Asked if dating is easier now that he's on the top-rated prime-time series, the bachelor will say only: "I suppose it's good. I'm just kind of taking my time right now. I'm married to my work.

"When I decided to get into acting," Dourdan adds, "I wanted to break down stereotypes that limit people in their imaginations. Not that coroners are exactly cool now, but at least we're showing them in a more youthful light. It's not like Quincy, which we were used to. So if [my looks] help that, then I'm doing my job."

Switching gears, we inquire whether Dourdan minds the gory details of Warrick's work. (Blood, guts and fingernail clippings, oh my!) "What freaks me out the most," he says, "are the stories from the real crime scene investigators — the truthful ones they tell." Such as? "Oh man, there's too many rough ones to talk about right now," he laughs. "I'm having such a good day, I don't even want to get into it!" Drat. — Daniel R. Coleridge