Lie to Me's Cal Flies Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Two lies don't make a truth, but the two new back-to-back episodes of Lie to Me airing tonight are honest fun. In the first, Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) investigates a mental hospital that may be holding a patient against his will and promptly begins to lose his own mind after he's mysteriously medicated. "Cal starts to descend into madness," says exec producer Alex Cary. "He's quite aware of the limits of his own sanity." He's unaware, however, of just who slipped him the hallucinogenic drug causing him to see visions of his parents — and leading to a 48-hour lockup. "There's a terrific amount of dark humor," Cary says.

Fans can expect a dose of dark romance in the second episode. The story centers on George Parker (Mad Men's Sam Page), a charming yet shady ladies' man who is about to become engaged to a wealthy divorcée. "He's almost too good to be true," says Cary. Spoiler alert: There's nothing "almost" about it, and Lightman is tasked with uncovering the skeletons in the lothario's closet.

A recent decision by Fox, meanwhile, has fans wondering if their beloved show is headed for the boneyard. Early in December, the network declined to order any further episodes to make room for the upcoming cop drama The Chicago Code. But Cary assures viewers his series is still vital and chalks the issue up to tricky scheduling. "They know what this series is and what it can do for them. But they're trying to find out what some other products can do, too. They want to see how other shows perform, then schedule accordingly," he says. "But I'm fairly confident that we'll be very much in that plan for the fall." No lie.

Lie to Me airs Monday at 8/7c and 9/8c on Fox.

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