Lake Bell would like us to find some common ground. And that ground is in Nebraska, a state whose defiant motto is "Honestly, it's not for everyone." On her new fish-out-of-water sitcom "Bless This Mess," the indie icon plays Rio, one half of a burned out New York couple (Dax Shepard plays her husband) who ditch the fast lane for the imagined simple life in the heartland.

As Bell explained to SalonTV's Mary Elizabeth Williams on "Salon Talks," Rio soon discovers that "it's complicated, and farming is a hyper learned skill set. There's a really fun but rude awakening." Bell also writes, directs and co-created the series with "New Girl's" Liz Meriwether.

The show's inspiration comes from Bell's longtime collaboration with Meriwether (she co-starred in 2011's "No Strings Attached") and their similar sensibilities. "When we set out to write this show," Bell recalled, "the way [we] like to express ourselves comedically is in the territory of a kind spirit - not really joking at anyone else's expense but self deprecating."

She continued, "We need to have a sense of humor about ourselves in general. This show is not going to cure the country, but we are setting out to give a sweet and kind flavor of comedy, where we all can align in just good core values." Whether you're in a red state or blue state, rural or urban, Bell says, "We can believe in different things, and yet want to help one another when we're down."