Life (American TV series)
| Life | |
|---|---|
 Life title screen | |
| Genre | Drama/Police procedural |
| Created by | Rand Ravich |
| Starring | Damian Lewis Sarah Shahi Brent Sexton Donal Logue Adam Arkin Brooke Langton Robin Weigert (Season 1) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Rand Ravich Far Shariat David Semel Daniel Sackheim |
| Producer | Loucas George |
| Running time | approx. 42 minutes per episode (without advertisements) |
| Production company | Universal Media Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 26, 2007 – present |
Life is an American television drama created by Rand Ravich, who also serves as executive producer alongside Far Shariat, David Semel, and Daniel Sackheim for Universal Media Studios. Semel also directed the pilot.
It premiered on September 26, 2007, on NBC, and aired on Wednesday nights at 10/9c. The series stars Damian Lewis as Charlie Crews, a detective who was recently released from prison after serving twelve years for a crime he did not commit. NBC issued an order for a minimum of three additional episodes, on top of the original order for seven, the day "Let Her Go" aired, October 10, 2007.[1] On November 26 NBC announced that Life has received a full season. However, due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike only 11 of the 22 episodes were completed.
After the strike ended on February 13, 2008, NBC announced that Life had been picked up for a second season and will return for the Fall 2008/09 season on Friday nights at 10/9c.[2] NBC decided not to film any more episodes for the 2007-08 season. The network released the first season two episode, a week before its air date, online and via cable on demand.
The show is also broadcast on Tele5 in Spain, TV2 in Hungary, TV3+ in Denmark, RTL 5 in The Netherlands, Network Ten in Australia, Global, Showcase in Canada, italia 1 and Joi in Italy, TV3 in New Zealand, TV3 in Norway , M-Net in South Africa, AXN in Portugal, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina and Star World in India.[3][4]
Development
In an interview with seat42f.com Series creator Rand Ravich explained that Life came initially from Ravich's own long-standing interest in and desire to work on a police procedural show. Ravich first created the character of Charlie Crews as the basis for the show, for which he immediately considered actor Damian Lewis after finishing the script.[5]
Life was conceived as a episodic television show in the vein of 24, where emotional closure is provided as new clues to the main mystery (the conspiracy that sent Charlie Crews to jail) are revealed every few episodes, with Ravich stating that he and the writers disliked the serial nature of some shows where it feels "like you’re kind of wandering in the desert".[5]
Plot synopsis
First season
Life centers around Detective Charlie Crews, who at the start of the first season (set in 2007) is released from Pelican Bay State Prison after serving twelve years of a life sentence. In 1995 he was wrongfully convicted of the triple murder of his business partner and his family. Thanks to the efforts of his lawyer Constance Griffiths, DNA evidence exonerates him of the murders. Having lost his job, his wife, his friends, nearly all contact with the outside world and even his grip on reality for a time while in jail, he emerges enlightened by the philosophy of Zen, a fixation with fresh fruit and an obsession with solving the murder that nearly cost him his life and exposing the conspiracy that framed him for it. After successfully suing the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD, he is reinstated to the police department and receives an undisclosed but substantial monetary settlement. (Note: During a conversation about his finances with Ted Earley in the Season 2 premiere, Crews says "I have 50 million dollars.")
Crews is partnered with Detective Dani Reese, previously an undercover narcotics agent and now a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Crews is not well-received by Lieutenant Karen Davis, who, during the season, tries to force Reese into offering information that will see Crews suspended and eventually fired. Even though she herself is uncomfortable with her new partner, Reese backs Crews up on numerous occasions, and the two slowly develop a bond.
The overarching story of the first season concerns the murder for which Crews was wrongfully imprisoned, which leads him to confront various figures from his past such as his former partner, his ex-wife, and the detective that solved the case. Near the end of the season, Crews manages to uncover information that implicates Reese's father's (also a retired cop) in the murder. In the finale, Crews is able to bring the true killer, Kyle Hollis, to justice, but he remains unaware of the reasons behind his being framed.
