"Lie to Me" (2009) TV series

Creator:

Samuel Baum

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

21 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Truth is Written All Over Our Faces

Plot Keywords:

Interview | Facial Expression | Investigation | Truth | Deception

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win

Cast

Tim Roth	...	Dr. Cal Lightman (23 episodes, 2009)
Kelli Williams	...	Dr. Gillian Foster (23 episodes, 2009)
Brendan Hines	...	Eli Loker (23 episodes, 2009)
Monica Raymund	...	Ria Torres (23 episodes, 2009)
Hayley McFarland	...	Emily Lightman (15 episodes, 2009)
Mekhi Phifer	...	Agent Ben Reynolds (11 episodes, 2009)
Kristen Ariza	...	Heidi (10 episodes, 2009)

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 (season 1) | USA:TV-14 | USA:TV-PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Kay Panabaker played Emily Lightman for the pilot episode. Her one scene was opposite Tim Roth begging him not to use "covert science" on her date for the evening. After filming she was recast with Hayley McFarland playing Emily. The scene was re-shot and the aired version featured McFarland. Best Buy however gave customers a free DVD in early 2009 with the "Lie To Me" pilot on it. This version featured Panabaker.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Dr. Cal Lightman: That's a lie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Family Gay (#7.8)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Brand New Day

Well done!

So far I've only seen the pilot episode. I admit it. I've got a mad man-crush for this show.

The show's about Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) as a sort of a superhero. He's a human lie detector. He looks for dozens of subtle tells in the face and on the body. He's studied human communication so intensely that he always knows if someone is concealing something.

His company, so far, is involved with police and political matters. There's some significant room to bring in lots of personal interplay as well (we've seen a glimpse of that already).

This is from Imagine Entertainment, the company that does 24. I hope that, as the show evolves, that the fate of the planet doesn't rest on everything that Dr. Lightman does and says. One Jack Bauer is plenty, thanks.

I also hope that the show doesn't become driven by an overarching nemesis. Shows with a strong internal mythology and skin-tight story arcs can be fun, but we've seen so much of them lately that I wouldn't mind seeing the episodic adventures of a flawed hero trying to do something right.