TVSquad

Dylan Baker is one of those "That Guy" actors, a guy you've probably seen in a million different shows and movies, but can't quite place his name. But his "That Guy-ness" has a twist: he generally plays creeps, scumbags, pedophiles, and otherwise not-so-nice people. It's a lot in life he seems to be perfectly OK with. "I think they're more interesting. They're more fun to play."

In Kings (which Danny previewed earlier today), the Biblical-themed soap that premieres on NBC on Sunday, March 15, Baker finds himself in as equally reprehensible role: he plays William Cross, the head of a huge conglomerate that holds the purse strings behind the power of King Silas Benjamin of Gilboa (Ian McShane). The complicating factor is that he's also the brother of Silas' wife, Rose (Susanna Thompson).

I spoke to the 49-year old character actor about the show, how he thinks his character has a little bit of Dick (Cheney) in him, how he can play a child molester (fans of the 1998 movie Happiness will know what I'm talking about) and how much he loved working on the doomed sitcom The Pitts.

A few weeks ago, I was invited, along with a number of writers from websites and blogs (including our friends at AOL TV), to screen the two-hour premiere of NBC's new Blblical-themed fantasy soap, Kings. The show, which premieres on Sunday, March 15, has gotten a lot of hype since the Peacock network introduced it last summer. That hype was mostly due to its star, Ian McShane. Everyone knew that the former Deadwood star would bring a stern intensity to the show; heck, his orneriness during the summer TCA session for the show alone made people look forward to his performance.

Alas, the bloggers wouldn't get a chance to question McShane during the post-screening Q&A; they did get a chance to speak to creator Michael Green and co-stars Susanna Thompson, Allison Miller, Dylan Baker, and Eamonn Walker. Some choice quotes and video of the session are after the jump.

(S04E17) Well now, there was a lot of junk to like in this episode. I'm not sure where to start, so let's go with guest star Corin Nemec. I'd guess most people think of Stargate when they see Corin. For me, it's always Parker Lewis Can't Lose. There are probably even some nutters out there that see him and shout Mansquito! Whatever your Corin role of choice, it was good to see him on NCIS. I thought he was very good here, really pulling off creepy serial butcher.

There wasn't a lot of mystery surrounding the whodunit this week. Most people probably fingered Grady (Nemec) from the moment he showed up at the cemetery with the flowers. While the who wasn't really a big question, the why was much more interesting, and that little twist at the end came as a bit of a surprise. When Natalie Dalton (Alexandra Lydon, 24) put on her little performance in the interrogation room, followed by Grady's confession, I bought it. I didn't suspect that she was in on it until Gibbs and Mann walked up to the van.

(S04E13) There has been quite a bit of talk this season about serial dramas versus their stand-alone episode counterparts. Both have their pluses and minuses. A very serial drama will tend to inspire more loyalty as it rewards the avid fan, but is less accessible to a new viewer. A mostly stand-alone drama is much easier to get involved with and a much easier sell for syndication, but runs the risk of becoming boring or formulaic. I think NCIS does as good a job as any series in mixing the two elements, and this week was a great example.

We still had the case of the week, and anyone just stumbling onto the show would have had no problem following the story. But for fans that are regular viewers there was quite a bit of ongoing story thrown in as well. As the title notes, Mamoun Sharif (Enzo Cilenti) is back, and coming along for the ride is Lt. Col. Hollis Mann (Susanna Thompson, pictured) . They even managed to throw in a reminder of the big Tony mystery to keep us all guessing about just what is going on.