Second season
The second season premiered on Monday, September 29, 2008. On July 21 2008, producers announced the second season would effectively re-launch the series with a new "pilot" episode.[6] Earlier in March 2008, series creator and executive producer Rand Ravich explained that the second season will delve deeper into the conspiracy in the framing of Charlie Crews.[7] Similarly, more of Dani Reese's past will be revealed.[8]
Cast and characters
Life revolves around Detective Charlie (Charles) Crews, portrayed by British actor Damian Lewis, who is exonerated at the beginning of the series after originally being convicted for murder 12 years prior. Lewis chose to do the role after reading the script, in which he appreciated the character-driven nature of the story.[9][10] Creator Rand Ravich immediately considered Damian Lewis for the part.[5]
As part of his substantial settlement he is reinstated as a police detective and partnered with Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), who is initially suspicous of and often annoyed by her new partner. She is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, which is what attracted Shahi to the character: "I like the fact that she has a dark side and she has some demons that she needs to overcome",[11] and she related in another interview that she's had some of the same experiences as the character.[8]
Adam Arkin plays Ted Earley, whom Crews met in prison and now lives with Crews and acts as his financial adviser. Originally, Melissa Sagemiller was cast to play Crews' attorney Constance Griffiths, but she was replaced by Brooke Langton in July 2007.[12] She and Crews care greatly for one another and both make references to a potential relationship if Griffiths had not been married.
Crews and Reese's Lieutenant Karen Davis is portrayed by Robin Weigert. Through the course of the first season, Lt. Davis attempts to have Crews expelled from the police department while assisting Reese in her recovery from addiction. Brent Sexton appears as Bobby Starks, Crews' old partner, who failed to support Crews during his trial 12 years ago. The relationship between him and Crews is tenuous at times but still friendly.
Making recurring appearances is Jennifer Siebel as Crews' ex-wife Jennifer Conover. She has remarried and has children. The relationship between her and Crews is strained. In several episodes, Christina Hendricks appears as the fiance of Crew's estranged father, with whom Ted Earley is infatuated. During the first season, Roger Aaron Brown also makes appearances as retired Detective Charles Ames, the detective that originally solved the murder case that sent Crews to jail. The role of Jack Reese, Dani Reese's father and antagonist to Crews in the latter episodes of the first season, is portrayed by Victor Rivers.
In the second season, Donal Logue will be added to the cast as Captain Brian Tidwell,[13] Crews' and Reese's new boss, which will serve to lighten Damian Lewis' workload.[14]
Production
Crew
The series was created by Rand Ravich, who also serves as executive producer alongside Far Shariat, David Semel, and Daniel Sackheim for Universal Media Studios. Semel also directed the pilot.[15] Rafael Alvarez (The Wire) is a writer and producer for the show.[16] Alvarez also wrote a pilot called Panic in Detroit for NBC.[16] Based on this piece they hired him to work on Life as a writer and producer.[16]
After the first season and the writers' strike was over, half of the writing staff of the show (originally made of 6 writers), who were all also producers, decided to quit and won't be returning for season 2, though according to creator/showrunner Rand Ravich, it wasn't either due to the strike or over creative disagreement: "I just think people went on to do what they want to."[17]
One of the writers, Glen Mazzara, has moved on to a new series, Crash, starring Dennis Hopper, where he'll serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner.[18]
Episodes
Life premiered on September 26, 2007, on NBC, aired on Wednesday. NBC initially ordered thirteen episodes of the show, an original order of seven episodes, and later an order for at least three additional episodes (later expanded to six) on the day the episode "Let Her Go" aired, October 10, 2007.[1] In November 2008 NBC placed an order for the balance of a full season, nine additional episodes. This would've brought the show's first season to a standard 22 episodes, with NBC stating it was hitting its creative stride.[19] However, due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, only 11 of the 22 episodes were completed.
The second season premiered on Monday, September 29, 2008, and a second episode aired Friday, October 3, 2008. Another episode will air Monday, October 6, 2008, after which it will be moved to its regular time slot of Friday nights at 10/9c.
