Nina Dobrev On 'Fam', Tone Bell & Her Career

(CBS Local)-- While Nina Dobrev has done many movies during her acting career, television has played a critical role in her rise.

The former star of "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and "The Vampire Diaries" is back on TV in a different type of role. Dobrev had never done a sitcom before deciding to join the cast of "Fam" on CBS. The actress prepared for the role by visiting the sets of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mom" and was surprised by a few things.

"I was surprised by how quickly everything moves," Dobrev said in an interview with CBS Local. "The writers will come in after a take and give you completely brand new lines that you'll have to absorb in that moment and shoot out to the audience. The fear of failing can be potentially overwhelming, but for most of the time it works out really well."

Dobrev plays the lead of the show named Clem, who has just gotten engaged and also just found out that her half-sister is moving in with her and her fiancé. The actress's co-star is Tone Bell, who she worked with previously and already had a great relationship with.

"We worked on a film called Dog Days, which was also a comedy," said Dobrev. "It was fun because it was Tone's first ever feature film. He asked me to take him under my wing. It was the reverse experience on the sitcom. I begged him to give me some advice. We've always had each others' backs, which is nice."

A new episode of "Fam" drops Thursday night at 9:30pm EST/PST on CBS. Dobrev wants fans to stop what they're doing and go all in on the show.

"I want people to walk away laughing, or actually I don't want them to walk away," said Dobrev. "I want them to sit there, stop their life and watch the show."