TV Barn and TeeVee.net nutshell guide to the Fall 2007 premieres

Life

Official "Life" web site

What would happen if you re-made "House" as a cop show? You'd have "Life," featuring a British star doing an American accent (check) starring as a police detective with extremely odd and off-putting behavior (check) who has serious issues with his co-workers (check), but despite his bizarre methodology (check) he gets the job done (check). In this case, the guy in question is not actually named Life (wouldn't that be something?), but rather Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis). Charlie spent 12 years in prison for -- wait for it -- a crime he didn't commit. After new evidence proves he didn't do it, he's released -- and the LAPD settles his lawsuit, giving him millions of dollars and forcing them to hire him back on the force. A decade in solitary with only a copy of "The Way of Zen" to keep him company has turned Charlie into a bit of a weirdo, which is why he's saddled with partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) -- or is it the other way around? Meanwhile, Ted Earley (Adam Arkin), a convicted ex-millionaire financier who was Charlie's only friend in prison, now lives in Charlie's garage and works as his financial planner. Now Charlie's trying to solve crimes in his own inimitable way while simultaneously trying to figure out who framed him and ruined his life.