Debra Messing And 'Mysteries of Laura': Executive Producer Reveals The Show Would Be Nothing Without Lead Actress

Debra Messing returns to TV in the NBC comedy Mysteries of Laura on Sept. 17 and she's one tough cookie. In the upcoming show, Debra plays a homicide detective trying to balance her intense workload with her home life. Without Debra, the show wouldn't be what it is according to the show's executive producer.

Executive producer Jeff Rake said landing Debra for this role was "the luckiest thing that's happened to me in my career." Jeff explained that Debra is what holds the show together in an interview with Zap2it.

"When Debra Messing read the script and responded to it, I immediately knew that everything was going to fall into place. She does it all. The show would be nothing without her," he said.

Mysteries of Laura is adapted from the Spanish series Los misterios de Laura. Debra plays the lead role of Laura Diamond, as she struggles with being a single mother of twins while keeping her work life afloat.

"One of our primary goals in storytelling is just to celebrate and acknowledge the everyday heroism of a working parent, and in particular working moms," Jeff explained. "Obviously it's 2014 and we're not trying to break any barriers here. That's not what the show is about."

"She's not supposed to be the first of her kind, she's not supposed to be the greatest of her kind. She is an everyday hero in the sense that — like all the millions of working parents out there — she just manages to get through the day."

In addition to the strong female role the show delves into the issues that surround divorce and Laura's relationship with her soon-to-be ex-husband Jake (played by Josh Lucas).

"I think of it as a romantic comedy that starts with a divorce," the EP said.

"Then you have an ex-husband and wife, colleagues, working together, and by working together the long journey begins," he added. "Perhaps it's a journey that ultimately brings them back together again. No foregone conclusions about how it ultimately ends, should we have the good fortune to go the distance."

Photo: Mysteries of Laura's Twitter