Themes and characteristics
Documentary
First introduced in the pilot episode, episodes of Life generally feature short segments of mock-documentary footage as interludes. These scenes feature the supporting cast being interviewed about their relationship to Charlie Crews and their response to his wrongful imprisonment and release. Appearing are: Bobby Starks (Brent Sexton), Jennifer Connover (Jennifer Siebel), Ted Earley (Adam Arkin), retired Detective Charles Ames (Roger Aaron Brown), Costance Griffiths (Brooke Langton) and in the first episode Dr. Alan Fay, surgeon at the Pelican Bay prison and two unnamed police officers.
Segments are often repeated in following episodes.
Imprisonment
A prominent theme in Life is the effect of imprisonment, both physically and mentally, on ex-convicts, particularly on the characters of Charlie Crews and Ted Earley. Several episodes deal prominently with the effect on Crews, such as his possession of a knife which he is not regulated to carry ("Let Her Go"); his desire to keep his house as spacious as possible ("Let Her Go"); his insight into guards ("Serious Control Issues") and the connections existing between (ex-)convicts ("Fill It Up").
Several references are made during the course of the show to the time Crews spent in prison, which is 12 years. For example, in "Dig a Hole: Part 1" characters recurrently ask the question "Who knows where they were ten years ago?", to which Crews continually responds that he does. Similarly, another recurrent theme is Crews' lack of knowledge concerning current technology because of his time incarcerated.
The episode "Serious Control Issues" focusses on a teenager that was abducted as a child and the similarities that exist between him and Crews.
The conspiracy wall
The 'conspiracy wall' is first introduced in the series' pilot episode and consists of photos and articles that the character of Charlie Crews has linked to his false imprisonment. New items were added to the wall during the first seven episodes as new clues were revealed. A digital reproduction of the conspiracy wall on the NBC website allowed visitors to view and speculate.
While the actual conspiracy wall was dismantled in the eighth episode, "Farthingale", the digital version is still available on NBC.com as of September 2008.
Zen philosophy
The philosophy of Zen is featured heavily in Life, most prominently through Charlie Crews. Episodes usually feature Crews using Zen techniques to stay focused or, by the unique insight it gives him, use it to solve a case. Similarly, he often spouts Zen proverbs.
Crews' struggle with his beliefs are most prominently featured in the first season finale "Fill It Up", when he learns the identity of the real killer in the case that saw him wrongfully imprisoned. In anger, Crews throws out a tape on Zen, titled "The Path to Zen", which is featured in a previous episode, out of his car as his desire for revenge conflict with the inherently pacifist nature of Zen. In the final scene of the episode, when the killer's brought to justice, Crews picks up the discarded tape from the road.
Reception
Critical response
As of August 2008, Life has a 64% favorable rating on Metacritic. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly dubs the series "a very good new show that needs a more vivid title and more of NBC's promotional oomph" and praising the portrayal of Charlie Crews by the "beloved" Damian Lewis.[20] In contrast, Gina Bellafante of The New York Times noted that the character of Detective Crews (and contemporary Adrian Monk of the series Monk) did not portray "law enforcers as believable soldiers of the working class", which she considered a negative. Tonally though, she described the show as "a musical version of a Thomas Harris novel" (Harris is a noted and acclaimed author of crime novels) and found the narrative to be "incredibly satisfying".[21]
David Bianculli of the Daily News (New York) also likened the character of Crews to Adrian Monk, noting that "Lewis is commanding, and draws your attention without saying a word, almost as much as does Tony Shalhoub on Monk." He also praised Sarah Shahi for her performance as Dani Reese, stating that "it's easy to imagine her as the star of her own spinoff, taking her no-nonsense character front and center".[22] Alan Sepinwall, reporter for The Star-Ledger instead cited a resemblance between Crews and main character Gregory House (played by British actor Hugh Laurie) of House, but noting that "where House's quirks and bad behavior are ceaselessly amusing, Crews' idiosyncrasies -- also including a bafflement at modern technology like camera phones and instant messaging -- are already tired by the end of the first episode."[23]
