LIE TO ME – a new season of Lies and Half Truths

LIE TO ME is the hit show from Fox which airs it’s season finale on September 13th , but fans won’t have to wait long for the new season which returns in just two months. Tim Roth the acclaimed British actor and Pulp Fiction alum creates a memorable character in this successful series playing Dr. Cal Lightman, the egotistical and brilliant psychologist with an expertise in body language and facial micro-expressions. His company the Lightman group is hired by individuals and law enforcement agencies to separate truth from lies without conducting polygraph tests or administering shots of sodium pentathol. It’s interesting to note that Lightman’s character is actually based on the renowned psychologist Dr Paul Ekman, a pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions.

Aspects of  Dr. Ekman’s experiences are part of Lightman’s back story such as the references made to the  tribe who’s masks adorn his office;  Ekman spent time with the Fore tribesmen of Papua New Guinea to explore cultural expressions and emotions.

The show also features former ‘ Practice‘ star Kelli Williams who was unceremoniously dumped from the hit series by writer / producer David .E Kelly in a bid to re-invent the show and cut costs. Here’s she plays Dr. Gillian Foster a co-worker and confidant who met Lightman 7 years earlier working at the Penatgon as the resident psychologist when she had to assess his work capacity after the consequences of a certain mission. Their history is the basis for a strong professional relationship and their admiration for each others unique analysis make for interesting and complex moments of perspective.

Rounding out the main cast is Brendan Hines as Will Loker and 23 year old beauty Monica Raymund as Ria Torres, a natural at detecting lies and somewhat of a protege to Roth’s character recruited whilst working in airport customs. In a recent episode these two characters had a romantic encounter during the prospect of a job promotion which should make for an interesting set of events if they pursue their feelings next season.

The stories have developed significantly this year to give Roth a bigger canvas to indulge his enigmatic charisma. The actors who feature week to week must be able to hold their own against the screen giant who’s range can sometimes eclipse others, they also need to be quite accomplished at their craft to display the necessary levels of deception that can be detected by Lightman’s science.  Lie to Me is a unique series which gives viewers a dramatized look at the techniques which may allow the ordinary person to become better at judging their friends or perhaps their foes.

In season 3 there will be some changes coming up with the departure of  the FBI liaison to the show,  Mekhi Phifer. The introduction of this element changed the narrative somewhat and made some of the cases feel contrived;  producers have confirmed this saying:

The FBI franchise limited our storytelling a little bit because it had to adhere to the FBI structures of  ‘Would the FBI take this case or not?’

Monique Curnen

They’ve announced that a new character played by Monique  Curnen will join the show in a bid by producers to return to the investigative story model rather than adhering to the devices of the FBI. Executive producer David Graziano spoke about the changes and the intention of  this new character:

…We’re going rogue a little bit….Lightman is going to act slightly in the more old-school PI model of a TV protagonist, so we’re doing away with the FBI contract….The character that’s going to be our badge this season is a bent cop, Wolowsky who goes about business in a similar way to Lightman. There’s a mutual respect form the get-go. We’re working hard to make The Lightman Group a dysfunctional family.

Tricia Helfer

Appearing next season for a guest spot is Tricia Helfer who will portray Naomi, a love interest for Lightman who seeks protection from the doctor against her violent ex-boyfriend. Also look out for Anna Gunn who plays Skyler White on Breaking Bad, she will guest star in an episode slated for November 24th.