LOS ANGELES — Television shows and films are filled with male anti-heroes who don’t mind breaking the law if it’s done for a good reason. Having the anti-hero be a suburban mom who spends more time making lunches than planning a heist is something very different.

NBC’s new series, “Good Girls,” features that offbeat concept. Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”), Retta (“Parks and Recreation”) and Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”) play the three partners in crime who see a small robbery as a way of getting out of financial trouble turn into a series of illegal misadventures. The cast also includes Reno Wilson (“Mike & Molly”), Manny Montana (“Graceland”), Lidya Jewett (“Hidden Figures”), Izzy Stannard (“Brad’s Status”) and Matthew Lillard (“Twin Peaks”).

Whitman loved the idea that “Good Girls” immediately jumps into the question of morals and justification systems, what is good and what’s evil. The big question for her was how far a person would go to protect their family. In the case of her character, Annie is involved in a heated battle with her ex-husband over their child and a few dollars would help even the sides.

“I think in every episode, there’s a question that comes up of a moral justification or something that we end up giving a little bit more away of the things that we’re able to justify,” Whitman says. “I think that’s going to be a really fun thing for us, to see how far into that we go and how sort of deep into the question of is what they’re doing right or wrong and who are they hurting in the process, and who are they saving in the process. There’s so much. It’s just action packed with emotion and action.

“All these different issues keep coming up. At least for me, I look forward to reading every single script because there’s something in there that brings up a real question that’s really a debatable situation.”

The way Whitman looks at the project is “Good Girls” is about women taking back their power, and that makes it very timely. She knows there are a lot of women who feel like they can’t do anything about their lives, but the series shows there are ways to make a change. Taking the illegal route isn’t highly recommended, but Whitman says the key is it’s up to each person to find the way to make a change.

Even when it comes to Whitman’s acting career — which began when she was 4 — the L.A. native has found ways to make changes in the jobs she takes.

That has included a long list of jobs as a voice actor in projects such as “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Pixie Hollow Games” and “DC Super Hero Girls.” Not many people can say they are the voice of April O’Neil in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and Tinker Bell in several direct-to-video films starring Peter Pan’s sidekick.

The process is very different between being onscreen and being a voice actor, but Whitman gets just as much satisfaction from both. She calls those who work in the voice world as being some of the most talent and unsung workers in Hollywood.

Whitman has a little problem being impartial when it comes to voice actors, as her mother, Pat Musick, worked in recording studios for years on shows such as “Rugrats,” “Smurfs” and “DuckTales.” She would hang out at the studios with her mother and would be called on when a voice for a young girl was needed.

“To me, voiceover has been such a huge part of my life, and I love it so much,” Whitman says. “I tend to play more interesting, outside-the-box characters, and it’s great with cartoons that you can jump right in and be whoever you want, do whatever you want.

“I also love wearing sweatpants and not having to wear makeup.”

Whitman is particularly proud of being part of the “DC Super Hero Girls” series because it is about all the female heroes in the DC universe — Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Harley Quinn — at a young age. The show has built a huge following because it is a fully female hero-driven series. Being the voice of Batgirl is just Whitman’s latest foray into the world of superhero cartoons. Whitman also has provided the voice of Wonder Girl in the “Young Justice” animated series.

“I have bounced around in the superhero universe, and I like it. I’m going to keep bouncing,” Whitman says with a laugh.

It wouldn’t be an interview with Whitman without a question coming up regarding what’s happening with “Arrested Development.” Whitman played Ann Veal on the series when it originally aired on Fox and during the one-season revival on Netflix. Fans of the show have been trying to find out about the next season of the quirky family comedy.

“I actually can’t say anything. They are VERY specific about that,” Whitman says. “I love ‘Arrested Development,’ and I hope they have me back until I am 75 years old, at least walking in the background. That is the most amazing TV show to be a part of and from the second that I got to be on the set knew I was one of the luckiest people in the world.”