These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

You’ve suggested that Jessica has a little bit of Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s counselor, in her. Do tell.

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t. When I would see Kellyanne Conway — and she wasn’t the only one, let me just put it that way — I just kept trying to figure out, Who are these people, really? Like, are they true believers? Are they opportunists? Are they making a power grab? What motivates them? With Kellyanne, there were people that loved her, and there were people that loved to hate her. You just never quite knew which it was. And then I thought, Oh, she’s like Jessica. No one really knows at the end of the day: Can she be trusted? Is she a moral person or is she just about the power? And what I love about the new show is that we actually get to go behind the scenes to see what in fact motivates Jessica — that she does not [act] just out of spine of steel but also a soul and a tremendous heart. She really is interested in using her very specific skill set for good. How she gets there is questionable.

How does this Jessica differ from the one on “Suits”?

I remember talking to Aaron [Korsh, the “Suits” creator] about how do we expand this character? And he said, “I just need Jessica to be a superhero.” So that meant looking fabulous, flying in on a case, saving any given situation, making sure that the boys stayed on point. I thought my job was to keep Metropolis safe. And now [in “Pearson”] we’re seeing a fully realized woman. We’re not used to seeing Jessica not being sure-footed in every single thing that she does. She’s going to win some, she’s going to lose some. There is a price that a person pays to live that kind of a life and to swim in those waters.

This is your first time headlining a series as well as executive producing. Did you have demands for what you wanted Jessica and the show to be?

I love that — “demands.” [Laughs] Yes! I presented them with a list that was seven pages long.

What was it like trading Harvey Specter for Bobby Novak?

Easy — because Morgan Spector is an amazing actor. He’s fun and he’s funny and he’s just so good to work with. I often say we get to play pretend for a living, and when you invite other playmates into the sandbox and you see the kind of castle they can make, it just makes you better. You need a good toy. He’s got a really great paddle and I’ve got a really cool new bucket.