Image credit: Chris Haston

Melina Kanakaredes

All About

Providence

Get the latest photos, news, and more

The mid-season replacement "Providence" has been a ratings miracle for the struggling Peacock network, handily winning its time slot and becoming the most popular show on NBC outside of the Thursday-night lineup. And no one is more surprised by this good fortune than series star Melina Kanakaredes. "Normally, Fridays at 8 o'clock, you go, 'Wait a minute, who's going to watch TV Fridays at 8 o'clock?'" the actress tells EW Online. "And we were just amazed that we were bringing in a whole new audience (women in their 30's and older), which we realized because the numbers for the other shows remained pretty similar."

Despite being the lead in a hit show, the 31-year-old actress says her life hasn't changed all that much. "I'm at the studio for 17 hours a day," Kanakaredes says, "so it's only when it's the weekend and I'm walking around that my life feels any different." But becoming a household name is the least of the former Miss Ohio beauty pageant runner-up's worries. Kanakaredes, who packed up her acting life in New York for L.A. and "Providence," admits there's just one serious drawback to her new life: homesickness. Not only does she miss her old haunts in the Big Apple, she's also farther away from her extended Greek family in Akron, Ohio.

"I've been in L.A. for six months, and my parents have been out here three times, my sisters have been here, my aunts and uncles have been here," Kanakaredes laughs. "I said to the crew and producers, 'I'm really sorry, but people are going to visit a lot.' 'Yeah? A lot? What do you mean?' And I'm like, 'You don't understand, they're REALLY going to visit a LOT.'"

Kanakaredes, who makes the trek back to Akron as often as her schedule allows, admits to a high-calorie motivation for staying in touch. "My uncles are in the candy business," she says. "One of the first things I do when I go home is run downstairs and see if that fresh caramel is cooling off. It's pretty incredible."