Robert Bianco similarly made the comparison between Life and House and Monk, but noted that the character of Crews is covered "with so many quirks, foibles and eccentricities, you can hardly spot poor Lewis underneath", concluding with: "Strip away the abrasive flourishes, and what's left is a standard-issue TV mystery with cases that are too easy to solve and internal conflicts and conspiracies that make no sense."[24]
U.S. television ratings
| Episode # | Title | Air date | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot: Merit Badge" | September 26, 2007 | 6.5 | 11 | 4.1 | 10.15 |
| 2 | "Tear Asunder" | October 3, 2007 | 5.7 | 10 | 3.0 | 8.80 |
| 3 | "Let Her Go" | October 10, 2007 | 5.3 | 9 | 2.8 | 8.14 |
| 4 | "What They Saw" | October 17, 2007 | 5.0 | 8 | 2.8 | 7.66 |
| 5 | "The Fallen Woman" | October 24, 2007 | 4.7 | 9 | 2.5 | 6.85 |
| 6 | "Powerless" | October 31, 2007 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.0 | 5.72 |
| 7 | "A Civil War" | November 7, 2007 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.6 | 6.41 |
| 8 | "Farthingale" | November 14, 2007 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.5 | 6.94 |
| 9 | "Serious Control Issues" | November 28, 2007 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.2 | 6.27 |
| 10 | "Dig a Hole: Part 1" | December 3, 2007 | 4.3 | 7 | 2.5 | 6.61 |
| 11 | "Fill It Up" | December 5, 2007 | 5.0 | 8 | 2.5 | 7.64 |
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Episodes | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Wednesday 10:00PM | September 26, 2007 | December 5, 2007 | 11 | 2007-2008 | #69 | 8.1 |
| 2nd | Friday 10:00PM | September 29, 2008 | TBA, 2009 | N/A | 2008-2009 | N/A | N/A |
Ratings
The Australian TV ratings for the 1st episode of Life was 1.085 million viewers making it one of the top programs viewed for that day and timeslot.[25][26] The season finale shown in Australia (episode 8) on 21 November had the ratings of 908,000 viewers.[27]
Trivia
Although it is widely understood (by viewers) that Crews was on LAPD when he was charged, convicted and sentenced for the murder of the Seybolt family, photographs of Crews in the conviction montage show him in a uniform somewhat like that of the LAPD, but with a different badge. Yet a second photo within the same montage shows another different badge, not related to LAPD. The first badge is more commonly associated with the Military Police, and the second appears to be from the New York District Attorney Police Detective.
Episode Guide
Merit Badge
The pilot episode opens in a documentary type fashion, with other LAPD officers, prison officials, and various others recounting what they know about Detective Crews’s stay at Pelican Bay State Prison. Everyone thought he was guilty, including his wife (at the time), Jennifer Crews (now Jennifer Conover after remarriage). She divorced him. The tagline of the show is delivered when the interviewer turns his camera on Crews’s attorney, Constance Griffiths, and she says, “As I said at the press conference after Crews was exonerated, life was his sentence and life is what he got back.”
He then meets his new counterpart, Detective Dani Reese, and they work their first crime scene together, where he shows extraordinarily acute problem solving skills and intuition. He even had the idea to “question” a dog that was on the scene, thereby obtaining his first leads in the murder case. Along the way of solving the crime, Crews’s intuitive nature leads him to uncover small crimes that have nothing to do with the case. Crews uses his uncanny ability to connect with people on a primal level to extract information of several different types. Although initially wary of her new partner, Reese protects Crews when her Lieutenant, Karen Davis, looks for ways to get him separated from the Police Department.
There is plenty of speculation about the amount of the settlement Crews gained from his time in prison, which is 50 million dollars, but undisclosed in the Court Order. Intermixed within the day are quirks about Crews that seem to defy normal logic. Because he has been in prison for so long, he has lost continuity with the outside world and has trouble with small things like cell phones and the gadgets that come with them. One thing that constantly trips him up throughout the series is the Prison. Because he has to go there to tie pieces of various crimes together, he “takes himself out of the moment” when thinking about where he is going next (that place being the prison).
