When FXX’s half-hour comedy You’re the Worst premiered last summer, it came on the heels of a handful of failed and canceled network rom-sitcoms. But this show, from creator Stephen Falk, delivered something new: an acidic, realistic, and sometimes cynical look at modern love and dating in Los Angeles. The series—a critical smash with a very small but devoted audience—got renewed for a second season, and Falk and his writers didn’t take that opportunity lightly. They doubled down on the drama, turning their comedy into one of the more poignant dramas of 2015. The show garnered even more praise this year for its bold exploration of the clinical depression that overwhelmed its female lead, played by Aya Cash, and fractured the “rom” at the center of the “com.”

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Falk—who previously worked on category-defying shows like Weeds and Orange Is the New Black—would entirely disregard the running time and alleged genre of his show in order to pursue the story that made the most sense to him. Thanks mostly to loud critical buzz—the audience is still quite small—You’re the Worst was renewed for a third season. We caught up with Falk over the phone to discuss the show’s second-season finale and the huge narrative gamble that paid off in spades.

Vanity Fair: Were you shocked at all that the show was picked up for a third season?

Stephen Falk: I’ve had a little time to absorb and prepare but it’s lovely to see the outpouring of affection some people have for the show and the excitement. When you invest in the show—I know I do—and you’re not sure of its chances, it can pre-disappoint you and make you lose faith and not want to get invested, much like a flaky lover you don’t want to hurt. I’m really glad that they chose to get it done before these last two episodes so people can really know it’s coming back and watch without fear.

You got to take a lot of risks this season. That’s not something a lot of people in Hollywood feel they can do these days. What advice would you give for writers who want to produce edgier concepts like You’re the Worst?

Well, I certainly wouldn’t ever, ever aim for edgy. That could lead to a lot of bad stuff. There was a perception that—particularly when the first couple images came out—that our show was going to be a very “cool” show. I think that, yes, Jimmy and Gretchen are certainly narcissists and have healthy egos. The critical difference is that the creators and writers of the show don’t think they’re cool. I think that aiming for cool can lead to some bad shit, and I won’t name examples but I’m thinking of them right now. I think that makes for a lot of really bad comedy. I try to make cool characters funny, and it’s absolutely possible. Even the Fonz was kind of dipshit, and it was clear that they thought his over-coolness was kind of silly and so over the top that it was funny.

So if it’s not the cool factor, what gives You’re the Worst its advantage over the other rom-sitcoms we saw fail last year?

I always say, when I’m reading writers, that I want to see a pure distillation of that writer’s voice on the page. If it remains a cerebral idea, it’s probably not going to have the heart and guts and passion that you need to really stick out in the landscape right now. The things that I think are getting critical acclaim, be it Mr. Robot, or Bojack Horseman, or our show, I think hopefully you can tell that these are very personal stories. I think that, then, in this fragmented TV landscape where there are a lot of entities making scripted television, it takes something that garners a passionate audience, even if it’s not the hugest audience. There really are few huge audiences anymore. It takes that to make a network want to stick by you.