Greg Poehler on his polyamorous TV character and hitting his stride as an actor

Burlington native Greg Poehler stars in “You Me Her.”AT&T Audience Network

On “You Me Her,” actor Greg Poehler — yes, he’s the brother of Amy Poehler — plays Jack, a suburban husband who cheats on his wife and then embarks on a three-way romantic relationship with both women. The third season of the romcom series on AT&T Audience Network debuted Tuesday, so we got Poehler — a Burlington native and BC grad who began his professional career as a lawyer — on the horn for a quick chat.

Q.Where does season 3 start?

A. It’s really about whether polyamorous relationships put a strain on a marriage. I think any time there’s a three-person relationship, perhaps there’s someone feeling left out. I think on our show that kind of switches from season to season.

Q. What did you learn about polyamory?

A. I didn’t know how common it was. To me, that was the biggest surprise. And since the show has started, we’ve been approached by people who are in these types of relationships, and especially among the younger generation I think it’s something that’s really no big deal. So that’s been an eye-opener for me personally, and it’s been kind of fun to, at least on television, be a flag-bearer in that regard.

Q. What has been the reaction from polyamorous viewers?

A. Most of them are just extremely happy to be represented in some mainstream form. I think on the whole they have been pleased with how we portray the characters on the show. And really the characters and those involved in polyamorous relationships are in many ways just like any other relationship, where you have love and jealousy and heartbreak. We’re just trying to portray it as honestly as we can using characters who never thought they’d be in this situation.

Q. What has been difficult about portraying the character of Jack?

A. It was challenging for me to try to play a character who cheats on his wife in the first episode and still try to make him likable. In season 2, Jack becomes extremely jealous of the two women’s relationship, and that also is a somewhat unlikable trait. For me, it’s been hard to find the right balance between his flaws and yet portraying him as a character that people root for.

Q. What was the change like from lawyer to actor?

A. I started late in life — I was a lawyer for 12 years before I started acting. Both involve tons of acting [laughs]. It’s been an interesting transition, certainly. But now I have 50 episodes between this show and (the TV4 series) “Welcome to Sweden” under my belt as a lead actor, so I feel like I’m finally an actor. I can start writing that on my airport forms as “occupation” and not feel guilty about it because I really feel like I’m hitting my stride.