Turns out Kaley Cuoco was just as unsure as you if she and her creative team could concoct a second season of her surprise hit HBO Max series The Flight Attendant from scratch, especially without the benefit of any additional novels featuring Cassie Bowden to draw from – and she was just as surprised when they pulled it off.

“No one is as shocked as I am,” Cuoco told TV Guide. “Dude, I was so freaking nervous! I feel like I can finally take a breath after these months of being so paranoid about how this was going to go down. I’m like, ‘How can we do it better?’ But I think we did.”

That audiences have responded so enthusiastically to both seasons of the fast-paced mystery/dramedy feels like a major victory for the actress – who despite having enjoyed phenomenal success and popular during her 12-year run on The Big Bang Theory – largely because she handpicked the project herself and as a fledging executive producer has exerted a strong degree of creative control over the material’s tone, storytelling style, and sense of humor.

As the second season takes surprising turns at its midpoint and further secrets are exposed, Cuoco joined TV Guide to dig into the series’ second act success with both critics and audiences, following her own instincts to keep the show true to her vision while still pushing her into unexpected challenges, and how, even after nearly two decades of prosperity in Hollywood, she feels like the best days are still ahead of her.

Read the full interview at TV Guide!