Graceland: one word and you're thinking of music icon Elvis Presley's southern home. But this summer, USA Network introduced a new form of a television series. The original drama, simply entitled Graceland, follows the tumultuous lives of six undercover FBI agents working in southern California.

When they're not catching criminals or setting up a drug bust, the agents are dealing with their own problems, including relationships and substance abuse. The show is a classic good guy vs. bad guy chronicle, with all the necessary emotional and moral issues, yet it still invents its own entirely new style. This isn't just another cop show-it has a much edgier, gritty feel that I can't get enough of.

It all starts when Mike (Aaron Tveit) graduates at the top of his class from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. and the rookie agent is sent out to California, where he joins other undercover agents in a seized beach house named Graceland (the reasoning behind the name is cleverly explained in the first episode). Mike is not thrilled about the assignment-he has big dreams that mostly include assuming a high level position in Washington, D.C.-but he soon finds out that he is actually in Cali to investigate fellow FBI agent Briggs (Daniel Sunjata), who is the natural alpha of the house.

The series premiered on June 6 and the season finale is slated for Sept. 12, meaning I only have two more episodes left to satisfy my Graceland addiction. Conveniently airing on Thursday nights after my other USA favorite Burn Notice, Graceland has been the perfect summer hit series-action-packed intrigue and dynamic relationships.

In fact, the development of relationships between the characters is one of the most notable aspects of the show. Spy shows, between the action, murder and deception, often lose the more delicate sides of a plotline. However, Graceland does an outstanding job at balancing the action with more emotional appeals, especially the tight-knit relationship between the agents.

FBI agent Charlie (Vanessa Ferlito) is a standout on the show for both her motherly vibe in the house and her trashy, heroin-addict undercover role. Charlie has a great friendship with newbie Mike and even a romantic flicker, but it is her support, yet suspicion of bad boy Briggs that really drives the show. An undeniable trust exists between Briggs and Charlie, yet the audience also sees the friction of their relationship and how neither fully lets their guard down.

Comic relief is provided by Johnny (Manny Montana), another FBI agent who seems to have little cases of his own and often takes backstage to Briggs and Mike's ever-evolving needs. Johnny is much less serious than the other agents, which does seem to leave him with the relentless thought that he is underappreciated. And when tension is particularly hot between Charlie and Briggs, Johnny becomes the middle man-like a child running between fighting parents. Although he does play a comedic role, Johnny is one of my favorite characters and knows exactly when to bring the charm.

Paige (Serinda Swan) was less prominent toward the beginning of the season, but in episodes six, seven and eight, her relationship with Mike grows after he reveals an important secret to her-giving her much more screen time. The undeniably beautiful actress has a lot of potential to bring to the show, and I hope that her character will continue to play a main role.

As the season finale comes ever closer, I'm eager to see where the season goes with so many things hanging in the balance right now. Graceland has managed to coax the perfect amount of curiosity and dedication from the viewer, so it is my guess that it will return for a second season.

My other USA favorite, Burn Notice, is ending, so it only makes sense to fill that slot. With its interlocking, endlessly entangling web of secrets that the characters spin, Graceland has proven to be one of the hottest shows of the summer.