Life: Season One [DVD]

I have run out of words for the utter disgust I feel towards the NBC network. They really, REALLY screwed up by canceling this INCREDIBLE show called Life. The peacock network has a habit of arrogantly canceling shows long before their time. They do away with quality programming for lesser quality shows that cost them pennies to produce. All they care about is the bottom line. If it's too expensive, too smart or high quality, you can forget about it having a long life on this networkk. It started with Surface. Remember the wonderfully creative show about oceanographers back in 2005/2006? If not, it's no wonder. They cancelled that after one season. Just one. They didn't bother to look beyond the numbers. If they had, they would have seen a very large fan base of loyal viewers. Surface went on to be one of the best selling TV series on DVD, still being steadily purchased almost 4 years later. And now we have Life. A show that was so unique, so intelligent, so funny, so high quality, so well scripted and acted that it's unlike any other show I've seen. Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi & Adam Arkin were unbelievable in bringing deep, sensitive, complex characters to life. Sure, NBC gave Life two seasons, but wasn't fair to it when it was on. Like another reviewer mentioned, they bounced it all around the schedule like a rubber ball. They didn't promote it; I barely saw commercials when it was on. So instead of backing the show, putting their faith behind it, they just canned it like everything else that's good. Didn't even think twice. All for that so-brilliant idea of putting Leno on at 10 (robbing 5 shows a spot in prime time). What a great business move, guys! NBC shouldn't have to look further than their own decisions to figure out why they are failing miserably as a network, and why they don't have one hit show right now. Surface. Life. It's a miracle that Heroes is still on the air. They are so unfair to their shows in a way that's just beyond sad. NBC is chock full of executives who are their own worst enemies, and then scratch their heads as to why they fail. We, the viewers, suffer more than anyone. BRING BACK LIFE!!!!! But, if you are reading this review and haven't seen LIFE, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's amazing. Truly unique.

Like other great shows before it, "Life," (whose poor title is possibly its main liability) is an exceptionally intelligent and creative show that the general public is missing. The centerpiece of the show is the fasinating character Charlie Crews played to perfection by Damian Lewis. As a wrongly convicted cop who survived prison on guts and zen, he now works to solve the mystery of who framed him while continuing on as a detective with the LAPD. There isn't a single moment he's on the screen that doesn't entertain on some level and there's no doubt it's his show. Watch any one episode and tell me Lewis isn't getting screwed by Emmy. Leading the rest of the cast is Sarah Shahi playing Charlie's partner Dani Reese. Her knockout looks are impossible to ignore, even in Dani's dowdy, recovering addict attire. But it's too easy to stop there. I consistently enjoy Shahi's straight-man role to Charlie's quirks and find her portrayal of Dani to be a very real and intregal part of the show. Oh, did I mention, she's great looking. Like I said, it's Charlie's show and comparing others to him is unfair. Adam Arkin also brings good chemistry to the series as Charlie's former prison mate who now serves as his money manager. Arkin's droll sense of humor is always spot-on and he's a fine actor as well. For those who missed season one, or like me, just want to see it again, this DVD collection is a good buy at $20 or less. Watch "Life" for it's great dialogue, interesting plots, original characters and tremendous casting that includes several favorites from another unfinished masterpiece, "Deadwood." I hate to say it but it's probably too good to last.

Once you've seen one episode of CSI or Law and Order, you've seen them all - And that's fine for a lot of people. Those shows are comfort food. They give you the same thing week in and week out, so you can be comfortable knowing that there won't be any huge surprises and that you can miss a week or two or three and not lose any of the continuity - because there isn't any. Life had those characteristics, too. Week to week, the two detectives, Crews and Reese, investigated different cases and solved them within the obligatory one hour time-frame, just like they do it on CSI. Those weekly stories made up 50-60% of the show. The GOOD part of this show (what made it so much more than a normal police procedural) was the other 40-50% of the story that focused on the lives of Crews and Reese. I won't go into details that have already been discussed by other reviewers, but this was a character driven show with VERY interesting and well written/acted characters. That's why it held my interest when all the other police procedurals (OK, except "The Inside", which was also outstanding and should be put on dvd ASAP) bore me to sleep. This show is special. If you like the ordinary police procedurals, there's a good chance you'll also like "Life". If you want more from your characters, look no further (except again, "The Inside" - man, that was awesome) than "Life". This one has something for everybody.

I enjoyed both Season 1 and 2. I especially liked the very peaceful ending, which surprised me.

