"Being Mary Jane" star Gabrielle Union admits in real life she probably wouldn't care much for her Mary Jane Paul character. But she's totally appreciative of how the character and the show have worked their way into the hearts of the BET aired series growing legion of fans.

"I'm like, Ooh. I wouldn't like her," Union told BuzzFeed News. "I wouldn't be friends with her. But ... if I can have compassion for myself and for my loved ones who haven't always made the best decisions, for sure I can have compassion and empathy for my character."

NBA star Dwyane Wade's new bride later added that most of the feedback she has gotten for playing the role has been positive, with the overwhelming number of fans expressing great "empathy and sympathy for Mary Jane."

The series takes BET to places the network has never gone before. In addition to being one of the channel's few original series, the show has tackled such controversial issues as unwed motherhood, black men and suicide and teenage sex-trafficking.

With the series opening with an audience of more than 4 million, Deadline reports network officials recently greenlighted it for a third season and production has already commenced.

Not bad for a show creator Brock Akil admitted to BuzzFeed initially she wasn't sure any audience was ready for.

"It was a black female lead, [and I didn't want to] populate it with a bunch of white characters to help swallow the life of a black woman," she said.

Akil added she wanted to focus the character on all phases of the characters life, chief among them her love, work and family life and the time she spend swith herself.

"If she's single, she's going to be alone sometimes and we need to see that," she reasoned. "I was protective."