TNT orders second season of 'Beat'

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- TNT says it has renewed its series "Memphis Beat," starring Jason Lee, DJ Qualls and Alfre Woodard, for a second season.

The cable network said it ordered 10 episodes for the sophomore season of the series, which is slated to return in 2011.

"Memphis Beat' is a real treasure: a slightly off-center crime drama with great actors, memorable characters and a soundtrack steeped in Memphis sounds," Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, said in a statement Thursday. "We look forward to another fantastic season next year."

In the show, Lee plays Dwight Hendricks, a quirky Memphis police detective with an intimate connection to the city, a passion for blues music and a close relationship with his mother. Woodard plays Lt. Tanya Rice, a demanding boss determined to keep Dwight on a short leash. Qualls co-stars as Davey Sutton, a uniform cop who considers himself to be Dwight's protege, the network said in a synopsis.