After jumping on board LIE TO ME in a special guest star capacity near the end of last season, actor Mekhi Phifer happily accepted a promotion to series regular status for his FBI agent Ben Reynolds because he simply likes to do good work, regardless of medium. “Like ER, the great thing about LIE TO ME is that you get to do an array of things, you get to run the full gamut of emotions playing a very three dimensional character.”
Known for his high octane work on both THE SHIELD and THE UNIT, it should come as little surprise that Phifer sees the addition of showrunner Shawn Ryan as nothing but one big plus. “Shawn’s a great guy and really gets what the audience is trying to see. He’s really has added a certain level of intrigue, suspense, unpredictability and action to the show this season.”
When asked what role fans might be surprised to learn was the one that got away, Phifer admits that, “Years ago, right after I had done Clockers I auditioned for Dead Presidents, and I was right there. Until Larenz Tate auditioned, who they [Directors, the Hughes Brothers] had already worked with on Menace II Society.” 
In celebration of LIE TO ME hitting store shelves this week, theTVaddict.com is giving away one copy of the first season on DVD to one lucky reader.
To enter to win, simply share one TV-related lie in the comments below (For example, if I were to lie to you right now, I might say something to the effect that I think the CBS series TWO AND A HALF MEN is really really funny. Or, an episode of REBA is not sitting on my DVR/PVR at this very moment!)
One winner will be chosen at random and notified via email on September 3, so be sure to enter using a valid email address. Not a winner? LIE TO ME is now available on Amazon for only $33.49 and includes all 13 episodes, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
5:03PM: On the reason THE UNIT/ THE SHIELD creator Shawn Ryan joined LIE TO ME, creator Samuel Baum offered up the following not-at-all-rehearsed comment, “At the end of last season I tested positive for HGH.”
5:05PM: It only took three minutes for Ryan to get in his one-and-only dig at CBS when explaining his reason for jumping on board LIE TO ME. “Not only did I really enjoy the show, after THE UNIT was unceremoniously dumped by CBS, I found myself with a little time on my hands.” Ouch!
5:07PM: Mekhi Phifer, who appeared on two episodes last season has joined the cast as a series regular this year as Special Agent Ben Renyolds who Phifer describes as “the guy with the gun and the badge in an effort to bring some of these cases home.” Added Baum, “We needed someone who wouldn’t get blown off the screen by Roth. A man, who had gravity.”
5:11PM: Star Kelli Williams promises a great start out of the gate with the season’s first episode featuring a woman with a multiple personality disorder — played by special guest star Erika Christensen.
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
SCRUBS (8PM ABC, City in Canada)
Who me jealous? Nah, we’re totally cool that tonight’s episode of SCRUBS features a first ever cameo for Zap2it.com’s Korbi Gosh. I mean the girl works hard, and if anybody deserves her fifteen minutes of fame it’s…… oh who are we kidding!?!? We’re soooo jealous! Clearly SCRUBS showrunner Mr. Bill Lawrence has yet to hear the buzz from our recent appearance playing “Audience Member #25″ on a recent visit to the set of GLEE. How else to explain why his people have yet to call our people! I mean, aside from the fact that it would probably help if we actually had people!
BETTER OFF TED (8PM ABC, City in Canada)
What’s worse than Ted inadvertently deleting himself from Veridian’s system? How about ABC purposely deleted BETTER OF TED from their schedule.
AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
In between commercials, pointless banter, more commercials and the results (Lil’ Round, Anoop we hardly knew ye) Season 7 contestant David Archuleta performs.
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
SCRUBS (8PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
Good News: The Janitor and Lady plan a fake wedding in the Bahamas in an effort to score gifts. Bad News: The plot backfires when all of the invitees accept.
LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
Finally, one LOST mystery definitively solved: Ben is not Jewish. How else to explain the fact that he decided to call upon good Ol’ reliable smokey [monster] to atone for his sins on Passover rather than Yom Kippur!
AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
Moments before one of the remaining IDOL contestants [cough*cough*Scott MacIntyre*cough] has their dreams crushed in front of an audience of millions, Kellie Pickler performes the song “Best Days of Your Life.” Awkward.
