Premiere Date and Time: Wednesday, September 26, 10pm
Network: NBC
Time Slot Competition: Dirty Sexy Money, CSI: NY
Cast: Damian Lewis, Adam Arkin, Brent Sexton, Robin Weigert, Sarah Shahi
It’s a cop’s worst nightmare. In prison for life amongst the very people you fought to put behind bars. For Detective Charlie Crews in NBC’s new prime time drama, Life, it is a nightmare that is over. Starring Damian Lewis as Crews, NBC’s Life plays with the premise of a prolific cop convicted of a crime he did not commit, and later he finds himself exonerated, with a huge payoff waiting for him. Now armed with the sensibilities of a hardened ex-con, Crews rejoins the force, but not to everyone’s liking.
Created by filmmakers Rand Ravich and Far Shariat, Life is an interesting departure from the standard police procedural, giving us a character who may have been ‘de-habilitated’ to some degree. Crews forces his way back onto the force and finds a skeptical department waiting for him, including a cautious partner played by Sarah Shahi. Robin Weigert plays the Lieutenant tasked with overseeing the controversial Crews.
Adam Arkin, formerly of Chicago Hope, switches career gears as Crew’s former cell mate, and bona fide criminal, Ted Early. Ever the noble savage, Early is a constant reminder to Crews of the nightmarish existence within ‘the system,’ an experience that has changed crews in profound ways.
In a bit of nepotism, NBC snagged David Sernel who was the director of NBC’s surprise ’06 season hit Heroes, to come on board as executive producer. Sernel also directs the pilot of Life. NBC is clearly recycling some in-house brand appeal for Life.
NBC has made a bold wager with the quirky procedural by scheduling it against the seminal CSI: New York. It is the first time in some time that the show has been challenged on its own turf by another crime drama. NBC is betting Life won’t get a death sentence.
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– Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV
(Photo courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
