There are some benefits that come to following up one of the number one shows on television, and Lie to Me is certainly reaping those benefits. Coming on the nine o'clock slot after House, the fledgling procedural has performed well all season, though a good five million viewers under House.
FOX is sensing a potential success with the procedural, which stars British actor Tim Roth as Cal Lightman, a man who can identify microexpressions on a person's face to tell when they are lying. Executive producer Shawn Ryan announced over Twitter that FOX has picked up Lie to Me for a "back 9" set of episodes, meaning that the series will recieve a full second season of at least twenty-one episodes, as opposed to the thirteen episodes the first season received. Not bad for a series that started off as a midseason replacement -- most of those end up shelved and forgotten (remember this summer's Mental? Probably not).
It's also likely that if ratings remain solid, we'll be seeing a season three of the show. FOX is probably trying to capitalize on the House phenomenon (British actor plays a sarcastic savant with a messed up personal life who solves weekly cases with the help of a quirky team), and it's working.
The next episode of Lie to Me, "Fold Equity," will air next Monday, November 30, on FOX.
