Change is in the works for Fox series ‘Lie to Me’

McClatchy Newspapers

PASADENA, Calif. — Several changes will be made to Fox’s “Lie To Me” when the second season begins Sept. 28, including tweaks to boost the energy of the story lines and the addition of Mekhi Phifer to the cast. The show airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on Fox.

Shawn Ryan, a new executive producer on the show, plans to inject “a little bit of adrenaline” after a first season that was mostly about brains more than brawn. Ryan, who worked on gritty police dramas “The Shield” and “The Unit,” understands brawn.

The basic format remains the same. Tim Roth plays Dr. Carl Lightman, the leading deception expert who can tell if people are lying by their facial and body language.

He and his team have determined the truth in situations from industrial espionage to terrorist attacks. (If you want to get caught up, the first-season DVD hit stores Tuesday.)

Ryan thinks there’s room for brain and brawn.

“The fact is they are people who are diving into the middle of cases and accusing people of being liars. That can lead to consequences. So I don’t mean adrenaline in a ‘Shield’ sense or a ‘24’ sense.

But they’re going to put themselves in some emotionally and physically harrowing situations at times,” Ryan says. “I think the pace of the show will increase slightly. I just think there’s some juice that can be added to the show in a fun way.”

Phifer, best known as Dr. Gregory Pratt on “ER,” is being added as the brawn.

“I play Special Agent Ben Reynolds. He’s an FBI agent who was contracted by the Lightman group to be sort of the guy with the gun and the badge to sort of help bring some of these cases home,” Phifer says. “He’s just learning about this whole scientist, sort of understanding how to read people and faces and things of that nature.

“So it’s definitely an exploration for the character to sort of get into the family of the Lightman group and be a better agent, as well as be a part of the family and be an asset to help solving a lot of these cases.”

Kelli Williams, who plays Dr. Gillian Foster, says the first script for season two, about a woman who has a multiple personality disorder, has more energy.

“It’s like candy for us, the scientists who get this amazing case in trying to help her out. So we start right out of the gate. It’s really exciting.”