Emmy Contenders Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis on Going ‘Off the Rails’ in ‘Togetherness’ 

Emmy Contenders Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis on Going ‘Off the Rails’ in ‘Togetherness’ (Video)

Emmy Wrap: ‘Togetherness’ Creators Mark and Jay Duplass on Why TV Beats Movies for Storytellers

Emmy Breakout Melanie Lynskey on ‘Togetherness’ Nude Acting, Improv With Amanda Peet: Watch #selfieinterview (Video)

Actors tell TheWrap Emmy Magazine about scoring big in Mark and Jay Duplass‘ HBO show

A version of this story first appeared in the print edition of TheWrap Magazine’s Emmy Issue The Race Begins.

Double dates are typically a recipe for disaster or, worse, boredom — yet HBO seemed to find a sweet spot with “Togetherness,” the drama about two couples that the cable network announced would not be returning for a third season when it ended its run in April.

The series was created by mumblecore masters Mark and Jay Duplass, who have enjoyed a hot streak lately thanks to projects like Jay’s role on the Amazon series “Transparent” and their producer credits on several awards-baiting indies last year.

Also Read: How Amanda Peet Braves 'Togetherness' Nudity, Desperation and 4 Other Emmy Contender Quickies

“Togetherness” told of the middle-class existence of a husband and wife, played by Mark and Melanie Lynskey, her brash and troublemaking sister Tina (Amanda Peet) and his failing actor friend Alex (Steve Zissis).

The streets of L.A.’s Eagle Rock neighborhood became a battleground of midlife crisis, unfulfilled career potential and a collective yearning for deeper satisfaction. Critics loved it instantly.

“I think it was four characters that are relatable, and have a depth of crisis and are complex,” said Zissis, who is also a co-creator of the show, during a visit to TheWrap studio with costar Peet. “They have long journeys to go on that we can relate to.”

At the end of Season 2, viewers found Tina restless in a May-December romance with guest star Peter Gallagher — and after a dozen episodes of eye-rolling at her sister’s struggle to raise young children, she resolved that she wanted a family of her own … the catch being that Tina still had plenty of baggage outside of her maternal desire.

“For me it seemed like a ticking-clock situation — most women by the time they hit 40 go, ‘You’d better get this show on the road,\'” said Peet, 44. “You start to scramble, even if you’re not equipped to be a parent.

Also Read: Why the Emmys Have Super-Sized - and What It Means

“I was really excited to explore all of that,” she added with a grin. “And I f—ing won’t get to.”

Zissis’ Alex got the break he desperately needed at the end of Season 1, landing gainful employment on a movie, which he parlayed into a TV job. The result is an interesting meditation on life-as-art: Zissis, 40, became a breakout actor on a critically beloved TV show, whose character was a versatile performer showing off his skills after getting his big break. “It was a little bit meta but all very easy and natural,” he said. “That just made it even easier to do.”

“‘Where have you been all of everybody’s life?’ That’s people’s reaction,” Peet told her co-star.

The two have an undeniable chemistry, and all the better for their creative work. The unwitting series finale in Season 2 sets Tina and Alex up as partners in baby-making, even if their love connection doesn’t pan out.

They also acquired a few battle scars along the way. “Amanda almost broke my collarbone on a few scenes,” Zissis said of their many fictional physical confrontations.

Also Read: Emmy Contenders From This Season's Departing Gems Exclusive Portraits (Photos)

“I was in a state of blackout,” said Peet. “I had no idea I was beating you that much.”

There’s plenty of merit in Duplass and Lynskey’s glimpses from a suburban marriage, and so much heart in Zissis’ late bloomer — but in many ways, Peet was the screaming, bleeding heart of a show that all involved felt ended too soon.

“The Duplass brothers like everything to be improvisational, so I was lucky because I was playing a loose cannon,” she said. “In a weird way, my job as an actor was to let go, and I was playing someone who couldn’t censor herself.

