Things don’t look good for Lie To Me, as per this Hollywood Reporter article.
Although I like the show, it is already getting a little stale - it started off pretty good, but staring at eyeballs to see if someone is lying or telling the truth is starting to get a bit tedious week after week.
Still, there are a lot worse show still airing (Hank) that should get the boot before “Lie To Me” does.
I’ve noticed there’s a standard trend with a lot of new shows, that goes sort of like this.
A decent concept gives a show about ten episodes worth of stories at its first step of development. They then need three more stories that may or may not impact the arc, but can pretty much slip into the schedule at any spot, e.g. it could be at episode 3, or episode 7, and it wouldn’t matter.
After it starts to become a success, they realise they need more stories for the next season, and as they have already played out their initial conceptual ideas, they need to introduce subplots and character quirks to keep the show interesting and mix it up a little. But they also need to maintain the core concept that has made it a success so far.
That means they will have more episodes that are cookie-cutter and can-fit-anywhere-in-the-canon while they try to sneak in their new arcs.
What that means is the first few episodes of the second season will always feel repetitious and same-y, until about episode 2.4 when they will introduce a simple twist, like moving the whole episode in a new location, introducing a new main character, or having some game-changing twist that will affect the following few episodes.
It’s a risk that if they change the show too much to keep it interesting at the wrong moment, it may turn people off what they liked in the show, but if they don’t change the gameplay at all, it will get too repetitious and predictable.
So. Having said all that, expect a new thread to appear in Lie To Me from about episode 2.4 or 2.5.
I’m watching episode 2.4 now, and it’s set in Mexico, they have a character from the pre-show past, and the daughter has her largest role yet. That may all be key to the show’s future direction.
I expressed my misgivings when they started off this season w/ multiple personalities. Now they follow up with what is perhaps the other most BS premise for a TV show - a hostage situation. Doesn’t look good.
It is SO hard for shows to take such incredibly unrealistic premises, and try to style the characters as acting “normally” within them. In my mind, reliance on such extreme situations reflects a lack of creativity on behalf of the writers/creators in terms of character and/or plot development.
Okay to ask a couple of questions about the show and last night’s ep? How the heck did they go from Gillian in the bar asking the suspect “Who knows how to change a flat tire?” to the guy voluntarily accompanying them into the Lightman HQ. That single transition just struck me as so outrageously abrupt and unbelievable.
At the beginning and end of the show they show a black screen wth the show’s title centered in white print. Above and below the title are several paragraphs of exceedingly small print. rety much reminds me of a disclaimed in advertising. Anyone know what that says, or why it is there?
Basically, a short version of “this isn’t based on any actual person or case.”
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/lie_to_me_season_one_blu/title_IMG_3313.jpg shows the text a bit more clearly, and longer. {hate the site’s name, but it passes my work filters ok}
If that’s the short version, I’d hate to see the extended play! 
So, is this just a conceit to attempt to suggest that the lie detection is more sciencey than other TV dramas? Because I do not recall any similar disclaimers for Bones, or any number of other crime detection shows.
It probably didn’t help that last night’s show didn’t even start until 45 minutes after the normal time. Does Fox think they’re CBS and Monday is Sunday now? Anyway, it royally screwed over my DVR, I can only imagine people turning in at 9 didn’t want to sit through 45 mins of House to get to it. Unless they already watch House, in which case they would’ve been having their own issues at 8.
The problem is not the extreme situation, it’s having the characters act normally within them. The plot can be as magical and unrealistic as you want, so long as your characters behave realistically.
The Shield deals with extreme situations, but it looks very real because the characters react to them in realistic ways.
The problem with the multiple personality plot was that everyone in the Lightman group took it so seriously. There was no disbelief, amazement, curiosity (they are scientists right?) or exhaustion (because the problem is so complex). Rather it was either anger or seriousness. Because I guess that is what a professional is supposed to be like. So the Lightman group behaves like a fantasy forensic team rather than like a group of human beings.
Every character in the show (except Lightman) seems like they have only one emotion that they can react with to every situation. Only Lightman is interesting and that is probably due to Tim Roth being an excellent actor. The writing clearly does not match his talent.
Imho, it’s based on a pilot from a few years ago.
A PI character was introduced on House MD which was supposed to be a trial run of a new detective show. The well-known fact is that House itself is a medical version of Sherlock Holmes, so of course the natural spin-off would be an actual mystery show featuring a real detective. The idea didn’t catch on, and was dropped. However, I can see many aspects recycled in Lie to Me, particularly the casting of British lead.
But, imho, what Lie to Me is lacking is the pseudo-science and real deduction that is the core of both Sherlock and House. In Lie to Me, Lightman usually does some psychobabble, handwaving, and then a dramatic pronouncement of truth/lie that leads to the denouement, with very little real detection involved.
He might as well be a wizard with a “Truth Wand.”
Baseball screwed it over. Thankfully, we started to watch House just as it was “finishing” recording, so we noticed the LA/NY game in very extra innings. We recorded the 10PM news to catch the end of Lie To Me.
I’ve been on the other side of that equation, watching NASCAR, where they cut away to go to announcing that the Red Sox were headed to the World series. Which they had mentioned in the NASCAR broadcast, and had crawlers across the bottom, but it was deemed more important to cut away to a 3 hour old announcment, than show post game interviews of the drivers.
In any case, it would have been wrong of the station to stop showing a live game to go to the “next thing.” It sucks for us DVR people on broadcast stations, as there isn’t a chance to “rerecord” later in the day/week… but it’s the best of a bad situation.
This kind of writing will (for me) forevermore be known as “teching the tech.”
I disagree. I feel if a televised event, yes even something as “holy” as sports, can’t finish by the time it’s supposed to finish, then it should be tough luck. I don’t really give a shit if that leaves them in a tie, or with time left on the clock. It’s ridiculous the way sports are catered to like they’re the end all be all of existence.
Nah, the best would be to take the sports and put them all on those 18 gazillion sports only channels that are clogging up my cable box. Or even starting sports an hour or two earlier so there’s no chance of running so long as to throw everything off in prime time.
The first few episodes this season were weak but the hostage show was better.
I hope they really don’t “go there” with the two main characters.
It really is balancing between The Rut and Losing It’s Core.
The show feels like a procedural, and while I’m enjoying it, I won’t miss it if it’s gone.
