TNT’s Memphis Beat has been on for less than a week, and already it has an Oscar-nominated guest star. That would be Juliette Lewis, who last appeared on TV in 2006 opposite Memphis Beat star Jason Lee on his last show, My Name Is Earl. On tomorrow’s episode, Lewis plays Cleo Groves, a down-on-her-luck wife and mother whose husband goes missing and then relies on Memphis cop Dwight Hendricks (Lee) to go find him so she can keep her family together. Naturally, nothing’s ever as it seems and secrets abound. Lewis, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1992 for Cape Fear, is currently on tour with her band in Europe, and she called in last week after a show in Spain to talk about her return to acting and what TV shows she’s been watching lately. Read below for the interview and check out an exclusive clip from tomorrow’s Memphis Beat featuring Lewis and Lee. (Want to check out some of Lewis’ music? Listen to a few tracks at her MySpace page.)

Photos courtesy of TNT

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Did Jason get you involved in Memphis Beat?
He did! He asked me if I was interested and I read the script, and I thought it was so well-written and so inventive the way it mixes genre. And also, because I have two comedies coming out this year, I was really craving something dramatic. This character, she’s just sort of hiding something in every single scene. There’s so much subtext going on and it was delicious as far as how dramatic it was for me. The characters are so strong because they’re kind of quirky, and I was really into what Jason’s doing in the new show. It’s pretty awesome. And I had room in my schedule, which is a small miracle, so we made that happen. [Laughs]

Without giving too much away, is there a possibility you could come back?
I hope so! We talked about it. It’s really fun to film down in New Orleans – that city has such a good vibe. It’s sort of indescribable. It’s excited that some shows are going out there to bring some good juice into the town.

Obviously music is a big part of the show, and it’s a major part of your life. Do you enjoy that sort of Memphis blues and old-time rock ’n’ roll that’s featured on the show, or do your tastes tend to be more modern?
Oh no, I’m a music lover through and through. My dad introduced me to so many styles of music. You can’t really love rock ’n’ roll without loving blues. In fact, I wrote my first blues song on this latest record [last year’s Terra Incognita]. It’s called Hard Lovin’ Woman. It’s one thing to want to write the blues, but you have to be feeling it. You have to be in that place to be able to sing that. I’m a fan of B.B. King and John Lee Hooker. I’m still learning – somebody told me recently about Bobby “Blue” Bland. I have much to learn.

You got your start on TV. How is it different now than when you started in acting, and what about it keeps you coming back every so often?
Now more than ever, it’s the place you want to go to. Because the economic structure of things has changed so dramatically, it’s the place you go when you want to take risks. HBO has incredible series going on, and with a lot of these stations like TNT and AMC, you can explore really exciting complex, whereas with movies, because it costs so much money to make them, the dollars-and-cents guys tend to want to stick to formula. The risk is too great losing their money or not getting distribution. I’ve done a lot of independents, and everybody could love what they’re doing and put their hearts and souls into, and then at the end of the day, if you don’t get distribution it’s all for nothing. Anything you do artistically, you want an audience. TV just guarantees a nice audience.

Being on tour and doing your acting gigs, do you get the time to watch TV or are like the rest of us and catch up with things via DVR and DVDs?
I don’t watch television, and on the road you’re married to your computer a little bit to keep you connected to the good ol’ Internet. But lately we’ve all been buying these series on TV, and different people in the band have different series that love. What’s it, It Always Rains in Philadelphia?

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It’s Always Sunny! That [freaking] show is crazy! I love it. That one’s funny, and oh, I love the new Ricky Gervais animated podcast show he did on HBO. Ah, it’s my love! I love comedians – really good ones of course. My guitar player was watching Mad Men recently, and I love my friend Beth Riesgraf’s show on TNT, Leverage. I’m a big fan of watching her.

You’ll have to do Leverage next then.
Maybe! I’ll just make the rounds. I’m a character actress in my heart of hearts, so I go where I can find good characters and storytelling, wherever that leads me.

Are you envisioning a new album on the horizon or an American tour when you get back?
I didn’t do any acting for like four years. I’m in my sixth year of professionally making music, and now I’m doing both and it’s really interesting. Touring is much more intensive than making a movie. Touring requires much more time. So right now, I’m on a European tour till July, and then we’ll tour different parts of the States and Canada till September. Then after that I’ll be writing a new record. Touring is my livelihood, my bread and butter is touring, and I’m having a blast doing it.

You have the two comedies Due Date and The Switch coming out this year, as well as Conviction, which from the trailer looks pretty intense. Is there one you’re really excited to unleash upon the world?
It’s pretty much the triple threat. [Laughs] A couple of them are cameos. Conviction is a cameo, but you see it in the trailer that my part is very integral to the story. It’s super intense in a couple of scenes. I love doing “firsts” — when you can still do a first at this stage. I’ve been acting for 15 years, and it was the first time I had ever aged this degree on camera. She’s a real despicable character. If she makes me uncomfortable to play, I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do to the audience. [Laughs]