Life (TV series).html



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
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Rand Ravich Far Shariat David Semel Daniel Sackheim
Co-executive producer(s)	Jonothan Shapiro Marjorie David
Producer(s)	Loucas George
Running time	approx. 42 minutes per episode (without advertisements)
Production company(s)	Universal Media Studios
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	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 episode of season two, 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, ITV3 in the United Kingdom, 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, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, Star World in India and TVB Pearl in Hong Kong.³⁴

On October 24, 2008, NBC announced that Life would move to Wednesdays following Knight Rider, and leading into Law and Order.⁵

On November 7, 2008, NBC picked up Life for a full season.⁶⁷

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.⁸

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".⁸

Plot synopsis

See also: List of Life episodes

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 the partner's 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. (Several hints throughout the series indicate that the amount was 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 (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 having been 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.⁹ 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.¹⁰ Similarly, more of Dani Reese's past will be revealed.¹¹

Cast and characters

Original Main cast of Life. From left to right: Robin Weigert, Sarah Shahi, Damian Lewis, Adam Arkin and Melissa Sagemiller.

Main cast

• Charlie Crews (Season 1-2) played by British actor Damian Lewis is the main character of Life. Crews was exonerated at the beginning of the series after originally being convicted for murder 12 years prior. As part of his substantial settlement he was reinstated as a police detective. Lewis chose to do the role after reading the script, in which he appreciated the character-driven nature of the story.¹²¹³ Creator Rand Ravich immediately considered Damian Lewis for the part.⁸ Charlie was born in 1972.

• Dani Reese (Season 1-2) played by Sarah Shahi is Crews' partner and is initially suspicious of and often annoyed his eccentricities. 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",¹⁴ and she related in another interview that she's had some of the same experiences as the character.¹¹

• Ted Earley (Season 1-2) played by Adam Arkin is Crews' housemate and financial advisor whom Crews met in prison. Although Ted often assists Crews in his investigation into the frame-up, he also has his own story arcs in the series. In season 2, Ted started teaching at a business school.

• Constance Griffiths (Season 1, recurring season 2) played by Brooke Langton was Crews' attorney and now works for the District Attorney's Office. She and Crews care greatly for one another and both make references to a potential relationship if Griffiths had not been married. Originally, Melissa Sagemiller was cast to play the role, but she was replaced by Brooke Langton in July 2007.¹⁵.

• Bobby Starks (Season 1-2) played by Brent Sexton is 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. He has a wife, Leslie, three kids, and a sister, Kathy, who is a badge bunny.

• Lt. Karen Davis (Season 1, recurring season 2) played by Robin Weigert is Crews and Reese's superior officer in season 1. Through the course of the first season, Davis attempts to have Crews expelled from the police department while assisting Reese in her recovery from addiction. In between season 1 and 2, Davis was demoted to Sergeant and returned to field work.

• Captain Kevin Tidwell (Season 2) played by Donal Logue is Crews' and Reese's new boss. He is from New York and it is revealed he is afraid of earthquakes. He has three ex-wives and is currently pursuing a romantic relationship with Reese. Logue was added to the cast in season 2, ¹⁶ to lighten Damian Lewis' workload.¹⁷

Recurring characters

• Jennifer Conover (played by Jennifer Siebel) is Crews' ex-wife who, not believing his innocence, divorced him when he was in prison. She has remarried and had children. The relationship between her and Crews is initially strained, but during Season 2, the two began having an affair.

• Jack Reese (played by Victor Rivers) is Dani Reese's father. Jack is a retired SWAT captain who was involved in a robbery at the Bank of Los Angeles and part of the conspiracy to frame Crews.

• Kyle Hollis, a.k.a. Orson Parker played by Titus Welliver is the man who committed the murder that Crews went to prison for. After the murder, he straightened out and became a preacher. In the season 1 finale, Crews tracked him down and tricked him into confessing to the murder. He was put in prison shortly after.

• Rachel Seybolt (played by Jessy Schram) is the only survivor of the family murder that Crews was framed for. She was nine years old at the time. Crews spends much of season 1 looking for her, eventually discovering that she was adopted by Kyle Hollis. In season 2, Rachel moves in with Crews after her adopted father is put in prison.

• Olivia (played by Christina Hendricks) is the significantly younger fiance of Crews' estranged father. Her rebuffed attempts to make contact with Crews resulted in her spending a lot of time with Ted, who developed feelings for her. She gently turns down his romantic efforts while trying to maintain a friendship with him.

• Carl Ames (played by Roger Aaron Brown) was the lead detective on the case that sent Crews to jail. Despite the fact that Crews was declared innocent, Ames refused to believe it. He retired right after Crews was sentenced, and was murdered during Season 1 as part of a failed attempt to further frame Crews. Against the advice of attorney Constance Griffiths, Crews repeatedly went to Ames with evidence, trying to prove his innocence. This led to Crews being considered a suspect in the Ames murder.

• Mickey Rayburn (played by William Atherton) is a retired cop turned philanthropist connected to Jack Reese.

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.¹⁸ Rafael Alvarez (The Wire) is a writer and producer for the show.¹⁹ Alvarez also wrote a pilot called Panic in Detroit for NBC.¹⁹ Based on this piece they hired him to work on Life as a writer and producer.¹⁹

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."²⁰

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.²¹

Episodes

Main article: List of Life 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 then on October 10, 2007 placed an order for at least three additional episodes, later pinned down as six episodes.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.²² 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 aired Monday, October 6, 2008, after which it was moved to its regular time slot of Friday nights at 10/9c and then after 4 weeks the show was moved to Wednesday nights at 9/8c.

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), Constance 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 permitted 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" focuses on a teenager that was abducted as a child and the similarities that exist between him and Crews.

The conspiracy wall

The conspiracy wall as shown in the pilot episode, "Merit Badge". The wall was recreated on the NBC website.

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 October 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 is 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 for season 1 and a 72% rating for season 2 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.²³ 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".²⁴

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".²⁵ 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."²⁶

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."²⁷

U.S. television ratings

International ratings

The Australian TV ratings for the 1st episode of Life were 1.085 million viewers, making it one of the top programs viewed for that day and timeslot.²⁸²⁹ The season finale shown in Australia (episode 8) on 21 November had the ratings of 908,000 viewers.³⁰

DVD release

Notes

External links

• Official site at NBC.com
• Full episodes of Life free from NBC
• Global Television website
• Life at the Internet Movie Database
• Life at TV.com