Why do you think the romantic comedy has fallen out of favor as a genre?

The romantic comedy as it existed 15 years ago just isn’t viable. I think people know that every life doesn’t have a happy ending, and they’re not going to be force-fed some idea of what romance is. Also, people know their lives aren’t necessarily defined by one romantic relationship solving all their problems. So there’s that reality check. But I don’t think of this as a romantic comedy, I think of it as a modern comedy. It’s those life decisions that change the course of human experience, and a woman’s experience, that are just as big in scope and as profound as any kind of big thriller movie. Because we’ve all faced those decisions.

Aside from “Legally Blonde,” your career hasn’t been sequel-driven. How does it feel to have fans clamoring for another season of “Big Little Lies”?

We had no idea there was going to be such a reception for it, and it’s just been fantastic. I think people really want to see older women on film, women working together on film. I’ve never had an opportunity to work with my contemporaries in that way — we all had leading parts, and got to dive deep on character. They should be making more shows like that.

Do you go into studio meetings now armed with data to show how much demand there is for this programming?

Sometimes! It’s empirical data that there’s an audience there, and they want to see programming with women in it, of all ages and of every color. Even the responses from other women in the industry were like, “Yes!” They were writing Nicole and I constantly, going, “This is amazing! Can I be in it next time?”