'Body of Proof' Season 2: Jeri Ryan says Kate is still in charge

Hard-nosed Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) loosened up a bit during the freshman season of ABC's "Body of Proof," but all that was put in jeopardy when she found out ex-husband Todd (Jeffrey Nordling) was sleeping with her boss, Dr. Kate Murphey (Jeri Ryan).

Well, against the odds, Season 2 of the series kicks off with the usual threesome behaving quite civilly.

"Tensions get high and tempers can flare, but the bottom line is they're professionals and adults," Ryan told Zap2it at the Season 2 launch party. "And I'm still her boss."

Still, it's not exactly "Three's Company."

There's a moment in the Tuesday premiere, "Love Thy Neighbor," where Megan thinks Kate crosses a line, taking on some of her parental duties.

"Kate is sort of finding herself where she didn't want to be," says Ryan, "in the middle of an already tense family dynamic. And there's a kid involved. Kate is not a mom. Kate wasn't planning on being a mom, and now she's shoved into this position, which isn't incredibly comfortable for everybody."

This no doubt spills into the medical examiner's office, where the tension is significantly eased by upping the humor in Season 2. Episode 1 pokes plenty of jokes at Delany's "Desperate Housewives" past, with the murder taking place at picturesque cul-de-sac populated by... swingers.

"It's been great," Ryan says of the show's shifting tone. "I think the biggest change for Season 2 is that it's a lot lighter. We're all enjoying that. The stories and the cases have their gravity, but in real life, people have senses of humor, people enjoy themselves and people enjoy each other while they're working."

Yes, even when they're working over dead bodies.

And while more humor has its perks, the real joy for Ryan has been the filming location. After shooting the first season in Rhode Island, production was recently moved to Los Angeles.

"It's heaven," says Ryan, who admits she actually cried when she heard the news. "I've got two kids and a husband here. I was commuting from Rhode Island -- which is a rough, brutal commute."

At 3,000 miles, we're inclined to agree. You can catch a jet-lag-free Jeri Ryan on Season 2 of "Body of Proof," which premieres tonight (Sept. 20), at 10:00 p.m. ET, on ABC.