Patrick Ryan

USA TODAY

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally have never been shy about showing their affection — even when they're playing brother and sister.

The married couple of 13 years played volatile exes on NBC's Parks and Recreation, and recently wrapped a raunchy, musical comedy tour about their relationship called Summer of 69: No Apostrophe. Now, they're stopping by Thursday's second-season opener of CBS comedy Life in Pieces (9:30 ET/PT), in which Mullally plays Mary-Lynn, cheery mother of teenage Clementine (Hunter King), whom she raised with her brother Spencer (Offerman) when her husband left.

Offerman and Mullally caught up with USA TODAY to chat about their touchy-feely team-up, that Will & Grace reunion and what's next:

Q: What'd you think when (Life in Pieces creator) Justin Adler approached you guys about playing siblings?

Megan Mullally: We liked the idea. The fact that they wanted us to play this brother and sister who are suspiciously close to one another, we sort of gravitated toward.

Q: Are they actually incestuous? I know they sleep in twin beds in the same room, but I still wasn't sure.

Mullally: Neither are we, and I think that's the point. You're not really supposed to know what it is exactly.

Q: Have you ever been mistaken for siblings?

Nick Offerman: I should only be so lucky.

Mullally: Only when I have a beard.

Q: How did playing them compare to Ron Swanson and Tammy Two on Parks and Recreation?

Mullally: They're very physical, but they get along much, much better than Ron and Tammy. They're much more affectionate.

Q: Megan, you recently reunited with your Will & Grace co-stars for an election-themed video. How'd it feel to step back into Karen's shoes?

Mullally: Oh, it was so much fun. It was really weird, it felt like we had just been away for the weekend or something. We all just slid right back into it and had a blast.

Q: Many people on Twitter thought you were announcing a new season. Is that something you'd be interested in?

Mullally: Yeah. It's something that's been talked about. I don't know what will happen, but it's an idea that's been bandied about.

Q: A lot of people have also noted the similarities between the current election and Parks and Rec, when Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd) ran for city council. Have you gone back and watched the show since the debates?

Offerman: We've not had the opportunity to watch a lot of television comedy in recent months, but we do think the similarities between a powerful, qualified woman and the abject idiot child of a candy family — it's hard to deny the spooky parallels.

Q: You just wrapped a joint comedy tour. Are you working on anything else together?

Mullally: We're going to write a comedy book about relationships and marriage, based on our triumphs and union. Also, Nick and I are in the process of starting to think about a television show that we can do together. It'd be something that we'd both act in and probably play a couple, but we're still bandying a couple ideas about.

Q: What's the best piece of relationship advice you'd give to other couples in the business?

Mullally: It seems that most couples who are both actors don't want to work together; they keep everything very separate. I'd just say, 'Try and enjoy each other's company, and if an opportunity comes along for you to work together, maybe try it out, because it's really fun.'

A: Are there any downsides to working together?

Mullally: I don't know. We have a weird penchant for togetherness, so that really helps.

Offerman: For couples in any walk of life, you have to try to balance between your marriage and your careers. People that run into trouble are the ones who put their job ahead of their relationship. It's always a work in progress, but I think we've been successful because we make our marriage a priority.