'Mistresses' Is Dropping Its 'Biggest Season Yet'

This summer on Mistresses, it’s all about the triple S’s: surprises, sex, and shirtless scenes! (A lot of shirtless scenes.)

When the ABC drama returns for its third season Thursday, it kicks off with all three, as the show picks up where it left off last year, with Joss (Jes Macallan) and Harry (Brett Tucker) giving into their long-simmer passion just as Savi (Alyssa Milano) was about to discover them. You know, Savi — Joss’s sister and Harry’s ex-wife.

That betrayal will inform the entire season of Mistresses, executive producers K.J. Steinberg and Rina Mimoun tells Yahoo TV. We also get the scoop on how the sexy soap will change with Milano’s departure and the new characters coming to shake up storylines.

Last season ended with Joss and Harry finally getting in on. Will this season pick up where we left off?
Mimoun: Exactly right where we left off. We will pick up on the beach, in flagrante, Joss and Harry doing the nasty.

This represents a huge betrayal of Savi. Are you worried at all about the reaction among fans about sister turning on sister?
Mimoun: We do not shy away from the sister betrayal, and it’s a huge part of the two-hour premiere. We expect some anger, but also know there are some not-so-secret Joss/Harry shippers out there who’ve been waiting for this from Season 1.

So, will we get to see Savi’s reaction?
Mimoun: You will experience it, for sure. [Laughs.]

Is there a theme or arc to Season 3?
Steinberg: I think newcomers is a big part of it. Each woman has some new people — at least one new, very impactful person in their lives who will shake things up and redefine them a bit.

Mimoun: The one thing that’s always been true about this show, which is nice, is that as the women continue to evolve and grow and go through whatever trials and tribulations they’re having in this particular season, so many problems stem from their “original sin” from the first season. It always feels like everything is constantly evolving from there. That certainly continues this year.

As we all found out earlier this year, Alyssa Milano left the show when it had to move to Canada for filming. How does her departure affect the show?
Steinberg: For Joss, the lack of a sister who meant so much to her leaves a big hole in her heart and in her life for someone to step in, and that is Calista Raines, played by Jennifer Esposito. I think that Joss’s vulnerability at this time makes it much easier for she and Calista to have an intimacy and a dynamic relationship that maybe she wouldn’t have had if Savi was around. So, in a way, it allows us to tell more stories, new and exciting stories.

Savi wasn’t the only one betrayed by Joss and Harry’s hook-up. There was a groom left at the altar. Will we see him around?
Mimoun: You will see Scott, a few times this season. Because we love Justin Hartley!

So, is there a love triangle going on there?
Mimoun: I wouldn’t say there’s a “love triangle,” but his presence continues to affect Joss the entire season.

Steinberg: I think the betrayal of Savi and Scott informs the trajectory of her relationship with Harry, so you will feel their presence very much in their relationship. Scott will continue to represent the road not taken.

OK, let’s talk about Karen (Yunjin Kim). She found out she’s HIV-negative but “something else came up.” People have been speculating she’s pregnant. Is she?
Mimoun: Oh, we can’t tell you that! You’ll find out in the premiere and it takes Karen on a whole new journey this season. We haven’t seen it on TV yet, so hopefully it’s a first.

Karen’s had dreadful luck in love these last two seasons. Will this third season be the charm?
Steinberg: It’ll be a stormy charm! [Laughs.] It will not be an easy journey to finding love, but she will find it in a deep way, that she hasn’t experience before.

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What about April (Rochelle Aytes)? Daniel’s out of the picture, so will her storyline focus more on her relationship with her daughter?
Mimoun: What we noticed a lot in the first two seasons of April’s storyline is that she’s had arguably the most melodramatic [storyline] — the dead husband who’s not dead who dies again. She’s had a lot to contend with, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to delve deeper into a more grounded storyline for her, about her life as a mother and a woman who is trying to put the pieces back together for her small family. We get to know April in a much deeper and a much more honest way this year. We’re so excited because Rochelle has been so fantastic in all of it. We meet her mom and it’s a really great storyline for her this year.

Jennifer Esposito is joining the show this year, and you mentioned her character befriends Joss. Does she interact with the other women?
Steinberg: She mostly interacts with Joss. Her character is a really eccentric, fabulous, pull herself by her bootstraps, come from nothing, made herself an empress fashion designer. Which means more fun clothes! As live and spontaneous and honest in every moment as Jes Macallan is, so is Jennifer Esposito. She’s just so talented and so much fun to watch and so alive. The two of them together on screen are electric.

What about other new characters?
Mimoun: We are going to meet a new person who actually winds up falling into two of our storylines — Uncle Mark (Rob Mayes) makes his way into April’s world. He is the brother of Miranda, who was Paul’s mistress from Season 1. He makes his way into our world, and winds up working at Wonder Bar and becoming Harry’s friend, so we get a little bromance going…

Steinberg: Thank God!

Mimoun: Yes! We get more Brett Tucker, which is the goal. Going to April’s house this year is just a lot more fun. We have a modern family dynamic which gives us a little more comedy. He’s just a fun, playful, Peter Pan kind of guy.

So, there was some doubt as to whether Mistresses would even get a third season. It did, fortunately, so are you really going for it this year?
Mimoun and Steinberg: We do! And we are!

Steinberg: We always want to stay true to the heart and soul of our show, which is the friendship between the women. As long as that is solid, we feel we can go anywhere and go pretty far.

Mimoun: This season, in terms of big moves, is our biggest season yet. [Exaggerated mystery voice] We’ve got a murder!

And no doubt, more hot guys? More shirtless scenes?
Mimoun: Always more hot guys! We wouldn’t be Mistresses.

Steinberg: We’ve got hot guys taking off their shirts left, right, and center!

Mistresses premieres Thursday, June 18 at 9 p.m. on ABC.