Life Injects Much-Needed Vitality into Police Drama

December 10th, 2007 at 09:06am Richard Pulfer

Story separates NBC’s “Life” from a sea of Law And Order’s and CSI’s. Damian Lewis plays Detective Charlie Crews, who is sentenced to life in prison after being framed for murder. Exonerated twelve years later, Crews returns to his job at the LAPD with a healthy amount of settlement money and a Zen attitude. Played against documentary interviews of Crews’ family and friends, “Life” is divided between Crews and partner Dani Reese’s (Sarah Shahi) attempt to solve crimes, and Crews’ own quest to discover who set him up. Though the transition is jarring, the focus on story instead of stand-alone cases is a welcome change. Lewis carries the show, imbuing the quirky Crews with depth and a darker side. Shahi’s Reese is also a good straight woman for Crews’ persistent pondering. “Life” airs on NBC Wednesday at 9:00 PM.

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