Another Interesting Show from Fox

I don't watch a lot of TV--I prefer movies and books--so for a show to break its way into my weekly line-up requires something different. Fox has been the center of the TV I do watch for several years now, though I do branch of to NBC to watch the hilarity that is Steve Carrell et al in The Office. I have been a fan of Fox's House, M.D. for years now thanks to the acting strength of the still Emmy-deprived Hugh Laurie. More recently I have fallen in love with Fox's Bones due to the interesting presentation of forensic science and the will-they-ever romance between Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz). These shows have interesting concepts at the center, good (even great) acting from central and peripheral characters, and (in most cases) superb writing.

For the second half of the past season, I have seen Lie to Me promos and thought 'hmm...interesting' but I wasn't impressed enough to actually go so far as to watch the show. However, as it's mid-summer, I'm quickly running out of things to watch. Tied of dull summer shows, I remembered the mildly interesting promos for that Fox show. A month later I have finally gotten around to checking the show out. To my surprise, far from just passing the time, I have taken a liking to the show. Though I am skeptical of the science that is at the center of the show (lie detection through universal body language expressions), I found--minutes into the first episode--that it doesn't matter. The acting of Tim Roth and Kelli Williams pulled me in and had me buying the pseudosciencey concept. The series is not without flaws, the writing and, in some cases, direction (especially in earlier episodes) tend to tip the hand, showing the lies before the lies are meant to be shown. However, the acting and score so draws the viewer in that I found myself buying into the overt efforts at deception. Furthermore, since the Law and Order and CSI franchises have beat the crime-detection and whodunit genres to death, Lie to Me, like Bones, is a refreshing break from the normal means rousting the bad guy.

The show is not up to the level of Bones or House, but the point is that it could be. While I can certainly see how many would not be able to get past the shaky science at the center, in my opinion, Lie to Me is certainly worth checking out. I certainly found myself wishing the first season had comprised of more than 13 episodes and fully planning to catch every episode when the show returns in the Fall.