Dylan McDermott says TNT’s ‘Dark Blue’ won’t be as dark season two

Actor Dylan McDermott, who plays the lead character Carter, said the show's rather gritty, violent, downbeat tenor season one has been brightened up a bit for season two. While not quite as light as, say, sister show "Leverage," there is more banter, less brooding.

“This is the season where the show found its voice and footing,” McDermott said. “Sometimes it takes a minute for a show to do that. We decided to make the show lighter with more humor.”

The show, which features a team of undercover cops, didn’t do particular well last year in the ratings compared to other TNT shows and ended in September with just 1.6 million viewers after averaging about 2.7 million viewers. In that final episode, McDermott’s character was suspected of murdering his ex-wife’s boyfriends. “You can’t get much darker than that,” he said.

Will you give "Dark Blue" another try?

It was a bit of a surprise TNT gave it a second season, which begins tonight with two back-to-back episodes.

“We’ll know right out of the gate what the appetite is for the show,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll gather an audience.”

The biggest addition is Tricia Helfer from "Battlestar Galactica," who plays an FBI agent who comes in to help the team take down bad guys. McDermott's character eventually hooks up with her, or as they say in TV parlance, she becomes a "love interest."

“She comes in and tries to take over,” he said. “It p**** me off a little bit. Ultimately, her hotness overtakes everything.”

The changes “helped the show open up and be a little more dynamic than last year,” said McDermott, who broke it big as a lawyer on ABC’s “The Practice” from 1997 to 2004.

The first scene tonight features McDermott’s character… gardening. “A therapist recommended I get a hobby. So I start this little garden. He’s attempting to change. He can’t remain the same person he is.”

ON TV

“Dark Blue,” 9 p.m. on Wednesdays