Thoughts on ‘Life’
Not all fall shows are direct rip-offs from past successes; sometimes they are spins on old standby genres, like Life, NBC’s new twist on the police procedural. In Life, Charlie Crews is a police detective who was convicted of a homicide and sentenced to life in prison. Twelve years later he is exonerated and freed. Four months after that, he’s back on the force, as part of his settlement for his false imprisonment. Everyone in his life, from his (now) ex-wife to his ex-partner. Throughout the pilot, documentary footage of interviews of people involved now and then is shown. As his attorney says, he was granted his life back.
I think, off the bat, the concept is interesting. There are a lot of (potentially juicy) layers to deal with: Crew’s reintegration into society and the force, being back on the other side of law enforcement, new partner relationship, catching up culturally, re-establishing or inventing his identity. And of course, covertly trying to figure out who set him up.
He was in prison for twelve years, and there is a lot of being a detective that involves understanding the culture and community in which you are investigating. I like the details of him figuring out things he missed, like “IMs†and tiny cell phones. Part of this feeds into his poor social interaction. He does not follow social rules of conversation or questioning, which ultimately disarms people and gets results. (See Bobby Goren of L&O: CI.) And while this concept isn’t new (quirky partner with sober partner), at least in the pilot I didn’t mind it. He’s also very reliant on Zen teachings and very into fruit. (I imagine this has to do with prison food for twelve years.)
The partner relationship is fairly standard, with a kooky male with a by the books female partner. While we are told she is the senior of the two, in their interactions, the power dynamic seems flipped. (She is strongly played by Sarah Shahi.) I think that the setup works in the given situation, but it’s a little sad to see yet another Mulder-Scully relationship. I wish the television industry would push the envelope more.
The most intriguing thing to me about Life is its lead, British actor Damien Lewis. He’s a marvelous actor and we’re lucky to have him, I just always find it interesting when Brits find their ways onto American TV. It’s definitely worked for Hugh Laurie, but I always find it a little odd. Maybe I just assume they are too good for the boob tube, but I guess that’s where the money is. Anna Friel, a young, and very good, British actress, is in Pushing Daisies, which starts tonight on ABC.
All in all, I liked the pilot. I like that episodic mysteries will take place over a slowly unfolding plot about the crime for which he was sentenced. I love that Adam Arkin is in it, as his ex-con friend who now manages his money. I think the mutual romantic interest between him and his attorney is interesting, especially since he won’t (for now) act on it. Lots of promising possibilities. Episode two is on tonight at 10pm Eastern on NBC.
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But ep 2 seems to be laying off that vibe. It's also trying to divert attention from the suspicion arc by giving a neat mystery and its solution in 45 minutes.