Life

What do you do when you are a cop accused of a crime you didn't commit and imprisoned unjustly? Charlie Crews ( Damian Lewis ) is that cop in the new series, Life.

He could have gone insane being locked up in solitary. He could have wallowed in a pool of self-pity. Instead, he decided to read about Zen. When he was finally exonerated for a crime he didn't commit, he walked away from prison and back into crime with a shiny, new detective's shield as well as a truckload of money as compensation.

You might think that Charlie, being the recipient of enough money to buy a super-expensive sportscar, mansion, and a big, red tractor, wouldn't have any desire to go back to the thankless job of law enforcement. You might even believe that he harbors resentment and hostility toward his brothers in blue. I'm quite comfortable in saying that it is probably there, just below the surface. But Charlie isn't going to let us know. He now lives in the moment.

There's also little doubt that he's looked upon by other cops as an outsider. To them, regardless of his innocence being proven beyond the reasonable doubt, he's still a convict. Dani Reese ( Sarah Shahi ), is the one unlucky enough to be his partner. She didn't want the job, but being at the bottom of the list has it's drawbacks. She's had her troubles with drug and alcohol abuse, but is "working the program." By the end of the first episode we see that although she may resent being Charlie's partner, an unlikely alliance has already been forged between them.

This is the one premier that I was really looking forward to. I won't say that I was disappointed. Charlie is a little quirkier than I expected he would be. But, I suppose years in prison will do that to a guy? If you believe you've seen Damian Lewis before, that's most likely because of his compelling role as Major Richard D. Winters in the production, Band of Brothers. This is one series I plan on recording so that I don't miss an episode. I fully expect that we'll see his character's intensity grow as the story progresses and he digs deeper into the search for those responsible for his unjust incarceration.

Did you watch it? Is this one on your, "must see" list?