“UnReal” may be a scripted drama, but the world it spoofs wants to pretend it’s anything but. The show is a (sometimes) scathing look behind the world of reality television.

Co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro says she drew on her own experience working in the genre as the seed of the idea — she previously worked as a field producer for “The Bachelor,” after all.

“UnReal” has also found an unlikely partner in crime: Lifetime. While a drama about how producers manipulate television might seem like an odd match for the network, Shapiro says it actually makes a lot of sense.

“What’s kind of amazing about it is there are some things that really line up well,” she says. “The fact that I was able to have two female leads without even having to have a conversation about it was part of being at Lifetime.” 

Click the media player above to hear Marketplace’s Adriene Hill in conversation with Sarah Shapiro.