Jennette McCurdy: Getting into the new Netflix series ‘Between’

Netflix is trying something different with “Between,” the new series about a town quarantined after a virus kills off everyone 22 and older. Instead of letting viewers binge-watch the entire six-episode run, Netflix is doling out the installments one a week, like traditional TV. But don’t worry, series star Jennette McCurdy is here to help you wrap your mind around that.

• No binging, OK?
I prepared all of my friends because when they found out I was doing a Netflix show they were like, ‘I’m going to watch it so fast. Like I’m going to watch it faster than anyone!’ And I was like, no you’re not,” McCurdy says. “But I think this is a good way for the audience to stay invested and keep the conversation going. And there are only six episodes, so it’s not like you’re going to have to be like, ‘Oh my God, this is a half-year commitment.’ If there were more then I could see how it might potentially build some frustration.”

• If you’re a fan of…
“It has sci-fi elements, it’s a survivalist thriller, it has romantic elements — it’s the kind of show that I enjoy watching,” she says. “To me, it resembles a younger version of ‘Lost,’ which is my favorite dramatic show ever, so that was very exciting for me. I have tremendous respect for all of the actors on that show. I don’t know how they endured it. I’m sure they deal with a lot of people giving them flak when they’re just trying to get tomatoes at Ralph’s or something.”

• It won’t leave you hanging
There are some unsolved mysteries to keep viewers curious and invested, but I do think that there are a lot of character arcs and a lot of resolution that can act as a satisfying pay-off so you feel like at the end of the first season, ‘OK, some of my questions were answered,'” she assures viewers.

• Who she plays
“My character is Wiley Day, and she’s the pregnant daughter of a minister,” McCurdy says. “She’s really rebellious and rough around the edges, but ultimately she’s very sensitive and highly insecure. She does not have the most nurturing of mother skills. She doesn’t have any semblance of a maternal instinct, and she carries a lot of her own problems into motherhood.”

• She’s not your typical heroine
“Wiley is really real. She seemed, like, against the base of archetypes that we see where it’s somebody who’s very strong and knows exactly what she’s doing — the girl who’s got it all together and she’s strong-willed and she’s smart and she’s got a great smile, too,” McCurdy says. “And she wasn’t the angsty, completely bogged-down, over-emotional girl. I think she has a unique voice and something that is hopefully good for young people to see.”