“I’d get to work and they’d say, ‘Take this shit off the rails.\'”

See more of TheWrap Magazine’s The Race Begins Emmy Issue:

Emmy Contenders From This Season\'s Departing Gems Exclusive Portraits (Photos)

Joanne Froggatt and Lesley Nicol, "Downton Abbey"

Joanne Froggatt, Lesley Nicol, Steve Zissis and Amanda Peet stop by StudioWrap for an interview and photo session

http://twitter.com/share?text=Emmy Contenders Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis on Going ‘Off the Rails’ in ‘Togetherness’ (Video)&via=TheWrap&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewrap.com%2Femmy-contenders-amanda-peet-and-steve-zissis-on-going-off-the-rails-in-togetherness-video%2F&t=Emmy Contenders Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis on Going ‘Off the Rails’ in ‘Togetherness’ (Video) http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewrap.com%2Femmy-contenders-amanda-peet-and-steve-zissis-on-going-off-the-rails-in-togetherness-video%2F&t=Emmy Contenders Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis on Going ‘Off the Rails’ in ‘Togetherness’ (Video)

Amanda Peet Emmy Emmy Magazine hbo. Jay Duplass mark duplass Mark Lynskey Peter Gallagher Steve Zissis Togetherness

TheWrap\'s complete coverage of the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Emmy Quickie: Why ‘Night Manager’ Star Elizabeth Debicki Is So Close to Tom Hiddleston (Exclusive Video)

Emmy Quickie: ‘The Night Manager’ Star Elizabeth Debicki Exclusive StudioWrap Portraits (Photos)

Emmy Quickie: ‘Better Call Saul’ Star Michael McKean on How Rhea Seehorn Steals the Show (Exclusive Video)

Emmy Quickie: Why Tatiana Maslany Thinks ‘Orphan Black’ Is ‘Weird in the Best Way Possible’ (Exclusive Video)

Emmy Quickie: ‘Better Call Saul’ Star Michael McKean Exclusive StudioWrap Portraits (Photos)

Emmy Quickie: ‘Black-ish’ Star Anthony Anderson on the Scene That Makes Him Cry (Exclusive Video)

‘Interstellar’s’ Jonah Nolan Developing ‘Foundation’ Series for HBO, WBTV (Exclusive)

23 ‘Pokemon GO’ Memes to Help You Understand the New Pokemon Craze (Photos)

OJ Simpson Juror: Not-Guilty Verdict Was ‘Payback’ for Rodney King

Seen ‘OJ: Made in America’? 5 OJ Simpson Facts You Still Don’t Know

Former OJ Simpson Lawyer F Lee Bailey Files for Bankruptcy

Chris Darden Says New OJ Simpson Eyewitness Just Came Forward

Christopher Darden Says OJ Simpson Confessed to Murders During 1994 Trial

ESPYs 2016: 13 Things You Didn’t See on TV, From John Cena’s Comedy to Cleveland Cavaliers’ Selfies

Bernardo Provenzano, Sicilian Mafia Boss Whose Life Mirrored ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 83

Social Media Star Gabriel Conte Exclusive StudioWrap Portraits (Photos)

‘Mr. Robot’ Premiere: What’s a Smart Home and How Can You Get One?

Orlando Firefighters Warned to Stop Feeding Disney Gators

Fox’s 5-Year Legal Battle With Interns Nets Most Plaintiffs Less Than $500

Wendy Williams Trashed for Jesse Williams Comments: ‘The Older Version of Stacy Dash’

Roland Martin Tells Wendy Williams to ‘Shut the Hell Up’ About the NAACP, HBCUs (Video)

Former Miss Alabama Calls Dallas Sniper ‘Martyr,’ Suspended From TV Gig (Video)

Drudge Report’s ‘Black Lives Kill’ Headline Angers Conservative Readers

Roland Martin Will Educate Wendy Williams About Race on Her Own Show Thursday

Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Rips Gretchen Carlson’s ‘Absurd’ Lawsuit

Shonda Rhimes Shuts Down Black Lives Matter Critics After Dallas Shootings