FUTURE ON FOX

With the new year comes change. Some go on diets. We move our schedule around to make room for new additions to the family (as well as American Idol).

Here’s what FOX will look like in the beginning of 2009:

Sunday Jan 11th
8/7c 24 premiere (episodes 1 & 2)
Monday Jan 12th
8/7c 24 premiere (episodes 3 & 4)

Tuesday Jan 13th
8/7c American Idol premiere

Wednesday Jan 14th
8/7c American Idol premiere

Thursday Jan 15th
8/7c Bones moves to its new night

Monday Jan 19th
8/7c House moves to its new night
9/8c 24 moves to its regular timeslot

Tuesday Jan 20th
9/8c Fringe returns (after American Idol)

Wednesday Jan 21st
9/8c Lie to Me premiere (after American Idol)

Friday Feb 13th
8/7c Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles moves to its new night
9/8c Dollhouse premiere

UPDATE: Prison Break and ‘Til Death are returning! The above schedule is just for January and February.

Lie to Me is so official that it even has (the beginnings) of an official site.

You can always tell when there’s a hot pilot floating around the Fox lot. The whispers intensify: “Have you seen it? You MUST see it!” So it was not at all surprising that TPTB gave Lie to Me a pickup to series when fellow Fox-ers walked out of screenings studying the nervous ticks and body language of their co-workers. This show must be on to something.

Me? I’m tuning in wherever and whenever Tim Roth is on screen. And he even gets to keep his British accent for the role!

The official press release follows:

FOX has given a series commitment to LIE TO ME, a compelling new drama from Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Tim Roth (“The Incredible Hulk”) and Kelli Williams (“The Practice”) star in this fascinating character drama inspired by a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth behind the lies in criminal investigations. LIE TO ME is scheduled to premiere midseason.

When you scratch your chin, wring your hands, wrinkle your nose or swallow too much, Dr. Cal Lightman (Roth) knows you’re lying. He doesn’t just think so – he knows so. As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Lightman can uncover the deepest secrets and crack the hardest cases. More accurate than any polygraph, he knows whether those in front of him – be they family, friends, criminals or complete strangers – are honest or not.

Dr. Lightman heads up The Lightman Group, a private agency contracted by the FBI, local police, law firms, corporations and private individuals when they hit roadblocks in their searches for the truth. Joining him at the agency are a variety of experts in the field of behavioral evaluation: Dr. Gillian Foster (Williams) is a gifted psychologist and Lightman’s professional partner, a woman whose guidance he needs whether he knows it or not; Will Loker (Brendan Hines) is Lightman’s lead researcher who practices “radical honesty” at all times; and Ria Torres (Monica Raymund) is the newest member of the team, selected for her innate ability to read body language and catch certain clues that her colleagues may miss.

Here’s a handy-dandy rundown to the new show from writer Samuel Baum:

Tim Roth - “Cal Lightman,” a scientist who pioneered the field of deception detection. He’s basically a human lie detector, skilled at reading the human face, body and voice to uncover the truth in criminal and private investigations. He also applies the same skills to his own life.

Kelli Williams - “Dr. Gillian Foster,” Lightman’s colleague who assists him on cases.

The one and only Mr. Orange (aka Tim Roth, one of the best damn actors around) makes his TV series lead debut in the one-hour pilot “Lie to Me” from writer Samuel Baum.

Roth is “Cal Lightman,” a scientist who pioneered the field of deception detection. He’s basically a human lie detector, skilled at reading the human face, body and voice to uncover the truth in criminal and private investigations. Since the character can apply the same skills to his own life, this makes his personal relationships, well… interesting.

The science is based on the real-life work of Dr. Paul Ekman.

Robert Schwentke will direct the pilot.