Supporting Supporting Characters: Super Cooper

THE SHOW
ABC sitcom Notes From the Underbelly

THE CHARACTER
Rachael Harris' Cooper

THE SUPPORTING ARGUMENT
On ABC's new pregnancy-themed comedy series, Harris delivers the bitchiest, wittiest TV-sidekick performance since Megan Mullally's Karen Walker on Will & Grace. Not only is Cooper the sole single and non-preggers female among her girl-friends, but the acerbic divorce lawyer is also unabashedly promiscuous and boozy, providing a crucial voice for viewers who prefer a bottle of gin to a bottle of formula. Not surprisingly, Harris gets many of the show's best lines — like when her pregnant best friend contemplates quitting her job and Cooper snips, ''Is this because of that thing inside of you?'' Or when she orders her assistant to ''get me something in a waffle cone, eat it, and then e-mail me what it tasted like.'' Despite her limited screen time, Harris makes the most of the endearingly caustic role. ''I've always played character roles and I prefer it,'' says the actress, who trained with L.A. improv group the Groundlings and was a regular on Showtime's Fat Actress. ''Those characters often get to come into a scene, say something funny, and then get out.'' But it's not just the writing: Harris somehow manages to make Cooper likable despite all the anti-procreation nastiness. ''What I love about Cooper is that she's very loyal to her friends,'' says Harris. ''She's the kind of gal who's like, 'You're high for wanting to do it, but I love you, and I got your back.'''