After "Ring-A-Ding-Ding," it's clear: no show on television blends comedy with drama as smoothly as Terriers.

What began as a light-hearted, simple mission for Hank and Britt (retrieve a dying woman's ring) turned serious as soon as the depths of the case was explored. Turns out, the woman's husband was a cheating, lying bastard, someone who actually fathered a child with his mistress.

This discovery was the first time I gasped during the hour, but it was far from the last.

Just a few minutes after he was joking with Maggie about her huge boobs and with Britt over the use of the word "cotton," Hank was comforting a woman he only met a few hours earlier - and then comforting a woman he's known for years.

Katie has only been a bit player through the first few episodes, but the chemistry between her and Britt was evident from their first scene together. It was only reinforced in the opening montage, as they literally couldn't keep their hands off one another as they prepared for Gretchen's engagement party.

I had a feeling something would happen as soon as Britt talked about proposing, but I didn't expect Katie to be the one to stray. The closing scene between her and Hank was heart-breaking for multiple reasons:

Not only is Katie torn up, but Hank is faced with the prospect of seeing his best friend's life come to an end as he knows it. Remember: Hank is also a man who knows all about drunken mistakes. Thanks to Donal Logue's performance, it was clear he was talking about more than just Katie's lapse in judgment when he tried tell her to pretend this incident never happened.

We've been told, in vague terms, that there are skeletons in Hank's closet, but they'll likely come out as he tries to keep this secret from his dearest pal.

Viewers were also treated to a few great Stephanie scenes (a 180-point Scrabble word?!?), as well as signs that Jason really is a good guy.

In just a handful of weeks, Terriers has introduced us to layered characters and a tone unlike anything else on TV. It can oscillate between comedic and dramatic from commercial break to commercial break, feeling entirely organic as it goes on.

Hank began the series wondering if he was a small-time private investigator. But he's someone who now has big things on his plate. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.