When The Shield comes back tomorrow night, fans will find Vic Mackey — the shady cop with a homicidal heart of gold — up to his old tricks. But series star Michael Chiklis gets enough attention! Here, TV Guide Online rings up CCH Pounder and Jay Karnes — who play Dets. Claudette Wyms and Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach — to dish their unique on-screen friendship, combating Vic's shifty schemes and some spicy Shield preview you won't get anywhere else.

TV Guide Online: Thanks for doing this three-way phoner with me.
Pounder: I'm very curious about that — people who like threesomes. But nevermind. [Laughs]

TVGO: Anyway, Claudette and Dutch share a special bond, don't they?
Pounder: It's the best nonsexual relationship on TV!
Karnes: What do you mean, nonsexual?
Pounder: He's just pulling your leg.
Karnes: There's a line in an upcoming episode where Claudette says, "It's not like we're married." And Dutch says, "Aren't we?" The fun thing about this relationship is Dutch needs Claudette a lot more than Claudette needs Dutch.

TVGO: Amid all the dirty cops and shady dealing on The Shield, your characters are the only stand-up, trustworthy ones!
Pounder: A lot of the relationships are very bumpy, with unclear lines. Even though this one is subtle and somewhat unspoken, it's very clear they've got great fondness for each other. I do like our ying-yang. That male-female, white-black, mature-younger... It's a wonderful contrast to see.
Karnes: That's a good point. There's a maelstrom going on around them, but their relationship is rock solid and very special.

TVGO: Should Claudette and Dutch ever hook up romantically?
Pounder: Never. The moment they step over that boundary, then it's something completely different. Besides, Claudette's having a marvelous romance later this season! She gets a little action that walks right into The Barn and taps her on the shoulder. Actually, he's hauled in as a witness. The actor's name is Rif Hutton (JAG, Doogie Howser, M.D.).

TVGO: Well, what about Dutch's personal life?
Karnes: Actually, I think maybe a little too much of Dutch's personal life is explored this season. Going after the "Cuddler Rapist" will be a big part of his life. It breaks up Dutch's relationship with that woman he's been living with since the first season. And then, something just awful happens in Episode 10 that involves my character. We could stay on the phone forever and you'd never guess what happens! It's very unpleasant — I'll tell you that.

TVGO: Speaking of baddies, when will you sharp-eyed sleuths bust Vic Mackey's murdering, money-laundering Strike Team?
Pounder: Exactly! Why can't we get them? Claudette's seeing what's going on and it's not making her happy. She wants to do something about it. That's catapulted her into going for [Captain Aceveda's] job. But, obviously, Vic's been there long enough to know a lot of dirt on other people. Who else would you be taking down? There's a whole set of people who will fight tooth and nail for Claudette not to be captain, because it makes her too powerful and them too vulnerable.
Karnes: I think one of the endearing things about Dutch is he doesn't see [Vic's corruption]. While he disagrees with Vic Mackey's methods, he secretly admires him. It's like the junior-high dork admiring the captain of the football team. For example, I don't think it even occurs to Dutch that Vic might have shot Terry (Reed Diamond) in the head. We're all cops, right? We're all solving crimes on the same side. The idea that Vic would steal the [Armenian] money train is something that Dutch, toward the end of this season, is finally hit over the head with. Enough so that he begins to think, "Geez, could Vic be involved in this somehow?"

TVGO: Any more juicy scoop to spill?
Karnes: I have an almost-nude scene later on in the season.
Pounder: [Laughs] Oh, don't you brag about that!
Karnes: And I understand Claudette's got a shower sequence as well. The show wasn't going to be complete until we'd both done a shower scene.
Pounder: I do have a shower sequence this season. Claudette is nude in the shower, macking on her new friend!