Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Lie to Me: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

I've seen better, but I've certainly seen worse...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 28, 2009

What do All in the Family, Quantum Leap, Dallas, Happy Days, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Practice have in common? (Aside from this seemingly random question?) They were all successful midseason replacements; series tossed to the hungry masses after less desirable shows had been sampled, rejected and, ultimately, canceled. But not all midseason replacements go on to earn great acclaim. In fact, the overwhelming majority disappear as quickly and quietly as the failed shows that preceded them. Others merely eek by, struggling to find an audience while nabbing just enough viewers to stay afloat. Such is the case with Lie to Me, a Fox procedural based on a rather transparent gimmick, and overshadowed by the prosperity and, in this humble writer's opinion, superiority of CBS's strikingly similar hit, The Mentalist (which debuted in 2008, some four months earlier). Formulaic episodes and stalled storylines aside though, Lie to Me has one major asset; an asset the series' second season helmsman, Shield creator Shawn Ryan, would do well to exploit at every turn. That asset? Mr. Orange himself, Tim Roth.

"I can tell by the placement of your thumbs that you're a breakfast-for-dinner kinda guy."

Much like The Mentalist, Roth's first foray in ongoing television drama tells the story of Dr. Cal Lightman (Roth, of course), a perceptive psychologist whose company, the Lightman Group, offers a variety of helpful services to local and federal investigators looking to crack tough cases (or suspects, as it were). With a tragic backstory and a knack for sniffing out the most manipulative schemers, the good doctor -- along with his sharp colleague, Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams), his most talented pupil, Ria Torres (Monica Raymund), a helpful FBI agent, Ben Reynolds (Mekhi Phifer), and his co-worker and proponent of "radical honesty," Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) -- works to help his clients find truth where none has been provided or obtained, and attempts to gain a foothold in his splintering personal life. He not only has to contend with murderers and other vicious criminals, he has to deal with his feisty teenage daughter (Hayley McFarland), his ex-wife (Jennifer Beals), and his employees' penchant for drama. While his challenges are many and his tactics are questionable, Lightman gets the job done, bringing justice to the unjust, and dragging liars, kicking and screaming, into the... ahem, light.

I have quite a few problems with Lie to Me; problems the series' second season creative team will hopefully resolve. First and foremost, Lightman's amazing abilities are undermined by the fact that attentive viewers will notice the same facial twitches and foot shuffling our self-proclaimed expert uses to solve entire cases. Unlike The Mentalist (there I did it again), Lie to Me is too obvious, working overtime to make sure everyone in the audience, even that poor sap who runs to the bathroom without pausing his TiVo, is able to keep up with everything Lightman is seeing. The characters telegraph nearly all of their punches, making each outcome and emotion more apparent from the get-go than procedural fans are accustomed to. But even when an episode does manage to effectively camouflage the clues that would prematurely lead to answers, it does so by cutting corners and using convenient catch-alls to wrap up everything in a nice, neat here-ya-go package. There's little intrigue to be uncovered, and even fewer thrills to be had. Like most Fox series of late, the show does get better as it barrels along, but with only thirteen first season episodes, the writers simply aren't given the time they need to present a case as to why curious newcomers should stay on board, much less why its faithful few -- nine million viewers strong at the end of its initial broadcast run -- should return to its fold when its second season debuts this week.

Still, Lie to Me has quite a few good ideas pulsing just below its unexpectedly shallow surface (even if The Mentalist has already capitalized on most of them), and offers some promising performances that, given a proper second season development cycle, might just make the series worthy of more attention and praise than it currently deserves. Roth is an absolute blast to watch on screen; an actor's actor who pulls his every expression and movement in line with his every word. If his supporting cast are able to claw their way up to his level, they could easily transform their characters into living, breathing human beings; people I actually care about; investigators I want to follow on a weekly basis. Like other, more competent ensemble dramas -- Fringe, The Closer, Lost, Supernatural, Dollhouse, Dexter, and... can't... resist... The Mentalist immediately come to mind -- Lie to Me needs to maintain its composure, tone, and momentum even when its star-power is off camera. As it stands, there's very little reason to watch Lie to Me: Season One. I can't think of much more you would need to know going into its second season premiere (other than the basics of its premise), and I seriously doubt anyone who jumps right into season two will be lost for more than ten minutes. Give this thirteen-episode quickie a spin if your television schedule isn't already clogged... otherwise, watch an episode or two of its second season to determine if the series is even worth your time.

Lie to Me: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lie to Me's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is generally strong but ultimately uneven, struggling with errant noise, inconsistent contrast leveling, and some heavy edge enhancement. Issues aside, the series' palette is bold and vibrant, blacks are deep, and skintones (despite some occasionally flushed faces) are warm and lifelike. Detail is also fairly impressive. While some shots are softer than others, object edges are sharp and textures are crisp, blessing the majority of scenes with an attractive appearance fans and newcomers will appreciate. Moreover, the technical transfer is quite proficient -- I didn't detect any significant macroblocking, aliasing, or pesky noise reduction, certainly none that interfered with the integrity of the image. Yes, crush is a regular offender and delineation is problematic at inopportune times, but neither distract from the overall impact of the presentation. All things considered, Lie to Me may be rough around the edges (sometimes quite literally), but it looks pretty good for a television release. I imagine fans will be pleased with the results.

Lie to Me: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray edition of Lie to Me: Season One features a competent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that handles the series' modest soundscape with ease. Dialogue is crystal clear, intelligible, and perfectly prioritized -- quite commendable for such a chatty series -- but there simply isn't much else to hear. LFE output is weighty but mainly chained to a handful of sequences (particularly those in which the show's musical score swells to accentuate the on-screen drama); rear speaker activity is sparse, making for a front-heavy experience; and immersion waxes and wanes from scene to scene (drawing listeners into Cal's world as often as it pushes them back out). Still, acoustics are believable, and ambience, regardless of how subdued it may be, is appropriate for the action (or lack thereof) on hand. More importantly, directional effects are convincing when called upon and pans are fairly smooth. I wouldn't go so far as to say anyone will be blown away by what they hear, but those who approach Fox's lossless track with realistic expectations will be satisfied nonetheless.

Lie to Me: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, without a single audio commentary to be found, the 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Lie to Me: Season One doesn't have a lot of supplemental material to go around. A 26-minute, high definition production documentary -- aptly titled Truth About Lies -- delivers a candid, oft-times insightful overview of the creation, casting, and development of the series, and twenty minutes of dry Deleted Scenes (also in HD) offer a handful of decent character beats, but television enthusiasts will be disappointed with the slim package.

Lie to Me: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm sure some people will be smitten with Lie to Me's twists and turns, but most of its episodes were too by-the-book to hold my interest. Here's hoping season two will take a cue from The Mentalist and inject some subtlety and soul into Roth's procedural gauntlet. Sadly, the Blu-ray edition is merely an average television release; one that features an above average AV presentation but little more. I'd recommend renting Lie to Me: Season One long before considering a purchase, especially at its current price point.