Links: IMDB.com / Wikipedia - Microexpression / Wikipedia - Paul Ekman / Dr. Paul Ekman's Website / Show Official Info /

First of all, let me confess that I had never heard the term "microexpressions" until I began watching Lie To Me, but when I saw promo spots for the show, my curiosity was piqued. I saw enough in the pilot to keep up my interest and as I watched the first season, I was thoroughly hooked. The only downside to Season One was that it was only 13 episodes long.

The premise behind the series is that Dr. Cal Lightman is the world's foremost deception expert who has extensively studied the facial expressions and involuntary body language of human beings. Having discovered that conscious "gestures are culture-specific, but the facial expressions of emotion are universal", Dr. Lightman and his associates at the Lightman Group assist law enforcement and government agencies in exposing the truth behind the lies, as well as working for private clients. (Note: The above phrase I quoted is from Dr. Paul Ekman in the The Truth About Lies featurette and I used it because it is so very appropriate.)

After watching all of Lie To Me: Season One, I can't say that I hated or disliked any episodes, but my favorite episodes are "Pilot", "Moral Waiver", "A Perfect Score", "Do No Harm", "Depraved Heart", "Undercover", and "Sacrifice" since they all gave you different insights into the four main characters.

What I loved about The Truth About Lies featurette was listening to everyone speaking about their part in making the show, as well as the overview provide by the executive producers.

The four insights that resonated with me were:

• Dr. Paul Ekman saying "I have already seen on the set ideas in some of my books that in 20 seconds are dramatically illustrated in a way that will be more understandable than how I was able to describe it in words."
• Always make the science feel real by making the world feel real by using handheld cameras and shooting with wider lenses.
• Since it's not a police show or a doctor show or a lawyer show, that opens up the stories they can tell.
• You know that someone is lying but you don't know what they're lying about.

I can't remember seeing as many deleted scenes on any Blu-ray Disc or DVD of a film or TV series as I saw on the three Blu-ray Discs and they really ranged from awesome to awful. Watching the awesome ones made me wish they could have aired as part of the show, but I also understand that I am not the editor or executive producer and it's their decision to make, not mine. As for the awful ones, I still enjoyed watching their less successful scenes.

If you haven't already bought your copy of Lie To Me: Season One on Blu-ray Disc or DVD, what are you waiting for?