TORONTO - Jason Priestley says the deep, dark origins of his lecherous alter ego Richard Fitzpatrick will be revealed as "Call Me Fitz" returns for a second season this weekend.

New episodes of the lewd HBO Canada comedy delve into the lascivious car salesman's parental issues while bringing in a feisty new female presence to counter Fitz's over-the-top brashness, he says.

"We revealed a little bit of it in the first season but I think in the second season we'll get more into why Fitz is the way he is and why he needs his father's approval and why he's desperate for his mother's approval," Priestley said during a recent interview in Toronto.

"And ... why that sends him down these dark self-destructive paths that he finds himself on."

Of course, none of that introspection prevents Fitz from heading down dark self-destructive paths with gusto this season.

This self-centred anti-hero -- who drinks too much, swears too much and hops in the sack too much -- finds all manner of ways to offend, abuse and flout his dysfunctional colleagues and family members at Fitzpatrick Motors.

When an aggrieved mystery person embarks on a smear campaign that casts doubt on his sexuality, it spurs Fitz to release a sex tape involving himself and a gaggle of motel chamber maids.

In a later episode, the discovery that Fitz has dyslexia has him seeing dollar signs -- because he believes it makes him eligible for a government handout.

Although the show pushes the boundaries of good taste, Priestley says the bad behaviour is warranted.

"The sex and the drugs and the swearing and all that stuff, that's the world that these people live in. That's Fitz's world, that's what goes on and so none of that is gratuitous," said Priestley, who shot to fame 20 years ago as the squeaky clean teen Brandon Walsh on "Beverly Hills, 90210."

"These are not unrealistic places that our characters find themselves in and they're all very rooted in real psychological issues that a lot of people carry."

The new season kicks off with Fitz tormented by nightmares in which he is shackled to a spinning wheel while a shadowy figure throws knives at him.

A psychic tells Fitz the dream is actually a prophecy, and that he needs to makes amends to the "person he's wronged."

Meanwhile, a new office manager shows up in the form of Dot Foxley, a curvy taskmaster played by Amy Sloan of "Gilmore Girls" who has no problem keeping Fitz in check but displays a fierce dislike for his so-called conscience Larry (Ernie Grunwald) and an apparent affinity for voodoo.

Priestley says Dot changes things up for Season 2 by bringing a strong female presence to the testosterone-driven series.

"It's brought a lot to the show actually and Amy brings a lot to the show," says Priestley, who returned to the Nova Scotia set last week to work on Season 3.

"It just gives us another dimension because we needed that. We needed someone like her."

Other storylines include Fitz's continued efforts to open his dream bar, the Summer Wind Lounge, and a serious health battle for his father Ken.

"Call Me Fitz" hits the dial buoyed by a leading seven Gemini Awards collected at the recent TV industry bash.

The wins included a best actress trophy for Tracy Dawson, who plays Fitz's irascible younger sister Meghan and a best supporting actor trophy for Grunwald.

"Call Me Fitz" returns to HBO Canada with back-to-back half-hour episodes Sunday. Meanwhile, the first season of "Call Me Fitz" will be available on DVD on Tuesday.