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.

(S02E06) "You work here. I know everything." - Lightman

Looks like we've got a bit of a trend going on here. Just a few weeks ago, we got a glimpse into Cal's seedy criminal past and now we got a taste of what Reynolds was up to before he became the FBI liaison to The Lightman Group.

As enjoyable as a one-off case on Lie to Me can be, it's way more interesting when Cal starts using his talent on the people working in his own office. There's more than enough material to mine here and hopefully there's more of this in the future.

(S02E05) "It's always the popular ones who think they can get away with murder." - Loker

Easily the best episode of Lie to Me to date, I have to wonder -- I can't be the only out there who's just dying to know more about Cal's past, right? Lennie James guest-starred as Terry Marsh, one of Cal's old crime pals and his arrival created so many questions that have just pushed aside anything else going on at The Lightman Group. Unless Gillian or Loker turn out to be serial killers from past lives, nothing else really matters right now besides Cal's history.

Here's some good news for you "LieHards" out there:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox has ordered an additional three scripts for Lie to Me, the Shawn Ryan-helmed drama.

Assuming Fox approves the scripts once they've had a chance to see where the story goes, that'll bump Lie to Me's season two total to 16 episodes. It's not a full back nine - but it's closer. That being said, don't forget that Lie to Me was a mid-season replacement earlier this year and the fact that it got picked up at all was a pleasant surprise.

(S02E04) "If we don't do exactly what this guys says, he will kill Cal." - Foster

Looks like it didn't take long for Cal's decision to buy out Zoe to catch up to The Lightman Group. Cash poor, Cal has been relegated to handling simple, pedestrian cases that do nothing more than bring in a paycheck. As the episode opened, there was obviously the possibility that Cal was actually at that singles mixer for himself, but it became clear pretty quickly what he was up to once he started grilling that blonde about marital fidelity.

Lightman looked embarrassed that he had to be doing it, but it did lead to a very heated discussion between him and Gillian. It would have been nice to see them argue a bit more about where their income will come from, but then a case that guaranteed to not pay anything wandered in the front door. Good thing, too, because it turned out to be arguably Lie to Me's strongest episode to date.

(S02E03) "So you're setting me up on a blind date with a potential murderer?" - Torres

When I first heard about Lightman's Mexican holiday via Shawn Ryan's Twitter account, I had pretty high hopes for it because as he suggested, it should be a "fun one." I assumed it would just be Cal and Emily having a grand ol' time, making fun of cabana boys when they lied about being out of pineapple juice or dark rum. There was some of that, but Cal, who always needs something to do, ending up getting embroiled in a fairly interesting case. The problem? The case that Gillian and the rest of the team got caught up in was far more intriguing and Cal wasn't there to take part of in any of it. Well... sort of.

• TBS has Baseball Playoffs all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother at 8, then new episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new House at 8, then a new Lie To Me.
• The CW has a new One Tree Hill at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• ABC Family has a new Lincoln Heights at 8, then a new Greek.
• Nickelodeon has a new Penguins of Madagascar at 8, followed by a new Glenn Martin, DDS.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 9.
• Cartoon Network has a new episode of The Othersiders at 9.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• TLC has a new Ultimate Cake-Off at 10.
• MTV has the series premiere of DJ AM's reality show Gone Too Far at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

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?

(S02E02) "I mean, how can I not judge someone who creates their own harem and then tosses out the competition when they hit puberty?" - Foster

Already this is shaping up to be leaps and bounds ahead of season one of Lie to Me. The cases are more interesting, the writing is tighter, and most importantly, it's becoming far more personal for the employees of The Lightman Group. Every case has far more meaning when Cal and his team are in it for more than just a paycheck. That isn't to say that I'm against seeing cases like we saw in the season premiere with Erika Christensen, but finding out that Cal's daughter Emily has a connection to a statutory rape case he's investigating is far more compelling.

(S02E01) "Oh, your husband likes unprotected sex with hookers, so it might be a good time to get yourself tested for, you know, everything really." - Cal

Lies! Lies! Lies! Or are they? With the return of Lie to Me comes a whole new batch of poker faces for The Lightman Group to interpret and fortunately for us, the overall vibe of the show is a lot more believable than it used to be. If I'm going to watch a show where the lynch-pin of every episode rests on the ability of Tim Roth's Dr. Cal Lightman to negotiate all the little twists a suspect's face makes, then I better not be able to figure it out myself in the first five minutes. When I recently spoke with Roth, he said the show was a lot better now. He wasn't lying.

Lie to Me is not a show that grew on me last season. When it first premiered earlier this year, I didn't even bother watching it. I tend to shy away from mid-season replacements to begin with and something about seeing Tim Roth speaking in his normal British accent in promos for the show seemed weird to me.

Then summer arrived, TV viewing options started to dwindle, and suddenly Lie to Me became a viable option. I watched the pilot, was mildly amused, and then dropped it for over a month before I looked at another episode. At first, it wasn't that great, and now that I've had the opportunity to speak to Roth about it, it's good to know that I wasn't alone in thinking that.

The fine art of interrogation may seem lost thanks to suspects lawyering up and the Miranda warning. Whatever happened to the days when a snarling cop could throw a perp against a brick wall to get him to squeal? Or a sly questioner could finagle a confession by laying on a guilt trip? Still, there are some very clever, brilliant interrogators plying their trade on these days. In fact, when you look at these eight interrogators, you'll probably agree that they know just how to get to the truth. Here are the eight top interrogators on TV today:

8. Captain James Brass, CSI
Brass is the most "old school" of all these interrogators. He's like Andy Sipowicz from NYPD Blue, only without the violence. Brass talks to suspects with a modicum of respect, but a healthy cynicism. He's seen it all and knows the truth is in there somewhere. He asks questions and waits for them to trip themselves up. When they do, he has them write it down. Despite the laconic attitude, Brass has the brass to get the job done.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

Well. This week has a little bit of everything, no matter what the TV fan is looking for. We have current shows (NCIS, House, Scrubs), recent shows that have been canceled (Life, Samantha Who?), classic shows you probably thought you'd never seen on DVD (Wiseguy, Wanted: Dead or Alive), kid shows (Suite Life on Deck, Sonny with a Chance), cartoons (Batman, Dungeons & Dragons), and quirky reality and/or documentary shows (Dog The Bounty Hunter, MonsterQuest, The Universe).

There's also two DVD sets called TV Sets, which are a mix of various episodes of sci-fi shows (Star Trek, The 4400, Medium) and crime shows (Streets of San Francisco, Dexter, CSI: NY).

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?

Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.

Returning Summer: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, So You Think You Can Dance

Returning Fall/Winter: 24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse,, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, 'Til Death (for some reason), So You Think You Can Dance (yeah, two separate seasons summer and fall)

Gone: Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill (though there's still episodes in the can which will air sometime next year), Prison Break (a 2-hour film is being produced that may air next year), Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

New: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Glee (sneak peek tomorrow), Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show (late night Saturdays)

The schedule and some details on the new shows after the jump.