"The Chris Isaak Show," which Showtime bills as "part comedy and part reality," features Isaak, his real-life band members--Kenney Dale Johnson (drums), Hershel Yatovitz (guitar) and Rowland Salley (bass)--and an ensemble of fictional characters.

Among the guests who turn up in the third season are musicians Gloria Estefan, Michelle Branch, Bret Michaels and Blake Shelton, as well as Oakland Athletics pitcher Barry Zito.

Isaak also has a part in the upcoming John Waters comedy "A Dirty Shame"-- co-starring Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville and Selma Blair--which is scheduled to premiere this summer. In another acting appearance, Isaak played rock legend Roy Orbison and sang Orbison's hit "Pretty Woman" in a recent episode of NBC-TV's "American Dreams."

The bevy of acting work seems to have caused Isaak to slow his musical output a bit. His eighth and latest album, "Always Got Tonight," surfaced more than two years ago. Fans weren't completely without new material last year, though; Isaak's rendition of "Besame Mucho" appeared on the "Mona Lisa Smile" soundtrack.