FAIRLY LEGAL -- "Fairly Legal" Episode 110 -- Pictured: (l-r) Gerald McRaney as Judge Nicastro, Sarah Shahi as Kate Reed -- Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

“I try not to let too much moss grow,” Gerald McRaney tells HollywoodOutbreak.com about his ability to transition from one project into another.

McRaney is currently portraying Judge Nicastro on Fairly Legal, but it was roughly six months ago that he starred as Carlton Shaw on Undercovers.

“Actually, I was doing both of these at the same time,” McRaney explains. “It worked out well because it’s all Universal/NBC/USA – it’s all the same thing – so I was able to work on Fairly Legal at the same time I was doing Undercovers.”

However, McRaney is grateful for the role of Judge Nicastro. It gives him the opportunity to work with his irresistible co-star.

“I love working with this young lady,” he says of Fairly Legal star, Sarah Shahi. “She’s just a delight. And I’ve told her this – in one respect she reminds me very much of my wife (Delta Burke). It’s a beauty that starts very deep inside and just coincidentally got to the surface. She’s knock-dead gorgeous and completely unimpressed with the idea that she is, but there is a beautiful soul in there. And that’s that spark that you’re seeing and she’s easy as anything to work with.”

Tonight is the season finale of the show and McRaney’s character is sending Kate (Shahi) out to mediate a case involving a couple of family members who are bent on suing each other. Naturally, the judge would prefer not to have the case litigated in his courtroom.

“As my usual tactic, I threaten her with contempt of court if she doesn’t get it done,” he points out.

In fact, McRaney wears that gruff yet loveable type of role well – though he kids that it may be a bit more realistic than make believe.

“My wife might tell you that that’s not acting,” he laughs, then goes onto recall how his daughter reacted to his stern, tough-love parenting skills.

“When my oldest daughter Jessica was in college one of her sorority sisters at the time asked if growing up with me had been anything like growing up with Major Dad, that was on the air at the time. I was playing a marine officer and very, very tough and by the book. Jessica thought for a moment and said, ‘Well…I guess so…only dad was strict.’ ”

He’s a go-to guy for that type of character, but also for productions looking for a dependable actor. McRaney jokes that his dedication stems from his determination to avoid a real job, but he’s quite serious about the work he does.

“I am sort of the handyman, I guess, of some of these television shows,” he begins adding, “but, I love acting, I always have. I’m in my 60s now, but a lot of times I still feel like I’m in my 20s when it comes to what I do for a living. One of the luckiest things in the world I guess is to still be passionate about what it is that you do to put food on the table.”

It also helps that he is still having blast on the job – and that comes across on camera.

“No matter what the role is I have fun,” he acknowledges. “Now, sometimes you have to work with people that you don’t necessarily get along well with, but I have been so lucky throughout most of my career – by that I mean the vast majority of it – I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the great people in this business and it’s mainly been just wonderful fun.”

The season finale of Fairly Legal begins tonight, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network.