Shiri Appleby is set to star in Lifetime’s new drama pilot Unreal, Deadline has learned.

The pilot, inspired by Sarah Gertrude Shapiro’s award-winning independent short Sequin Raze, goes behind the scenes of a hit competition dating show and follows the experiences of a young staffer whose job is to manipulate her relationships with the contestants to create drama for the show’s footage. Appleby will play the staffer, who helps demonstrate what happens in the world of unscripted television.

Appleby is repped by Gersh and manager John Carrabino. Her credits include recurring roles on HBO’s comedy Girls and the NBC drama Chicago Fire.