Christina Applegate stars in 'Samantha Who?' premiering Monday nught at 8:32 on ABC.

Can't remember much about Christina Applegate? Don't worry; neither can she. Actually, it's her newest character who doesn't have a memory. The former Married ... With Children co-star returns to sitcom work as an accident victim with no post-coma recollection of her past when Samantha Who? premieres Monday, October 15, on ABC.

A clean slate seems like a good thing for Samantha Newly, since from all indications, she wasn't very likeable. A lot of information comes from her parents (Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn) - from whom she's been estranged - and her sassy friend Andrea (Jennifer Esposito, Crash), who reveals the earlier Sam wasn't exactly a pillar of morality, particularly in terms of love and liquor.

Barry Watson bounces back from the demise of "What About Brian" to play Sam's boyfriend, who doesn't know all the details of her wilder side - not yet, anyway. Melissa McCarthy, fresh off a long run as Sookie on Gilmore Girls, and Tim Russ (alias Tuvok of Star Trek: Voyager) also co-star.

unique by design

Titled Sam I Am until the estate of children's author Dr. Seuss weighed in, Samantha Who? lets Applegate tackle something unique by design.

"I get to play two different characters," she says. "In every episode, I get to be Bad Sam and Good Sam. That's a lot of fun to be able to do both. To be able to discover things for the first time, that's a wonderful thing that I'm going to be able to do every week."

Series co-creator and co-executive producer Donald Todd (Ugly Betty) confirms regular appearances by Bad Sam, even as Good Sam aims for a happier life that also benefits others.

"Why talk about somebody and not be able to see them?" Todd reasons. "We want to see that. It gives us insight into exactly what we're dealing with, overcoming that. It's not just in flashbacks; she has in her the ability to turn that (badness) on and off, which is frightening to her, so she has to watch it."

Sam also has to watch the people around her since some have their own agendas. A prime example is Dena (McCarthy), who's bent on convincing Sam they were best friends before the accident.

"The slightly psycho is a fun element to play," the cheerful McCarthy says. "She is still genuinely sweet and seemingly a happy person, but faking a friendship with someone who's incredibly ill is so crazy! When I read that, I was like, 'I have no idea what to expect from her.' "

To prepare for her part, Applegate watched the 2005 documentary Unknown White Male about retrograde amnesia - which Sam has. "I did do my own sort of work finding out what this condition was," the actress says.

Todd adds, "You could do this in a lot of ways. You could make this The Bourne Identity, but to take something that's legitimately a problem, then make it funny - is what I try to do. The show's entirely about discovering one's identity, but in a fantasy, wish-fulfilment way."

The series' other executive producer, Brillstein-Grey Television President Peter Traugott, knows the serious side of retrograde amnesia: A close friend of his had it.

"She runs a big company," he explains, "and when she had to deal with one of her employees in a stern fashion, she didn't know what her style was. She didn't know how to be herself, and that goes back to this idea of what happens when Christina's character starts to get her memory back. It's not just about remembering the little things. It's also kind of rediscovering who you are."

Applegate has enjoyed reinventing herself, be it in her post-Married series Jesse, such movies as The Sweetest Thing and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or her Tony-nominated Broadway run in Sweet Charity.

She says that when she finished playing appealing airhead Kelly Bundy on Married, the character "stayed there, and I left. It didn't follow me anywhere in my personal life, or in how I thought about my life.

amazing experience

"I always had my eye very singly on what I wanted," Applegate, the ex-wife of That Thing You Do! actor Johnathon Schaech, says, "and I wasn't going to let (the Kelly stereotype) deter me in any way, shape or form. (Married) was a great, amazing experience. If I didn't have that, I wouldn't be able to do comedy. I have such respect for that experience and that character, but you have to leave your characters behind and move forward."

Applegate also did both in terms of Sweet Charity, in which she starred during the musical's 2005-06 revival, despite breaking a foot during a Chicago tryout before the show hit New York.

She lobbied the producer to let her continue, and she claims the consequent run "made me more confident (in) everything. Theatre offers kind of keep coming. Once you are a part of that little family, they are always seeking to have you back, so that's been really nice. I just didn't want to go back right away."

- Jay Bobbin, Zap2it