every day.

What can we expect of the show, and your character, in the first few episodes?

You can expect a cop who really loves being a cop. You can see her get a little jealous of Laura. She’s so much better than Meredith. Meredith thinks she works longer and harder than everyone, and she’s happy to do it, and that’s her thing. But, Laura is just better at everything and it’s annoying to Meredith. So you’ll see a bit of jealousy.

As cop shows are usually either a straight-forward drama or comedy, do you think the fact that the show is a dramedy will help set it apart from other cop shows on the air?

Yes, we have the “Reno 911” of the world and then we have “True Detective.” The world has really only seen those two things. But, there’s room for something different and that’s what we are. There’s room for all of us.

Most of your previous roles have generally been headstrong characters, and normally in a position of authority. Are you drawn to the roles in particular?

(Janina bursts into laughter.) I feel like you just outed me, but you are right. That’s funny. I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t think anyone is going to have me be a shrinking violet anytime soon. At this point, I’ve shot every kind of gun there is on camera. I used to say when I got to LA, put me in a room with a bunch of under-fed actresses, I’m the only person who will have the muscle tone to carry the gun. I’m no waify little girl who’s going to blow over in the wind. I think that’s just part of it. But as for the headstrong parts, I really have never thought about it before. I’m most interested in playing people, discussing or investigating the parts about us that we’re least proud of. I’m attracted to the character because she’s far from perfect. My role on “Arrow,” McKenna, was headstrong and also a dirty girl. I loved that. That’s a part of ourselves that not everyone is proud of but plenty of people have that in them. On this show, here I am being the asshole [as Meredith]. But nobody thinks that they’re the asshole.

You are also a classically trained musician. Will you be bringing your musical side to the show at all?

Who knows. Anything can happen. We’re already halfway through [the season] and it hasn’t happened yet. My roller-blading skills on the other hand… (laughing). One never knows. Last year, I did a movie called “The White Orchid.” In it, I play two pieces [on the piano] and I sing, but that was my character. I’m a nerdy actor who likes to build a real back-story. These [talents] are a part of my life, but if they’re not a part of the character’s intrinsic truth, I’ll never push the production. I don’t like to treat a character like the chance to do a tap-dance for everybody. It’s not a talent show. But if I was given the opportunity, and it made sense for Meredith, you better believe [I will do it]. But I have a long life and a long career to find a character who can do all of these things.

“The Mysteries of Laura” airs Wednesdays at 8pm on NBC. Also starring Debra Messing, Josh Lucas, Laz Alonso, and Max Jenkins.