After benign roles in “Suits,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Mad Men,” actress Abigail Spencer was lusting for something new. “I kept telling my team, I’m like, ‘I want to play a monster next.’" She finally got her wish. Spencer is portraying the relentless Doris in Hulu’s new drama, “Reprisal.” 

“How do I find someone who has all of the things that reflect energetically what we’re going through on the planet, through one woman’s journey?” asks Spencer. “And there’s Doris. There she was!”

The series, which premiered on the streaming site last week, features Spencer as the unrelenting femme fatale bent on revenge. The series was written by Josh Corbin (“StartUp,” “Quantum Break”). Spencer says she was both surprised and delighted she was considered for the part.

“Everything here is out of Josh Corbin’s brain,” she says. “A year ago, one summer afternoon, him and (producers) Warren Littlefield and Graham Littlefield and Anne Johnson and Jon Van Tulleken, our director, came over to my house, and told me the story of Doris … and they just presented this dream of film noir, and cinematic references, and a role that typically is written for a MAN,” she recalls.

“And they said, ‘We’d like you to do this.’ And I was like, ‘How do you even know who I am?’”

They knew her from the multiple roles she’s essayed — everything from a school teacher in “Mad Men,” a high-powered attorney in “Suits” to a nanny in “All My Children.”

“And when they came and shared it with me, we just started vibing back and forth. I said, ‘I feel like she (Doris) was a brunette. And I want her to look like someone who cut her hair off and disguised herself and made it blonde. And it’s a very era-ambiguous show … So we’re creating a new genre of era-ambiguity,” she says, “where anyone can look from a different genre. So we’re creating something in the moment, and honoring his vision.”

While the exact period is not delineated, the tone of the piece is. “And Lauren Bacall was a big reference from Josh that he presented,” says Spencer.

While her character is focused on retaliation, she’s not all bad, says Corbin. “I think the difference between good and evil is a blurred line,” he says.

“I think it’s more understanding a character’s motivation, and what drives them to do what they do, be it horrific or good. And also I think that some of the best drama really is when I want the audience to ask themselves, ‘Well, wait. I don’t know how I feel about that.’ I think uncertainty, in terms of whether someone would do what that character does or not, is a powerful aspect of this medium.”

Co-star Mena Massoud agrees.

“I think every human being in the world has a little bit of good and evil in them … and I think a lot of times people who we refer to as ‘evil,’ they don’t see themselves that way,” he says.

“That’s why they’re able to do what they do. So, that’s something that I’m excited about on this show. I think everyone has a different definition of that, and we go on those journeys, and I don’t want to speak for Josh, but I think as you watch the show, your opinion of who’s good and evil might change as well.”

In Doris’ quest for vengeance, there’s no shortage of violent retribution. Corbin cops to that. “I think as serious as violence is in real life, it is also a genre. You know, there is a reason that it sells and has for so many years. And I think, for me, I grew up on Tarantino films, and I am a fan of the violent genre. And I think, for me, it’s knowing when to — on an instinctual level — knowing when to employ it in a more humorous aspect or sort of cathartic way, and then also knowing when to stage it, to allow it to have a very emotional impact.

“And I think it can go either way,” he says. “And sometimes, it’s a little in-between. I think as to why, I might have to — that might be a conversation with my therapist, but I think, ultimately, yeah, I’ll say it again: violence is a genre, and I think that it is a huge part of our show, but we always handle it responsibly, I believe.”