Enrico Colantoni promises a sharper, funnier second season for ‘Remedy’

TORONTO – “Remedy”‘s second season will be looser, smoother and funnier than its rocky first season, promises star Enrico Colantoni.

The outspoken TV actor admits the medical drama’s first batch of episodes had its issues, noting “sometimes we succeeded and sometimes we didn’t.”

“It’s much funnier this year,” Colantoni says in a recent interview, detailing big changes for his doctor character, Allen Connor.

“Mostly because Allen is in the ER and so he’s not the straight man anymore, he’s a fish out of water. And everybody is reacting to that.”

Now that Allen has been demoted from his position as acting chief of staff, he’s forced to find his legs again. Colantoni says he’s much better suited to that lighter tone, which lends some humour to the show while making Allen more accessible.

“What was uncomfortable about him as a character in the beginning (was) he was trying to fit in the suit — not unlike Enrico trying to fit into this new character, this doctor thing. Which is foreign to me,” says Colantoni, also known for lighthearted stints on “Veronica Mars” and the NBC sitcom “Just Shoot Me!”

“I’m quirky, I’m a little offbeat. I’m not your prototypical guy, actor, you’re used to seeing playing a doctor on TV. I think they broke the mould with me playing a cop in Canada,” he continues, referring to his beloved role as Sgt. Greg Parker on CTV’s “Flashpoint.”

“That’s why I love working in Canada. Because they let the bald guy, let two bald guys, be the star of that show.”

The second season of “Remedy” kicks off nine months after the finale, with each member of the Conner family moving in new directions.

Allen’s son Griffin, played by Dillon Casey, has a serious girlfriend and new plans to return to medical school. But his dark past continues to haunt him.

Meanwhile, Allen’s daughters Mel, played by Sara Canning, and new mom Sandy, played by Sarah Allen, struggle as co-parents to baby Maya, while juggling a hectic work schedule.

New this season is ER resident Dr. Peter Cutler, played by Niall Matter, as a possible romantic partner for Mel.

Colantoni says Matter spent seven years working the rigs in Alberta, which gave him especially good hand-eye co-ordination skills for the job.

“Right away he had this incredible ability to handle props and say his lines so he could be one of those guys who could be doing this very intricate procedure and still fire out his lines,” he says.

“He would have been a great doctor.”

Not the same could be said of himself, Colantoni admits. Medical terms are still a challenge to recite. As a result, he keeps his lines with him so he can keep them straight.

“It’s easy to pull it off on ‘Remedy,'” he says, noting that iPads are part of the props.

“Remembering the procedure is fine, (it’s) when you have to go: ‘Get an ECG, bladdy thlee, bloobloobloo, fuffy, hike hike hike!’ You know what I mean?”

Otherwise, things are really clicking after season 1’s growing pains, Colantoni says.

“We’re in harmony,” he says.

“That’s what we have in the second season. The writing is less self-conscious, the acting is less self-conscious, the direction, the colours…. It’s where you wish you could have started.”

“Remedy” returns Monday on Global.