“Made For Love” is a darkly comedic science fiction TV show premiering at South by Southwest on March 17 starting at 10 a.m. The show stars Cristin Milioti as she struggles to leave her controlling husband after 10 years of a fraught marriage.

Showrunner Christina Lee talked to The Daily Texan about what it was like working with actors Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano and what audiences can expect when it premieres on HBO Max in April. 

The Daily Texan: The HBO Max Original “Made For Love” was adapted from Alissa Nutting’s book of the same name. What drew you to this project? 

Christina Lee: I’ve always been a lover of sci-fi. I'm a huge fan of the show “Black Mirror.” I think a lot about how our current technology affects our day to day lives and human interactions … So, when this project came to me, I was super excited. Her book made me really laugh out loud. It's very funny, but it's also this very disturbing and quite scary premise of a woman whose husband is trying to control her with a chip in her brain. 

DT: You mentioned you’re a fan of “Black Mirror.” You have Cristin Milioti starring in “Made For Love,” who has also starred in “Black Mirror” and other science fiction projects. What was it like working with her?

Lee: Cristin to me can do everything, so of course it was great that she had that experience (in science fiction). But she's the kind of actress that has such a spectrum of emotion. What I love the most about her is the complexity that she brings to Hazel (her character in “Made For Love”). 

DT: How did you go about translating the book “Made For Love” into a TV show?

Lee: The story is probably quite different than the book. But the premise is all the same: This woman escaped her controlling husband and goes back to her hometown where her father lives. Ultimately, you have two stories going on at once. One that’s about divorce and all the agony and the other that’s about reconnecting with her father. You might have this sci-fi stuff … but really it’s about these characters trying to see connection. That’s both apparent in the book and the show. 

DT: You talked about Hazel’s father, played by Ray Romano. We get a little taste of his character in the first episode, but what can audiences expect from him later on in the show? 

Lee: The character of Herbert (Hazel’s father) evolved, and that was because of Ray. Initially, we saw him as being a little rougher, a little more difficult to love. But there's a reason why there was a show called “Everybody Loves Raymond.” You just love him so much, and he brought so much humanity to this character that you have a lot of empathy for despite him not having been the best father to Hazel. 

DT: What can audiences expect when “Made For Love” comes onto HBO Max?

Lee: What stands out the most to me is just really beautiful performances from the incredible cast, both with our main actors and we have a dream guest cast as well. There’s a lot going on in the show. You have a story about divorce, but then there’s also a father-daughter story, and we’re examining everything from love to sex to privacy and ultimately loyalty. There’s a lot in examining modern technology and how it affects connection. Hopefully, that will draw people because there’s a lot of relevancy to how we’re living today.