Skip to main content

FOX Asks Tim Roth to "Lie to Me"

FOX has given a thirteen-episode order for midseason drama Lie to Me and secured the talents of a sought-after A-list British actor as the series' lead.

Tim Roth, currently on screen in theatres in The Incredible Hulk (and Michael Hanke's Funny Games) has been cast as the lead in Lie to Me, in which he'll play Dr. Cal Lightman, a scientific researcher who specializes in the field of lie detection and is able to discern mendacity by noticing facial, vocal, and bodily expressions and movements and assists various government agencies in Washington D.C. with ongoing investigations.

Unfortunately, Lightman can't turn off his particular brand of observation and unfortunately applies his own lie detection skills to the personal relationships in his own private life.

Project was created by Sam Baum (The Evidence) and the pilot episode will be directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler's Wife; Flightplan); shooting begins in August.

I was really impressed with the script for Lie to Me when I read it earlier this year and I think that Roth will be absolutely perfect as Lightman. The series is completely procedural but the use of natural human lie detection--based on actual, real-life scientific fact--gives the crime-solving drama an interesting twist, one we haven't seen before in primetime US television.

Lie to Me could be a natural fit for FOX, which has had success with crime drama Bones and, if it can get this procedural-hesitant viewer to breeze through the pilot script with interest, that's saying a lot about the strength of this project.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Celebrity Family Feud (NBC); Beauty & the Geek (CW); Wipeout (ABC); Moment of Truth (FOX)

9 pm: 48 Hours Mystery (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 9-11 pm); Reaper (CW); I Survived a Japanese Game Show (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

10 pm: Without a Trace (CBS); Primetime: The Outsiders (ABC)

What I'll Be TiVo'ing

8-10 pm: Britcoms on BBC America.

I don't know about you but by Tuesday night, I'm usually in need of some comedy in my life. Why not stick around on Tuesday nights for BBC America's new comedy lineup, consisting of classic episodes of Coupling, new comedy Not Going Out, and Absolutely Fabulous? You'll thank me in the morning.

10 pm: Flipping Out on Bravo.

Season Two continues tonight with a brand-new episode ("Good Cop, Bad Jeff"), Jeff becomes suspicious of his assistants when he notices that not much is getting done around the house and wants to install surveillance cameras to keep an eye on his employees.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm a big fan of Tim Roth but I'm not totally sold on this concept. I can see it being interesting for a couple of episodes but a whole season? Or more? Hmm...I guess I'll have to check it out and see.
El PresiBENte said…
So it this gonna be a male version of "Angela's Eyes?"
Anonymous said…
Lying and reading faces are inherently fascinating topics & the expert to whom they turn for this show, Paul Ekman wrote several books: Emotions Revealed, Telling Lies and, most recently, one with the Dalai Lama. Read more here

http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Awareness-Overcoming-Psychological-Compassion/dp/0805087125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227025434&sr=1-1

http://sayitbetter.typepad.com/say_it_better/2007/04/happy_face.html
Anonymous said…
I came across the premiere episode on DVD at Best Buy for $1. I took a flyer on it and watched it last night, it also includes a trailer for Dollhouse. My teenage daughter and I watched it and we both liked it. Having read Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink, I was aware of Dr. Ekman and his work. The show is fasinating and I can actually say that I learned something.

Popular posts from this blog

Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

BuzzFeed: Meet The TV Successor To "Serial"

HBO's stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary The Jinx   — about real estate heir Robert Durst — brings the chills and thrills missing since Serial   wrapped up its first season. Serial   obsessives: HBO's latest documentary series is exactly what you've been waiting for.   The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , like Sarah Koenig's beloved podcast, sifts through old documents, finds new leads from fresh interviews, and seeks to determine just what happened on a fateful day in which the most foul murder was committed. And, also like  Serial  before it,  The Jinx may also hold no ultimate answer to innocence or guilt. But that seems almost beside the point; such investigations often remain murky and unclear, and guilt is not so easy a thing to be judged. Instead, this upcoming six-part tantalizing murder mystery, from director Andrew Jarecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ), is a gripping true crime story that unfolds with all of the speed of a page-turner; it

BuzzFeed: "The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now"

The CBS legal drama, now in its sixth season, continually shakes up its narrative foundations and proves itself fearless in the process. Spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date on the show. At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, " The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now," in which I praise CBS' The Good Wife and, well, hail it as the best show currently on television. (Yes, you read that right.) There is no need to be delicate here: If you’re not watching The Good Wife, you are missing out on the best show on television. I won’t qualify that statement in the least — I’m not talking about the best show currently airing on broadcast television or outside of cable or on premium or however you want to sandbox this remarkable show. No, the legal drama is the best thing currently airing on any channel on television. That The Good Wife is this perfect in its sixth season is reason to truly celebrate. Few shows embrace complexity and risk-taking in t