The ABC sitcom “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” is returning to television this fall as the cast continues to develop its on- and off-screen friendship.

“The most valuable aspect of the show is probably the chemistry between us,” actor Richard Ruccolo said. “There are a lot of shows that have brilliant writing, but [the cast members] just don’t click. It’s the chemistry.”

“Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” premiered last March on ABC as a mid-season replacement for “Ellen.” This fall, the show will air on Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m., filling a prime spot between last year’s hits “Dharma and Greg” and “The Drew Carey Show.”

As the unusual title indicates, the show stars Richard Ruccolo and Ryan Reynolds as the “Two Guys” and Traylor Howard as “a Girl.”

The two guys, Berg (Reynolds) and Pete (Ruccolo), are graduate students who share an apartment and deliver pizzas. Berg is a wisecracking medical student, while Pete is serious and committed to his career goals.

Sharon (Howard) is their upstairs neighbor who hates her job selling environmentally-unfriendly chemicals, but enjoys her hard earned money too much to quit.

Some may say their three-way friendship could lead to a love interest developing between Sharon and one of the guys. Howard said she doesn’t believe this will happen because her character considers her friends to be more like family.

“Sharon is the voice of reason,” Howard said. “I wouldn’t say I was a mother-figure to them, but I do adore them.”

When asked if she thought men and women can just be friends in real life, Howard answered jokingly.

“I can say that I have never had any remote sexual thoughts about either one of these guys,” she said.

Although Ruccolo and Reynolds play college students on the show, Howard is the only cast member who graduated from college. She attended Florida State University and graduated with a degree in communications and English.

Howard never studied theater at the university, but did act in commercials while she was still in high school.

After college graduation, she worked in Los Angeles for a small advertising firm. Howard said she is pleased she followed through with her studies and obtained a degree.

Canadian native Reynolds said he probably would be studying to become a teacher if he wasn’t acting.

“I took socialist feminism and criminology when I was in college,” he said. “I guess I just wanted to meet chicks, and look where that got me.”

Reynolds said he landed his first big role on the Nickelodeon series “Fifteen” when he was just 12 years old. He also made an appearance on an episode of the “X-Files,” which he said was the best role he could get at the time.

Fellow cast member Ruccolo said he never attended college, but he wishes he did.

“I hear you learn a lot of good social skills in college, and my skills kind of suck,” he said.

Ruccolo is a relative newcomer to Hollywood. After only three weeks in Los Angeles, he guest-starred on “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

He remembers when he first arrived in Los Angeles and cried because he wondered if he made a wise decision.

“When I was on the plane, I saw all the lights in Los Angeles, and I swear I wanted the plane to crash,” he said. “I was staying at my buddy’s house, and I remember sleeping on the couch thinking, ‘What have I done?'”

The “Two Guys” cast all said the characters’ personalities and life goals will change over the next season.

Reynolds said the characters will evolve a bit from their introduction last spring.

They will become more honest and sincere, and the audience will see them “let their guards down a little bit.”

In particular, Berg will decide to take his medical studies seriously instead of using his future doctor status just to impress women, Reynolds said.

Berg also will develop a new love interest, although Reynolds said he does not know how the relationship will work out. In a previous episode, the two guys ruined one of Sharon’s new romantic relationships just because they were feeling left out.

“These characters underneath are terrified to lose each other,” Reynolds said.

The cast members agreed the character they each resemble most is the serious Pete.

“We all decided we are a lot more like Pete because of our work ethic,” Ruccolo said. “We try to put together the best darn show possible.”

Reynolds added: “I’m a lot dumber than my character [Berg].”

As for their favorite kinds of pizza, Reynolds and Ruccolo agreed their favorite is pepperoni and cheese. Howard prefers plain cheese.