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鈥淚n the first few episodes, I鈥檓 in a coma and I still got paid. So it was a slam dunk,鈥� she says with a smile.

In truth, the AppleTV+ dramedy features a roll call of stars: Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, Kristen Wiig and Allison Janney.

Set in 1969, the series follows Wiig聽as she tries to break into Palm Beach society. Naturally, there are those who don鈥檛 want outsiders and those who鈥檇 like a little shake-up.

鈥淲e wanted to make something that audiences could escape into,鈥� says Executive Producer Abe Sylvia. 鈥淲e developed this during COVID when none of us could leave our houses.鈥� Loosely based on the novel, 鈥淢r. and Mrs. American Pie,鈥� it shows the country at a pivotal moment in time.

While Janney, Burnett and Leslie Bibb represent the haves in the series, Dern and Amber Chardae Robinson speak for those not as blessed. 鈥淏eing African American in 1969 and a woman is a very specific time period for us,鈥� says Robinson. 鈥淲e were dealing with things that weren鈥檛 as luxurious as the club that Kristen is trying to join.鈥�

Martin, meanwhile, straddles both worlds as an employee at the club. Many of his scenes were with Burnett.

鈥淓ven though she was in a coma, she was giving me so much as actor,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 will always be forever grateful just to have the opportunity to be with her onstage and on set.鈥�

In those non-coma scenes, the directors 鈥渓et me kind of do what I do,鈥� Burnett says. 鈥淭o work with Ricky was just heaven. It鈥檚 better than any great big motion picture鈥t鈥檚 eye candy and that鈥檚 on top of the script. I hope there鈥檚 a second season because I don鈥檛 want to be out of work.鈥�

While the show鈥檚 script leans into the actors鈥� strengths, 鈥渢o skip the opportunity to have Kristen Wiig and Carol Burnett improvise with one another would be a fatal flaw on my part,鈥� Sylvia says. 鈥淥nce we (knew) the essential quality everybody was bringing, we started writing toward the rhythms of each actor.鈥�

Josh Lucas, who plays Burnett鈥檚 nephew, says the script was a lot like music. 鈥淭he joy was just using the rhythms that we were all sort of throwing at each other. I found this job kind of mystifying because the level of talent was so high, but nobody was showing up and phoning it in. If anything, it was like a heavyweight boxing match every day in the best way.鈥�

Dern, who鈥檚 an executive producer of the series, says it represents a real shift in opportunities in Hollywood. Women like Jane Fonda and Lucille Ball, she says, were mentors to members of her generation. 鈥淲e all learned from Carol Burnett鈥nd now we have the privilege of building stories together, which never happened.鈥�

In turn, Dern was eager to help Robinson 鈥渂e an advocate for people who are coming after me and I really appreciated that.鈥�

Because of the talent involved 鈥渋t would be very easy for this to be a playground for bad behavior,鈥� Lucas says. 鈥淲e had the exact opposite. It was almost like who could out-professionalize (the others). And then you have Carol, who is an example at a level that is shocking. Cast and crew members would come up to her and say they had written her a letter 40 years ago when they were in high school drama class and that she personally responded. That level of joy and respect for the audience鈥aught all of us.

鈥淚n the negotiation, they鈥檙e like, 鈥楯osh, you鈥檙e the only one who鈥檚 not a rock star, a supermodel, an Oscar-winner, a comedy legend, a comedy genius.鈥� It was a set that was just filled with joy.鈥�

鈥淧alm Royale鈥� airs on AppleTV+ beginning March 20.