Lisa Kudrow's latest character would make a horrible friend.

In the new Showtime series "Web Therapy," the actress plays Fiona Wallice, a self-centered, controlling, gold-digging psychotherapist who appears to have gotten her medical degree from the back of a cereal box. Her "revolutionary" idea: holding one-on-one sessions via computer that last only 3 minutes. That way she won't be bored by trivial matters such as patients' dreams and feelings.

"Phoebe was so open and wonderful and believed everything was OK," said Kudrow, 47, referring to the iconic character she played on "Friends" from 1994 to 2004. "Fiona is much more judgmental and despicable."

While "Web Therapy" makes its TV premiere Tuesday, it has been a cult favorite on the Internet for three years, luring fans such as Meryl Streep, Courteney Cox, Lily Tomlin and Jane Lynch to "square off" against Kudrow.

Before the show was up and running, peers wondered why an Emmy winner with a couple of hit movies under her belt would sign up for a Web series.

"I remember getting a lot of looks of pity and a certain tone of voice," Kudrow said last week, shortly before hopping on a plane from New York to Los Angeles. "But soon everyone's plasma screen is going to be connected to the Internet, so it doesn't really matter. Plus, we've got this creative experiment that you're really allowed to play with, because the stakes are so low for everyone."

A crucial part of the experiment is that all the "action" takes place on one or two computer screens, meaning that the camera stays put. All the focus then goes to the actors, who are improvising from outlines created by Kudrow and her partners, Don Roos and Dan Bucatinsky.

Kudrow took improv classes after arriving in Los Angeles in the late '80s and became strong enough to join the Groundlings, the comedy troupe that also launched the careers of Kristen Wiig, Kathy Griffin and Phil Hartman.

"I got a lot of encouragement early on," said Kudrow, who also serves as executive producer for NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" "Back then it was a guys' club, and I would definitely get girls' disease and defer to the guys. But I found a way to be demure and still be heard."

Her training might have been strong, but she still cracks up on set when a co-star takes a bizarre turn. The proof is in the outtakes that play during the closing credits of "Web Therapy."

"Sometimes people come up with surprising things, and I lose it," she said. "Plus, I'm not that good."