Parfait

Nachdem ja stetig neue Krimiserien "eintreffen", muss man sich schon etwas besonderes überlegen, wie beim Beispiel "The Mentalist"! Diese US-Krimiserie, die relativ zeitgleich anlief, konnte sich nicht so lange wegen mangelnder Quoten halten und wurde letzt endlich abgesetzt! Die komplette 1. Staffel mit 11 Folgen baut sehr gut auf die noch um einiges bessere 2., zweigeteilte Staffel auf, die ein Serienabschluss mit Auflösung besitzt! Aber nun zu Serie: Idee: Cop wird nach 15 Jahren sinnloser Haft als unschuldig freigelassen, will Rache! Kennt man alles schon, aber die Serie denkt weiter und macht daraus ein Riesenkomplott! So hat man das in Serienform noch nie gesehen! Qualität: Die Optik ist schön, das Buch gut geschrieben. Eine spitze produzierte Serie! Besetzung: Mit Damian Lewis als skurrilen Häftling Charlie Crews und Sara Shahi als Ex-Kifferin Dani Reese haben die Macher die perfekte Rollenbesetzung gefunden. Auch diverse Nebenrollen sind gut besetzt! Umsetzung: Erfreulich amüsant wurde die Serie sehr schön umgesetzt. Vor allen die Anfangskonfilkte Crews/Reese erfreuen immer wieder. Folgen: Traurigerweise mit "nur" 11 Folgen ist das nur eine kurzweilige Staffel, die aber sehr an Tempo gewinnt. Schon der Vorspann macht richtig Lust auf die Serie! Gleich in der 1. Folge schockt es: Die Leiche ist ein Kind! Das zieht sich dahin, weitere einfallsreiche, sehr verrückte Fälle wie ein halbierter Mann, eine 10 Jahre alte Leiche und ein rassistischer Killer auch Todeszug, prägen die Serie, auch wenn die RICHTIG verrückten Fälle sich erst in der 2. Staffel blicken! Zeitgleich werden dazu, wie eben ein perfekter roter Faden läuft, ein paar Nebengeschichten eingebaut, nicht zuletzt die Hauptgeschichte, in der man, hier in der 1. Staffel, in vollen Tempo dem Finale zusteuert. Crew's Mitbewohner und Finanzmanager Ted Early gibt hier das lustige etwas: er tappt oft ins Fettnäpfchen, aber ist auch clever! Eindeutig der beste Charakter in der Serie! Das Staffelfinale ist eine reine Hetzjagd, die nicht mit Leichen spart, und sehr actionreich ist! Der FSK-Einstufung "ab 12 Jahren" kann ich meist nur Recht geben, allerdings bei der Folge "Falsche Fährte" ist meiner Meinung nach WIRKLICH erst das Jahr 12 geeignet! Ansonsten eine wirklich starke Serie, die sehr gut punktet und die mit der 2. Staffel noch besser fortgestzt wird! Für die wahren Serienliebhaber "flutscht" die Serie quasi, denn zwischen Staffel 1+2 gibt es fast keinen Unterschied, die 32 Folgen sind durchgehend! PS: Besonders schön sind hier auch die Dokumentationsmomente, die NACH dem angeblichen Dreifachmord von Charlie Crews aufgenommen wurden! Das ist für mich ausschlaggebend, dass ich 5 Sterne geb, aber sehr grenzwärtig!! Ein Link zu "Life Staffel 2.1" Life - Season 2.1 (3 DVDs) und noch zum fantastischem Abschluss, der "Life Staffel 2.2! Life - Season 2.2 [3 DVDs ]

This DVD series is an absolute Gem. Damian Lewis stars as a cop who has been jailed for the mudrer of his best friend and business partner's family; a crime he did not commit.(Bet you didnt see that coming). His lawyer gets him freed after 12 years and he goes back to work for the LAPD with a settlement of $50m. He leaves jail a zen-spouting, fruit-eating slightly oddball but extremely focused and determined cop with a speciality in seeing what makes suspects, victims and criminals tick. Damian Lewis is outstanding as Charlie Crews, a man who did what he had to do to survive as a cop in prison for 12 years and is now out for justice against those who had him imprisoned and Sarah Shahi as Dani Reese his new, (ex-alcohol and drug addicted) partner, whose father is somehow involved in what has happened to Crews. Crews has a sarcastic line in dealing with the new world he is now exposed to with simple things like mobile phones and the internet causing frustration and a source of comedy. Reese is the world-weary answer to his handling of the world around him. They spend much of this series solving crimes while jostling for verbal superiority. I found the writing on this series first class it is by turns intense, funny and sometimes moving and the music used in the show is also worth mentioning as it noticably enhances this series. This series has an excellent cast list and is a welcome addition to the growing line of great US cop shows, its a pity the UK can't make police dramas this good. 5 Stars!!

Good quality. Enjoyed all the episodes