James Van Der Beek is returning to television, but he’s not playing a comedic version of himself like in Don’t Trust the B-, nor is he playing a teen heartthrob like in Dawson’s Creek. Here, he’s playing Special Agent Elijah Mundo in the latest iteration of the CSI franchise, CSI: Cyber, which premieres March 4 on CBS. Special Agent Mundo is current FBI and former military — or, as Van Der Beek put it in an interview with TIME: “He’s the guy that they call when they need someone to kick down a door or chase somebody.” While the show is about a whip-smart team of cyber law enforcement agents, Van Der Beek promises that CSI: Cyber isn’t just “people staring at a screen for 47 and a half minutes.” Instead, it’s a fast-paced crime drama that leverages the world’s growing cyber-insecurity into a new life for the long-time franchise. TIME talked to Van Der Beek about trading comedy chops for karate chops, why he covers the camera on his laptop and what it was like working with Oscar winner Patricia Arquette. TIME: Playing an action character is pretty different for you after years of comedy. James Van Der Beek: Yeah.