TVSquad

(S02E07) "Finally got you thinking like a criminal. Wonders will never cease." - Cal to Gillian

I have to admit, that image of Cal Lightman in a girlie apron still makes me laugh out loud. Lie to Me may have scored a place in our drama category here on TV Squad, but in our household, we laugh all the way through the show. That's partly because my son does a perfect Cal Lightman impression, with his penguin walk and in-your-face look to see whether you're lying or not.

But on to this episode -- the perfect scenario for Lightman and team, in figuring out Max's lineage. I lost track of how many cold cases they solved along the way. Lots.

First of all, I think most parents have a built-in lie detector in their brain. It's not something they're born with. It's something that starts to develop as soon as they have kids and gets stronger as the kids enter their teenage years.

In last night's episode of Lie To Me, Cal Lightman had reason to rifle through his daughter Emily's dresser drawers, in which he found a fake ID and birth control pills. Then he went ballistic. At one point, Emily berated him for "reading" her, something he promised he'd never do.

My question is this: if you have an amazing lie detection talent, why on earth wouldn't you be reading your kids all the time?

I had just gotten into watching The L Word when it got the ax, but at least now we can see more of Jennifer Beals. She guest-starred in two episodes of Lie to Me last season, and will have a recurring role in the upcoming season, playing Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Landau, Cal Lightman's ex-wife and mother of their teenage daughter.

Mekhi Phifer (Dr. Gregory Pratt from ER), who also appeared in two episodes, will come back as FBI agent Reynolds, brought in as a liaison between the Lightman Group and the FBI for those tough cases the FBI can't solve through traditional methods.

The show's second season kicks off Sept. 28 with Shawn Ryan as the new showrunner. He's got some great creds, having worked on The Unit, The Shield and Angel.

Lie to Me really seems to be picking up steam heading into its second season. We gotten a little hooked on it in this household, meaning it isn't "must-see" TV, but if we know it's on, we'll definitely check it out -- and pick up a few pointers on lie detection from Cal Lightman and crew.

Anyone else watching Lie to Me?

If there's one thing we know about the American television landscape, it's that there just aren't enough procedurals on the air. And while CBS has managed to snatch most of them up before anyone else can get their hands on one, it looks like FOX managed to sneak one by the almighty Eye. And as with most crime dramas of this sort, it must differentiate itself from the others by having a little twist all its own. Lie to Me offers that twist in the form of Tim Roth's character, Cal Lightman, who is essentially a human lie detector.

Loosely based on the findings of author and professor of psychology Paul Ekman, FOX was kind enough to send along Ekman's book, Telling Lies, with the pilot so I could follow along and see which of his strategies were used on the show. Yeah, I didn't do that.

Lots of casting news for Fox pilots lately. Tim Roth, who recently appeared in The Incredible Hulk, is set to star in Fox's pilot Lie to Me. The show, which is produced by 20th TV and Imagine Entertainment, follows a researcher in the field of deception detection named Cal Lightman. Roth is also currently filming King Conqueror and 44 Inch Chest.

And the casting news doesn't end there. The CW made some announcements too. Brian Hallisay, who has appeared in Bones and Bionic Woman, will co-star in the CW's new drama called Privileged. The show is about Megan (played by Joanna Garcia), a woman who is hired to be a life coach for a pair of rich 16-year-old twins in Florida.