Wonderfalls: Arcadia Knock-off?

At first glance, the new Fox series Wonderfalls might seem like a knock-off of CBS's Joan of Arcadia, as both leads talk to a higher being that no one else can hear or see. But Caroline Dhavernas, the relative newcomer who stars in the quirky dramedy (premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET), insists that the two shows are actually quite different.

"People compare the show all the time to Joan of Arcadia because we are [young women] with brown hair out on a mission to help." Dhavernas tells TV Guide Online. "[Joan] talks to God, I talk to inanimate objects; it is a whole different deal.

"Wonderfalls is really more of a comedic show," continues the Canadian-born actress, citing her character's knack for chatting up mutated plastic lions, monkey statues and stuffed bears. "I remember my agent saying to me that it was like Touched by an Angel on acid. That's a really good way of describing it. Because there is a mission of helping and people coming together and things like that, but it is not done in a tacky way; you won't be rolling your eyes. You don't know what's really happening: Is she going crazy? Is it the universe? Is it God?"

Wonderfalls was originally slated to debut last fall, but Dhavernas feels the delay actually resulted in a better show. "I'm glad we could [wait] because the pilot was so good," she says. "To do the rest of the episodes just as good as the pilot, [we needed] more time. I'm glad [Fox] gave us time for that."