Catherine Bell's no stranger to TV stardom -- she was fan favorite Lt. Col. Sarah MacKenzie on the long-running hit show 'JAG.' Now she's part of the ensemble cast on another hit series, 'Army Wives' (Lifetime, Sun., 10PM), as Denise Sherwood, who's experiencing something of a midlife crisis. In just the first two episodes of the new season, Denise loses her job, her lover and the support of her friends. Not to mention the very real possibility of her estranged husband going down in the line of fire.

AOL TV caught up with the 'Army' beauty on her character's high-drama storyline, the possibility of a 'JAG' reunion ... and why she turned down Playboy (for a lot of money).

Judging by the Nielsen ratings Lifetime is raking in for Army Wives in its second season, this show has found its audience. It actually started last spring when Army Wives was a national surprise -- to everyone in the business outside of Lifetime, which picked up the show when ABC passed.

It's still amazing to think that ABC had a chance to put this show in their schedule and let it get away. Their loss is Lifetime's gain -- and they're feasting on it.

If you missed the first season of Army Wives, and didn't get into the show until the fifth episode -- like me -- then you'll be glad to know that Army Wives: The Complete First Season is now available on DVD. It's a great set, too, with some very nice bonus features and quality commentaries.
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Isn't it interesting how in the days of waning network ratings year after year we keep getting reports of basic cable shows setting new ratings records. This time, Army Wives second season premiere set a new series high with 4.5 million viewers. I'll give kudos to Lifetime for really knowing how to support a season premiere; major networks take notes. The day before the premiere, which was this past Sunday, they marathoned the last ten episodes of the first season. They've also made the entire season available online, with ad support.

Is it because more and more of us have these channels than ever before? Or maybe we're just spreading out across the dial more than ever before? At the same time, though, there's more freedom off the network channels to show more edgy fare. Shows like The Shield and Mad Men are a bit too strong in content for the likes of ABC, and sometimes the sheer intensity and quality of the storytelling eclipses much of free TV fare. Or maybe it's just because Catherine Bell is so freaking hot ... sometimes. Seriously, sometimes she looks like that up there, and other times she looks like a boy who's been lost in the woods for a few weeks. Still, at even a 50/50 shot I think it'd be worth the chance.

Cynopsis reports that now that the writers' strike is over -- hallelujah! -- Lifetime Television will soon begin production on the second season of Army Wives with episodes scheduled to air in early summer. This is great news for fans of the Lifetime original drama series that was a ratings juggernaut when it premiered last summer. In fact, Army Wives was the most successful series in Lifetime's 23-year history! During its 13-episode run, Army Wives was the highest rated drama on cable among women, establishing new Lifetime marks for an original scripted series. The soapy-drama was scheduled to return in April, but then the writers struck and the show has been in hibernation -- I mean, hiatus -- ever since.

Catherine Bell (JAG) and Gary Cole (aka 'Lumbergh' on Office Space) have joined the cast of the CBS pilot Company Town, a drama about government agents who live in the same neighborhood. Already on board for the pilot are Sherry Stringfield (ER) and Blair Underwood (LA Law). You don't have to wait for next fall to see Cole on television, he'll reappear on some of the final episodes of The West Wing.

Mercedes Ruehl has joined the untitled Paul Reiser comedy pilot for CBS, about a man who takes over the family car dealership in Queens, NY. In 1991, Ruehl won an Academy award for her supporting role in The Fisher King. Ruehl joins castmates Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace) and Hector Elizondo (Chicago Hope).