In Acorn’s You’re Killing Me, famous author Allison “Allie” Chandler (Brooke Shields) forms an unlikely alliance with aspiring writer and true crime podcaster Andrea “Andi” Walker (Amalia Williamson) to find the killer of a close friend. As more murders pile up, the pair of amateur sleuths clash with a local police detective in the quaint New England town of Founders’ Cove. We spoke to Shields and Williamson about the creation of the show and the secret that bonded them almost immediately, both on and off camera. 

When you and showrunner Robin Bernheim decided to work on a project together, did you have this intergenerational duo already percolating in your mind? How did Allie and Andi first start forming for you? 

Brooke Shields: I had been kind of toying with a similar dynamic with my husband [Chris Henchy] — thinking through generational divides and who brings what to the mix. My husband, with another great writer, had come up with these two characters that were similar in their need for each other and what divides them. I always hook into that kind of dynamic. I have two daughters, so I live the ridicule on a daily basis. [Laughs] I'm also very in tune to how to take care of young women, so there was this juxtaposition between that and how fraught these relationships can be. 

So, when I talked to Robin, I said, "let's find the genre." I thought, what if we add this generational gap concept to this mystery genre? I had been obsessed with Hacks and obsessed with seeing these two women interact. How they fight but also how they need each other... all of it's so beautiful. Then the writers added all these other elements and really fleshed out these amazing characters — the whole writing team were galvanized together into creating these people. 

It was really important for me to have these two women be able to connect. Have them be repelled from one another, to go back to each other, to need each other, to learn from each other, to be hurt each other — all of those things. And it's not a mother/daughter relationship, so there's even another layer to it. It’s maternal at times, but I'm not her mother. Allie doesn't have a daughter, she only has her son, so that was also another thing to play with. This relationship between these two women for me was always at the core. 

I loved reading about the fact that even the name of the show was really up for debate, and in the end you guys landed on such a fantastic name that really reflects the humor of the show. There’s an edginess with the dialogue, especially between Allie and Andi, that adds so much dimension. With any new project there are always nerves — how did the two of you break through that to create this amazing dynamic? 

Amalia Williamson: It felt organic for me pretty quickly, honestly. Brooke's really cool, and we did bond really quickly. I felt really safe and was able to tell Brooke that I was pregnant, and that was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because I was really, really, really scared. As soon as I told Brooke, it was like I could exhale, because she was so cool about it and she was like, "I got you. I will breastfeed this baby with you. We will create a nursery. We will figure this out." And it was really early on too. No one should have known, but I was so scared. 

It was so nice to have that support off camera, and I think it really translates on camera too. We also just joked around and had fun and went shopping together. We went to wineries and I drove! I couldn't drink, unfortunately. [Laughs] But we had so much fun off camera and on camera. We just giggled! 

BS: I wanted Amalia to feel the relief of knowing she had someone in her camp who was going to protect her, but I said, "You're not going to tell anybody else about this. You're just not. You're going to protect yourself, but I will carry that with you as a mother, because then I want to be able to protect you." We're working really long hours, and I was worried about her water intake and her food. In the first few months of pregnancy, there's a lot that goes into it and there's a lot of nerves. On top of that, we would be working those long hours! 

I was so happy that she trusted me when she didn't even really know me, and it was not justified. That made me feel even more responsibility towards her. I was like, "You know what? Tell your mom that I know, so this will help your mom when she's not with you! She’ll have a sigh of relief because someone's got your back, because you are entering a very, very different type of a responsibility." So that was a lot, and it was important for me to help take that off her plate.

Season 1 of You're Killing Me is now streaming on Acorn. You can watch episodes via Acorn.TV or through the Acorn app available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku plus Samsung and Vizio smart TVs. Sign up for Acorn now.