Chris Beetem has moved on from AS THE WORLD TURNS' Jordan Sinclair and signed up as Gregory "Vic" Vukovic on CBS' long-running military legal drama JAG.

A brash, self-confident Navy lieutenant, Vic is a "military lawyer who likes to get at the truth no matter what, even if it entails lying, cheating, [and] all that other unsavory stuff," reveals Beetem, who joined the show as a series regular Feb. 18.

Coyly withholding the exact details of Vic's exploits, Beetem promises "lots of action" and "bang-bang stuff" as well as quality time in the courtroom, where he plays co-counsel to Catherine Bell's Lt. Col. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie.

"There's definitely a chemistry between the two of us, but I don't see any friction with other characters," assures Beetem when faced with the question of coming between JAG's "are they or aren't they?" pairing of Mac and Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Rabb (David James Elliott). "He's a really big guy," laughs Beetem. "I'm watching my steps."

It's too bad another triangle — the Jordan/Jennifer/Mike one on ATWT — didn't pan out. "Mike and Jenn are hot," admits Beetem. "I'm glad I could hook that up for them (laughs). Mark Collier (Mike) is a good friend of mine. I would've loved giving him a hard time for a while."

Beetem is now enjoying prime time's change of pace. "You can do a take 10-15 times and that gives the actor a chance to warm up and go through the motions a few times, as opposed to daytime, where it's one or two takes and that's it," he explains. "When you feel like you're just heating up, they're moving on."

With rumors gaining steam of JAG star Elliott's departure at the end of the season, Beetem might have found a new home. "The ultimate could happen," he teases.

JAG airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.