0/5

Lie to Me lays low

Critics say Lie to Me is well crafted but nothing to get excited about.

One of TEN’s new hopes Lie To Me, starring Tim Roth and Kelli Williams, is about to premiere in the US.

So far the reviews are lukewarm.

Roth plays Dr. Cal Lightman, a scientist specializing in decoding facial expressions and body language who works with police. Yes, it’s hard not find reviews that don’t reference The Mentalist, Psych or Monk.

Variety said: Tim Roth is such an interesting actor that the prospect of him coming to TV should be cause for celebration — if, that is, Fox had seen fit to craft a vehicle worthy of his talents. Instead, enter “Lie to Me,” the latest slim twist on a police procedural that hinges on powers of observation, following USA’s Psych and CBS’ surprise hit The Mentalist. Fox’s template is clearly House, with Roth (keeping his British accent) as the irascible genius. Hey, it’s worked before, but to say this is anything to get excited about would be a big, fat, transparent you-know-what.

Entertainment Weekly was better saying: Lie to Me is derivative yet well crafted, predictable yet ever-so-slightly novel (all those new fun facts!), so it’s no wonder that Fox thinks it’s got itself a potential hit worthy of post–American Idol time-period status…..But if this review were a face, Dr. Lightman would say it had a forced smile: hopeful, but dubious, about Lie’s chances. B–

Another review at PioneerLocal said: Roth (Funny Games) and Williams’ characters are another variation on the Mulder/Scully dynamic — he’s the more dour, staunch scientist (although he does have a wry sense of humor) who (understandably) has become more cynical through his ability to know when, and how often, people lie…….Lie to Me isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s a solid procedural that should appeal to a more mainstream audience. It probably makes sense for Fox to add a show that doesn’t require you to watch every episode to follow along. Lie to Me won’t be “must-watch-or-die” for most, instead it’s a show that you can tune into at will, be entertained for an hour, and then go on your merry, fibbing way.

It starts on TEN Tuesday February 3rd.

10 Responses

  1. As soon as I saw the ads for this I thought to myself, ‘axed, and axed big time.’ I totally agree with tomothy re the advert as well – that close up of him is very offputting! 🙂

  2. Shows like this are one trick ponies. Seriously how many crimes can be solved using numbers? How many times can House stand there and come up with some wacky way to cure sick people? Boring boring boring.

  3. I used to think Nine were the network with the ludicrous amount of cop procedurals, but now Ten is walking fast towards taking that position. Nine has CSI, CSI Miami, Cold Case, CSI New York, Without A Trace, Eleventh Hour, The Mentalist, The Closer, Close To Home, Police Rescue Squad, The Strip, and a ton more which I can’t think of. But now Ten has Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order Criminal Intent (All 3 airing at the moment I might add), Medium, Life, NCIS, Dexter (albeit serialised, still has the formulaic cop element), Rush, and now Lie To Me. Would it kill for a little diversity?? It seems like all Ten has to offer this year will be absurd amounts of reality (TBL and SYTYCD making up the bulk of its programming) and cop shows.

  4. I cant stand Tim Roth, and the commercial with his beady little eyes staring at us makes him more annoying. I actually wont be watching this this because he is in it. I don’t get when Ten bought this show, it will be treated like Monk and Psych and off the air pretty quickly.

  5. I’ve seen the first episode and loved it. The show is similar to The Mentalist, but because they are not cops it makes it more interesting. And unlike Mentalist, there is a nice mix of quirky characters. I’ll definitely be watching.

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