Katie Lowes is ready to laugh again.
Fresh off her role in the hit Netflix series Inventing Anna, the Scandal alum is making the switch from drama to comedy in the new CBS series How We Roll, which premieres on March 31. She joined E! News' Daily Pop host Justin Sylvester and guest host and actress Melissa Peterman to talk about the move from Shondaland to multi-cam.
Having grown up watching famous sitcoms like Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens, Lowes said she was excited to let her "inner theatre nerd" out, comparing filming a sitcom to putting on a "one-act play every week."
"Getting up on the stage every week and trying to make people laugh with [costar] Pete Holmes, who's a real stand-up comedian and a genius, is really scary," she admitted. "I like to do things that scare me."
Best of all, her real-life BFF, Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes, supported the new acting venture, though Lowes says would jump at the chance to work on another of her pal's shows.
"I always tell her what's going on," Lowes shared. "She's also known that I've wanted to do a comedy and I've wanted to do a multi-cam."
Sylvester jokingly questioned why the actress' characters always give him anxiety, including her past role as Quinn on Scandal. Unlike Inventing Anna's Rachel—who was scammed out $60,000 by her so-called "friend"—Lowes' latest character, Jen Smallwood, is far less anxiety-inducing.
"You're gonna curl up, cozy, at home, at 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, and you're gonna be ready to laugh and feel all the warm and fuzzies. I'm telling you, you will not feel anxious," she assured.
How We Roll is based on the real-life story of professional bowler Tom Smallwood—played by Holmes—who quit his longtime factory job to pursue his sporting dream of bowling. The series also stars Peterman's former Baby Daddy co-star Tahj Mowry, or as Katie calls him, "a national treasure."
Lowes says she is grateful to be surrounded by people "that are really good at comedy" to help her along the way.
"Hopefully when you watch How We Roll tomorrow, you will think I'm funny and filled with heart, and it's been a wonderful, wonderful job," she said.
How We Roll Premieres March 31 at 9:30 p.m. on CBS.