Actor juggles two comedies in front of, behind scenes

(Dyer, from E14] miering Monday, “DMV” is set at a fictional East Hollywood location and orbits around an eclectic staff that is just trying to get through the daily grind ofinteracting with the public.

- 

Dyer plays Colette, a five-year DMV veteran who is certain her days there—asa genial driving examiner trying to make it back to work unscathed as she rides shotgun with first-time drivers — won't be forever. Really.

“She doesn’t think it sucks,” Dyer says. “She thinks life’s really cool because she gets a different backdrop every day. She has different people in their cars. She loves trying to get people their independence through driving; she wants people to pass. She’sa sunny person. She’s a breath of fresh air.”

There's an upside for Dyer too: “It helps that 'm not so plugged in to America’srelationship to the DMV. I don’t have a preconceived notion that people think the place is terrible.”

The 36-year-old actor is known primarily for her work in her native country, including TV series like “Love Child” and “No Activity.” But she’s become a talent to watch in the U.S. thanks to a string of television roles and a well-re-ceived turn as the co-creator and star of the hit Aussie rom-com series “Colin From Accounts,” which gained an American following when it became available to stream on Paramount+. “DMV” places her in the front seat, opposite Tim Meadows, of a broadcast sitcom.

Creator Dana _ Klein (“Friends,” “Fresh Off the Boat”) based the series both on personal experience — as a parent shuttling three eager-to-drive teenage kids to appointments —anda short story by Katherine Heiny titled “Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented” (a reference to nicknames given to customers). The story follows three driving examiners, including one named Colette. Klein says she needed an actor who could be fearless, lovable and terribly awkward. (Not a spoiler: The first episode has Dyer hanging from a bathroom window.)