Amber Tamblyn at the premiere of "Snakes on a Plane" held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif. on August 17, 2006.

The ABC television series The Unusuals explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police detectives, where every cop has a secret. Detective Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn) has just been transferred to the NYPD’s Homicide unit from Vice, and is instantly thrown into a setting of bullets and bodies. As she begins her new assignment, Casey finds that the force is full of secrets, which serves her well, since she’s keeping a few of her own. But her first case is not an easy one, as she’s assigned to investigate the death of one of the department’s own, the former partner of Detective Jason Walsh (Jeremy Renner), who is now her new partner. As the duo seeks out the cop killer, the secrets and eccentricities of the rest of the department begin to emerge.

Starting her professional career on General Hospital on the age of 11, Amber Tamblyn is best known for two seasons as the title character on the television series Joan of Arcadia. The critically acclaimed poet and actress spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about her return to television.

MediaBlvd Magazine> What was it about this show that made you want to return to television?

Amber Tamblyn> I know they’re using the word procedural a lot, but I would not come back to television for anything other than this show. It’s amazing!

MediaBlvd> How would you describe this show?

Amber> I know ABC has a way that they have to sell this, and that’s great, but in the same vein that Joan of Arcadia was a drama that had a lot of humor to it -- Joan was a very Lucille Ball type of character, within this strange realm -- this show has a taste of that, with a harder edge and the humor that is very unique. We’re going to coin actual terms for things that are really funny and unique about precincts and cops, and the things cops find, which includes everything from prostitutes to people who dress up in hot dog costumes. It’s really a character-driven show. That’s the best part about it, for me. The procedural part is the secondary aspect. The cases are secondary to actually knowing about the characters and trying to figure out the characters’ pasts, their secrets and the things that they’re hiding. It’s more about the people.

MediaBlvd> This show is so different for you. Did you like the fact that you get to play a grown woman, instead of a teenager, for a change? Amber> Well, I have been a woman since I was three and a half. It is definitely a lot of fun. I will say this is very similar, in the essence of our cast and with Noah, in how close I was with my cast members on Joan of Arcadia, which is great. We are all really good friends and we spend a lot of time together, and Jeremy lives down the street from me in New York, so that’s great. It is a lot of fun for me because of the writing behind it and how intriguing it is, and you never really know where anything is going, even with your own character. That’s enjoyable because you have to find it in the moments, or figure it out. I’m a big fan of our show. It’s different and it’s amazing. This is truly an incredibly unique show.

MediaBlvd> What do you like best about this character?

Amber> She’s a lot like me, in that she’s a smart-ass, and she’s tough, tomboyish, fun and still has an air of innocence and honesty about her. Not that I’m innocent and honest, because I’m not! But, it’s a show that’s primarily about people’s quirks, secrets and problems, and how those leak into cases and how the cases leak into them. It’s really great. There’s not one actor on it that doesn’t serve a purpose and doesn’t have a very concise, clear character, which is great.       

MediaBlvd> A lot of shows are fish-out-of-water stories, but this is really out of the water, when your character is still in her uniform for vice, in the middle of a murder investigation. What did you think of the whole start to the character?

Amber> When I originally read it, the most intriguing part about it was that it was one thing and then, instantly, it was something else. It is actually a really great transition for Casey Shraeger, the way she goes from being a hooker, which she is not too great at, to suddenly being somethingelse that she can really try hard to be good at.

MediaBlvd> Does your character have secrets, and do you know what those secrets are?

Amber> Yes. She’s got a couple. And, she even has a couple that will lead the audience to think they know what they are, but they won’t. It’s so well-plotted that I’ll read something and go, “Wait a minute! What?,” and then I’ll text (executive producer) Noah Hawley and go, “This is crazy!”                                                                                                     

MediaBlvd> What makes your character so unusual?

Amber> One of the funnest things for me is that Casey has a bit of Tracy Flick, from that ReeseWitherspoon film, Election. She comes from this past, with this very rich family, and she’s tryingto deny that she comes from money because she wants to really be taken seriously as a cop. So, she always has this element of trying to solve things. And, in the meantime, she’s funny and quirky about the way she goes about it. And, Jeremy’s character has a very dry, strong senseof humor, and a certain view about things. So, when we are together, there is a strange balance in Yin and Yang. It is really interesting to see how the partners work off of each other because of that, and the things that they get into.

MediaBlvd> Would you call this an ensemble?

Amber> Absolutely, yeah. It’s an ensemble because they’re all strong characters. There’s not one that’s there strictly to support another one.                                              

MediaBlvd> Is it an easier pace, being part of an ensemble?

Amber> No. I still work a lot. It’s the exact same thing for me.

MediaBlvd> What kind of research did you have to do to prepare for this role, as far as weapons training, and things like that?

Amber> Cuffing someone is so hard. I’ve tried it several times. I get it on one hand, and then, while I am saying a paragraph full of words, I just start crying. I start sobbing. We actually went to a precinct before we started shooting and met a bunch of cops and looked at some really intense photos of dead bodies.

MediaBlvd> Is your character going to have a romantic relationship on the show?

Amber> Oh, yeah! That’s going to happen. It’s ABC. They like that stuff.

MediaBlvd> Do you know who is playing the guy?

Amber> I do.

MediaBlvd> Can you say who it is?

Amber> Absolutely not!                               

MediaBlvd> Is there anything supernatural about the show?

Amber> I really don’t want to say. You have to watch it and figure it out for yourself. I don’t even think we know yet. To be honest, I think it’s definitely got an heir of being a little bit like The Wire, Lost and The Office. The comedy usually stems from something that happens, where you just can’t help but laugh at it because that’s life. Sometimes, even the most dramatic things have to be funny.

MediaBlvd> Do you feel closer to Joan or this character?

Amber> I don’t know. Joan was awhile ago. This feels like it has more of my sense of humor. She’s one of the only girls in the boys’ club. The guys outnumber her. I like that. It’s an all-male precinct, and she’s got some really great, funny, sarcastic, smart-ass lines. That’s what drew me to it.

MediaBlvd> How do you like working in New York?

Amber> I love it! I love it a lot. I actually really love the cold. I’ve lived in Venice my whole life and now, suddenly, I’m getting used to 12-degree weather.