Life[]
Life is an American TV show created by Rand Ravich. The series airs on NBC and is produced by Universal Media Studios under the supervision of executive producers Rand Ravich, Far Shariat, David Semel, and Daniel Sackheim. Semel also directed the pilot.
Life premiered on September 26, 2007 on NBC and aired on Wednesday nights at 10 EST. 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 had 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.
On October 24, 2008, NBC announced that Life would move to Wednesdays following Knight Rider, and leading into Law and Order.[3]
On November 7, 2008, NBC picked up Life for a full season.[4][5]
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.[6]
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".[6]</ref>
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 and Lt. Davis's former partner) 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.[7] 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.[8] Similarly, more of Dani Reese's past will be revealed.[9]
Crews continues to investigate into the conspiracy to frame him and begins tracking some retired cops. He tracks down Rachel Seybolt and she moves in with him. Reese begins a relationship with the new captain after her father disappears. Ted starts teaching at a business school.
External links[]
- Official site at NBC.com
- Full episodes of Life free from NBC
- Global Television website
- Damian Lewis fan site at Damian-Lewis.com
- Life fansite at Zennish.net
References[]
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