Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson Have the Perfect Chemistry for ‘Splitting Up Together’

We’ve seen tons of shows about dysfunctional married couples, but what about functional divorced couples? That’s the dynamic Splitting Up Together, ABC’s latest sitcom, explores… And with The Office‘s Jenna Fischer and Rules of Engagement‘s Oliver Hudson in the leads, the results are sure to be charming.

Splitting Up Together is a bit like a rom-com in reverse. The series, which is based on a Danish sitcom, follows a young couple with three kids who decide to get divorced. However, because of financial constraints, they’re unable to move out of their home and instead take turns exploring their new single lives in a garage apartment. It’s an odd family sitcom premise that works largely because of the chemistry between the two actors.

“That was genius in casting,” Fischer told Decider at the Television Critics Association’s 2018 winter tour. “That was Emily Kapnek and (director) Dean Holland having a vision for the show and sort of finding us and putting us together.”

“I was told later that we didn’t even really have to read the scene. Just seeing us together kind of worked out,” Hudson added. “[She’s] a lot like her character in the show as I am apparently like her husband, and I’m like this character in this show.”

“It seemed like a natural extension,” Fischer added.

The sitcom is being adapted by Kapnek, who is known for creating such beloved shows as As Told By Ginger, Suburgatory, and the short-lived Selfie. “It’s hard not to get too excited,” Fischer said when asked what it was like working with the creator. “I got hired on the show. And they you’re kind of like, ‘Well, Emily makes great stuff. Of course it’s going to get picked up. Of course it’s going to be successful.'”

Hudson also had nothing but good things to say about the creator. He praised Kapnek’s intense dedication to her vision, saying that she is “ballsy and doesn’t take shit,’ he said. “And by the way, ABC is amazing because they trust her work, and Warner Bros. as well.”

In case you weren’t completely convinced of the duo’s chemistry, when we asked what shows they’d been watching recently (Fischer mentioned The Crown, Easy, and The Detour, and Hudson talked about Ozark and The Affair), the two had what can only be described as a couple’s fight over Fischer’s refusal to watch The Handmaid’s Tale.

“I watched one episode, and I had nightmares for three nights,” she said. “Three nights of nightmares, Oliver! Are you hearing me?”

“It’s so well acted and incredibly shot,” Hudson said, pressing her to give the Emmy-winning Hulu drama another shot.

“All I’m hearing is ‘I want Jenna to have nightmares,'” Fischer countered.

Looks like they have that classic sitcom couple bickering locked down.

Splitting Up Together premieres on ABC tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.