The Web’s Lady of Comedy

Some advice: If you pitch an idea to Lisa Kudrow and she declines, don't give up. It might end up becoming her next award winning project.

Such is the case with "Web Therapy," Kudrow's improvisational Web series. The Emmy Award winning actress initially shrugged off suggestions to star in an Internet series, but she explained that her refusal doesn't always nix an idea.

"My brain keeps working on something even when I dismiss it immediately," she said. "I couldn't help it."Kudrow, 45, recently won a Webby Special Achievement Award for her performance as Fiona Wallice, a self-absorbed online therapist who conducts three-minute sessions via webcam chat. "Web Therapy's" second season premiered exclusively on LStudio.com last week. First season episodes are also available on Hulu, YouTube and iTunes.

Kudrow brainstormed different characters after luxury car maker Lexus approached her about making a series. She said the thought of playing an online shrink was most appealing due to its absurdity.

"Oh my god that would be funny. That's the worst idea," she recalled thinking.

The California native explained her process for creating the role: She thought of a woman who was smart and sexy, and then added her own idiotic spin. Kudrow said she enjoys the creative freedom of making a Web series.

"You don't get the chance to do whatever you want without any kind of notes from the people who are paying for it," she said.

The latest batch of sessions reunites Kudrow with "Friends" costar Courteney Cox, who plays a psychic who has lost her powers.

"It was really fun," said Kudrow about the reunion. "It was funny to me because it wasn't Phoebe and Monica, so it was totally different."

"Web Therapy's" second season also features guest appearances by Alan Cumming, Victor Garber and Steven Weber. Kudrow explained that the stories have general outlines, but the bulk of the material is improvised.

"We would just go off and play… the whole second season took two days to shoot," she said. "It was quick and fun."

The speedy schedule is a perk for Kudrow, wife and mother of an 11-year-old. She admitted she is more choosey now and prefers short stints on a set.

"I've tried to treat the acting more like a part time job," she said. "I have to really want to do it."

As a child, Kudrow looked up to Barbra Streisand, Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore. However, she didn't commit to comedy until graduating from Vassar College with a biology degree. The shift from laboratories to laughs has paid off.

Kudrow was nominated for an Emmy Award five times during "Friends' " 10-season run, and won once for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

The decorated funny lady has also shown dramatic chops on the big screen with films "Wonderland," "Happy Endings" and "The Opposite of Sex," for which she was named Best Supporting Actress by the New York Film Critics.

Though her eclectic filmography has garnered much praise, Kudrow said the movie biz can be a tough place for an actress.

"The whole industry is a little male dominated… networks constantly going after men," she said. "Even in comedy, especially, men just don't think women are funny."

Kudrow explained that studio execs tend to target male audiences and that they seem "shocked" when movies like "Sex and the City" rake in the big bucks.

"They just underestimate what kind of consumers women are," she said.

One way Kudrow has avoided some of the Hollywood tug-of-war is by becoming her own boss. In 2003 she formed the production company, Is or Isn't Entertainment, which produces "Web Therapy" and was also behind 2005's critically-acclaimed, yet short-lived HBO series, "The Comeback."

Kudrow and Is or Isn't Entertainment are currently working on a documentary series called "Who Do You Think You Are," where celebrities trace their lineage. The series, slated to premiere in January on NBC, is derived from a British program that Kudrow watched while filming "P.S. I Love You" in Ireland.

"It's an unbelievable cast for this American version," said Kudrow, who shared that Sarah Jessica Parker and Susan Sarandon are among the featured celebs.

Though she may prefer smaller roles, don't expect Kudrow's schedule to lighten too much. She has three films awaiting release, including "Paper Man" with Jeff Daniels and "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" with Natalie Portman. She is in the midst of filming "Easy A" with Patricia Clarkson and Thomas Haden Church.

Kyle Ridley can be reached at .