Lie To Me

In today’s media, there are a lot of different police, detective, and forensic shows, ranging from the classic CSI: Crime Scene Investigation to Bones and NCIS. It’s difficult for a new show to come on to television amidst the popular and well-loved crime dramas and succeed; although the media audience is always looking for a new eye-catcher. When the new season of TV shows arrived, there was only one premier that I watched – Lie To Me. Written by Samuel Baum, it’s a clever crime drama focused around Dr. Cal Lightman, played by actor Tim Roth, and his team that specialize in facial analysis. Appropriately called The Lightman Group, the four members team up with police forces to interview potential suspects and set the story straight. In actuality, the show is based on a real-life specialist, Dr. Paul Ekman, who reads clues hidden in the facial lines of everyday people and assists in criminal investigations. Despite the uncanny ability to read the smallest increments on any persons face, the show backs up their theme by showing and comparing pictures of real celebrities, world leaders, and terrorists caught in the act of vulnerability, grief, anger and more. It brings a chuckle from viewers to see Simon Cowell and George Bush compared on the screen with the same smug look. Using their unique story line, the show tries to steer away from repetition by having The Lightman Group always helping out different people or forces in each episode. Instead of being supposedly confusing, it becomes fresh and effective. Tim Roth, a notable British actor, gives the main role a certain kind of flare. Some critics have called him the new “House” of crime drama with his sarcastic remarks and way of unpredictability. There is also an inner plot between the main characters, adding to the suspense of each episode, which makes the show more effective than if it only centered around catching murderers. With the other main characters, Kelli Williams plays Dr. Gillian Foster, Lightman’s partner and a psychologist, adding the ‘strong and intelligent woman’ character that even I can relate to. Brendan Hines and Monica Raymond are the supporting main characters that act to perfection, providing romance and comedy for viewers at home. The show is bound to bathe in success, as they have captured their audience with only seven episodes. Overall, I’m excited to see what is up next, and I would recommend this show to anyone interested in a light crime drama with good acting and decent plot lines!