While visiting the prison, Crews speaks to a man named Rawls and he is able to connect with him because of their shared experience of doing time. It is here that the viewer gets the first taste of one of Crews’s mantras that everything is connected.
In the pilot, Detective Crews drives a Bentley Continental GT, and constantly reminds himself “not to get attached to the car.” Ted Early, Crews’s housemate, crushes the Bentley with the tractor while trying to drive it at an orange grove Crews purchased.
Crews carries a Beretta 92F as his duty weapon, and Reese carries a Glock 22.
Crews has a hidden room in his house in which he tracks his conspiracy wall. On it is several of the key players who caused his wrongful arrest and conviction. He makes attempts in his spare time to track down and find information that will further clear his name and bring those responsible to justice.
DVD release
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | September 2, 2008[28] | 11 | While the music selection plays an important role on the show, a process supervised by creator Rand Ravich who declared: "You have to be careful — music has to enhance; you don't want it to overwhelm. It's nice to see when it acts as one more component [in a scene]" in a recent Variety article[29] about how such "music-driven television shows [demonstrated] how placements can play a pivotal role, either by drenching scenes in song or by very carefully placing just a song or two for lengthy stretches.", the DVDs do not include the original music selection but alternative songs (NBC's so-called "rewind version").[30] |
Notes
- ^ a b TFC Staff (2007-10-10). "NBC, CBS stand by their newcomers". Retrieved 2007-10-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ NBC (2008-02-13). "NBC renews drama series 'Chuck, 'Life' AND 'Heroes' for 2008-09 season". Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ Welsh, James (2007-07-02). "Ten picks up Fox, NBCU programming". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Bawden, Jim (2007-06-06). "TV lineup launch disrupted". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Seat42f (2007-09-27). "'Life' Interview With Damian Lewis". Retrieved 2008-08-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "'Life' to relaunch; 'Chuck' plans shower fight". The Live Feed.
- ^ Gary Levin (2008-03-13). "For five freshmen, strike means second chance ; Rethink and retool for relaunch in fall". USA Today.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Kaye Villagomez (2008-04-20). "What makes Sharah Shahi happy?". Manila Bulletin.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lewis, Damian. Damian Lewis (Interview) on TV.com. TV.com.
{{cite AV media}}: External link in|title=|year2=ignored (help) - ^ Lewis, Damian. Life video: Between Takes on TV.com. TV.com.
{{cite AV media}}: External link in|title=|year2=ignored (help) - ^ Nur Ainne Johar (2008-04-08). "Life According To Sarah". The Malay Mail.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2007-07-23). "Langton lights up "Life" for NBC". The Hollywood Reporter.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Amy Amatangelo (2008-07-22). "NBC primed to air Olympics live". The Boston Herald.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Alan Sepinwall (2008-07-31). "Freshman series return and rewind". The Star-Ledger.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Life: About". NBC. 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ a b c David Zurawik (2007). "Alvarez gets Life -- a new NBC fall series". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ^ "Did LIFE lose writers ?". The Path To Zen. 2008.
- ^ "Dennis Hopper to do 'Crash' series". Variety. 2008.
- ^ Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times (2007-11-28). "NBC wants full seasons of 'Chuck' and 'Life'".
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ken Tucker. "TV Review: Life". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Gina Bellafante (2007-09-26). "Sprung From Jail: A Cop With Cash and Quirks". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ David Bianculli (2007-09-26). "Police show breathes new 'Life' into familiar formula". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Alan Sepinwall (2007-09-26). "Money makes the new season go 'round". All TV. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Robert Biance (2007-09-26). "Alas, it's not a good 'Life'". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Seven - Daily Ratings Report - ebroadcast.com.au, 4 October 2007
- ^ TEN - Daily Ratings Report - ebroadcast.com.au, 4 October 2007
- ^ Seven - Daily Ratings Report - ebroadcast.com.au, 22 November 2007
- ^ Life DVD news: Announcement for Life - Season 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
- ^ "TV shows use songs to tell stories". Variety. 2008.
- ^ "LIFE Season 1 DVD: It's the WRONG MUSIC !!!". The Path To Zen. 2008.
