Television Whitenoise: Lie To Me

I enjoyed this show – I enjoy this kind of thing; the kind of thing that makes you think and lets you feel like you might be learning something as you are being entertained. The instant vibe that I got from Cal Lightman (Roth) is of a character that sits somewhere in a lineage that includes House and Fitz from Cracker, and that is pretty much where the drama resides too – in a narrative that leads the viewer through consecutive dead ends until inevitably victory is won through deductive reasoning. These guys are the heirs to the mantle of Sherlock Holmes – they all have their bright, slightly less sharp, and more human sidekicks that throw into stark relief both their brilliance and their alienness and occassionally their amped-up turned to eleven humanity.

I could sit here throwing up comparisons – another being CSI, but the big question is does the gestalt do more than just re-parse other dramas? Well, I\’ve watched one episode but I can\’t see why it wouldn\’t shrug off the straitjacket of similarity to become its own thing. One advantage of a strong first episode, which to a degree is always going to be like an extended establishing shot, is that you can hit the ground running, build fast and draw people in fast. Once you have everyone lined up where you want them; once you have audience and characters alike seemingly locked in patterns – that\’s when you set off the bomb. I can\’t wait to see it detonate – already can\’t wait. A strong cast, good dialogue, and a spot on rhythm already established.