THE UNUSUALS (10PM ABC, GlobalTV in Canada)
Has LIFE ON MARS ruined New York City-set police dramas for eternity? By which we mean, has Det. Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn) really transferred from vice to homicide? Or will she awaken in sixteen episodes only to discover that it was all a dream and that it turns out she’s actually locked inside a cryogenic chamber on her way to Mars. Stay tuned…
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By: Aleks Chan
It been established – both ratings-wise and in the press – that CBS’s THE MENTALIST is the season’s only true hit. Starring Simon Baker as a former TV psychic who helps nab murderers for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBS has a crafty knack for surrounding its procedurals around important-sounding government agencies no one has ever heard of), it plays up what BONES has been doing for awhile now, but in a tasty, poppable way, so that you have no reason to object to watching it while it’s on, but will completely forget after the fact.
Whatever recreational drug CBS has been spoon-feeding its viewers, it has become especially popular during a time when viewers want escapism they don’t have to think about. It’s TV at its trendiest: when real world problems get hairier, it gets easier. Which is fine – THE MENTALIST is the kind of breezy, set-it-and-forget-it programming that makes for a nice refresher after busying oneself over something as complicated and twisty as LOST. And that can be afforded by Simon Baker, who as Patrick Jane, reads people with such a palpable sense of glee, that you can forgive just how absurd the show’s initial premise is (his psychic facade ended after the murderer he was pretending to profile killed his family).
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
AMERICAN IDOL (8PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
Just for fun, pause your DVR (or PVR in Canada) at the exact moment nine Idols hopefuls get their dream crushed in front of thirty million viewers. It’s reality TV at its best!
LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
The Oceanic 6 discover how they’ll be able to return to the island. Fingers crossed that it’s easier to follow than Anders’ explanation to the final five Cylons on last week’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Because we’ve watched the episode twice already and still have yet to wrap our head around what happened!
LIE TO ME (9PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
A groom is shot at his wedding. Which hopefully will teach people to stop asking if anyone objects… we’re just sayin’ you’re pretty much asking for trouble.
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
LOST (9PM FOX, “A” in Canada)
In this week’s installment of “Kate Can’t Catch a Break” our heroine discovers that someone knows the identity of Aaron’s parents.
LIE TO ME (9PM FOX, Global in Canada)
The murder of a federal judge’s teen daughter leads the Lightman Group to her highly competitive prep school. Nelly Yuki Get a Grip!
LIFE ON MARS (10PM ABC, Global in Canada)
Notorious “show killer” Eric Balfour drops by LIFE ON MARS just in time to live up to his namesake. D’oh!
NEW & NOTABLE:
DAMAGES (10PM FX)
Patty beings to suspect that Ellen may have an eating disorder. Oh wait, that’s just what we suspect! Actually, Patty begins to suspect Ellen’s true motives for returning to the firm.
GEORGE CARLIN: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE (9PM PBS)
George Carlin quite literally gets the last laugh when he’s posthumously awarded the 11th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Among those paying tribute to the comedic genius tonight include Bill Maher, Denis Leary, Garry Shandling, Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Lily Tomlin, Margaret Cho and Richard Belzer.
Since this TV Addict has yet to catch up with all of last night’s television, I thought I’d open up the floor to you, my far smarter and better looking reading by posing the following questions three. (1) Did last night’s jaw-dropping reveals on LOST live up to the hype (also known as serious blogger-overhyped-eritis)? (2) Was LIE TO ME’s second episode as much fun as its first? (3) And most importantly, did anyone remember to tune into the return of LIFE ON MARS? And if so how was it?
The last time I saw you was at the launch party for TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Would it be fair to say that your well received role playing Andy Goode helped land you your role in LIE TO ME?
Brendan Hines: I think so. I’ve had a good relationship with FOX for a while and I think my role in TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES gave me the opportunity to do some stuff that I hadn’t done before which the network was pleased with. In fact, originally I was just going to be on for two episode of TERMINATOR, but then they brought me back in the “future episode’ which was a great surprise and so much fun to do. The last time I saw Friedman [Showrunner Josh Friedman] he told me they were all trying to bring me back. But I’m not holding my breath!
What can you tell us about your LIE TO ME character Eli Loker?
Eli is the lead researcher at the Lightman Group. He conducts voice stress tests in order to see where the spikes are, indicating possible deception as well as analyzes video to uncover micro expressions. Lightman (Tim Roth) also likes having Eli around because he refuses to lie. He has taken this pledge to be radically honest. Which not only means being honest when you’re asked something, but saying everything that’s on your mind as well.
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