'Dark Blue' is the kind of gritty cop drama that gives you nightmares and makes you a less trusting person. At least, it was.

According to star Dylan McDermott -- and confirmed by the first three episodes we screened -- 'Dark Blue' has gotten a little lighter in its second season (premieres Wed., Aug. 4, 9PM ET on TNT).

We caught up with McDermott to hear all about Carter Shaw, his TV alter-ego, getting a sense of humor. He also dished about show romances, a hot new leading lady in Tricia Helfer and ... Funny or Die?

I've seen the first few episodes of the new season -- nice work!
Thank you so much! Yeah, we've been working hard on the show, and I think that this season it definitely found it's voice, so I'm really happy about that.

To refresh our memories a bit, where did we leave off with Carter and the gang last season?
Definitely last season, the last show was really a difficult show because I ended up in a murder case with my ex-wife's fiancé. So we ended at the bottom of the barrel I thought ... it was like, "Whoa." It was really a tough, tough episode, and it was difficult for Carter and he put his crew in a very tenuous situation.

So what's changed this season?
We looked at the 10 episodes that we did last year and we said, "OK, so what worked and what didn't work?" We came back and I feel like this is a fresh new 'Dark Blue' that's a little bit lighter, more humorous and definitely more romantic.

It is! And now Carter is gardening ...
[Laughs] He is gardening, yes. Isn't that nice? He's trying to change, you know? It's been hard for him to change, so he's going to therapy and the garden is definitely a metaphor for him and his change.

You said more romantic, and ta-dah! We've got someone new in the cast. How sexy is Tricia Helfer?
Yep, she's not bad. [Laughs] She definitely brings a lot to the table, and we're so happy to have her there. I think it was a much-needed addition.

Well it was sort of a boys' club ...
I think so. You know, women watch TV more than men, and I think women definitely want that romantic aspect ... and I don't blame them.

Will Tricia be around all season?
She ultimately becomes my boss on the show. She comes in for the first episode, and the FBI decides to keep here there to work with us. She's definitely staying around ...

Are Ty's [Omari Hardwick] marital issues continuing this season?
Yeah, this whole world is so hard on undercover cops because you do have to go under and you do have to betray other people and be other people. And you're away from home ... I'm sure the divorce rate with undercover cops is pretty high because of it. His marriage is definitely stressed and strained. He's in big trouble for sure.

Whereas Jaimie [Nicki Aycox] and Dean [Logan Marshall-Green] are still hooking up a bit this season ... being coworkers helps a bit I guess.
Yeah, that helps -- you know, it's right there!

What was the fan reaction after the show's first season?
Oh yeah, we have really solid fans of the show ... really hardcore fans that love the show a great deal. Now this season is about opening up the show and getting more viewers. Last year, as you said, was more of a boys' club, and we have to draw more women. I think we have more men watching 'Dark Blue' than any other show on TNT, so it's about getting women this year. I think the addition of Tricia is gonna help a lot.

Now that you've got a good grasp on what makes your character tick, what would be your dream storyline for Carter?
I think really it's about the relationship with Alex. I think he was so devastated in the first season with the loss of his wife ... it's always great to build up a character like that and give him hope. And then obviously pull the rug out from underneath him. So I think we should go down the road of continuing this relationship -- hopefully for many season -- and have them go back and forth with each other: Committing, not committing, breaking up, getting back together. You know that whole thing. That's always enticing for an audience.


Are there other shows on TV that you're inspired by? Or hope this show can be like?
It's the cable shows that are really the most interesting -- 'Mad Men,' 'Breaking Bad,' those shows are really the premiere shows on television right now. The cable model has really changed all of television. It's hard for network shows to be as good. So we look at them, and we want to get a little taste of that. Certainly TNT is doing very well, and we're changing the show and making it better and evolving, and that's what we want to continue to do hopefully for season 3.

You've already wrapped this season -- do you ever feel like you want to go guest star on another show or mix it up a bit on hiatus?
I'm always looking for something interesting to do. I'm actually doing something for Funny or Die ... I created this character, and it's gonna be up hopefully by the premiere of the show. I can't tell you anything because I want it to be all hush-hush until it's actually done, but I will tell you that it's coming out soon. We'll see what the reaction is -- if they like it, they love it, they want more of it. I love this character so I would do it forever, believe me.