Tru Calling: Schicksal reloaded!

I watched the premiere of Tru Calling last night and it was pretty good. I am not sure if this show will last because its time slot sucks(between survivor and friends) but I plan to watch it anyway( I will tape it because it is on opposite Survivor) The only thing I am concerned about is that if every episode is the same formula of Tru going back in time a day then the show will get old quickly. However, I will give it a shot and see what it will do. Eliza Dushku is great! I have been a fan of her work since she was in That Night. If you are a sci-fi/horror fan give Tru Calling a try before its too late!

The show Tru Calling is really cool and I never miss a episode! Except I missed the first episode the night when it premired but luckily I caught a repeat of it. This is the best drama show on Fox since Dark Angel! The show is about a 22 year old girl named Tru Daives who has a brother named Harrison and a older sister named Meredith and their mother was murdered right in front of Tru and when Tru was younger she wished she could go back to the day and prevent death from even happening but a few years later her wish was granted. So at first Tru tries to get a job at a hospital and then she gets a job at a City Morgue and then she gets these powers to go back and prevent people from dying in the first place and also reliving the whole day. The whole going back and reliving the whole day thing sounds pretty cool! Now that this is one of my favorite shows I have a major crush on Eliza Dushku and AJ Cook (who plays Tru's best friend and Harrison's girlfriend, Lindsay). I hope this show does well especially that Jason Priestly is added to the show that will help also.

User Rating: 10/10

BOTTOM LINE: Best Drama TV-series on FOX since Dark Angel!

The first 3 episodes were really engaging, fast-paced and had great character and story developments. The show then becomes even better as Tru learns from the people she attempts to save and this show does a great job distinguishing each episode and making them unpredictable. Some episodes are even unforgettable. The main chemistry between Eliza, Zach and Shawn keeps you watching. The mythology of the show really picks up toward the end of the first season and the instant chemistry with Eliza and Jason is addicting. The entire second season revolves around those two and each episode is a can't-miss.

Tru Calling had a great premise, unlike anything else on TV at the time, and most episodes were interesting and mysterious. Eliza Dushku was in top form and had an excellent cast behind her, including Shawn Reaves as her wheeling, dealing brother Harrison. Everything fell into place on Tru Calling but it was on Fox which seems to be a curse for so many potentially good shows. I don't understand how so many bad shows manage to last so long while the few good ones that get on the air don't last much more than a season. Tru Calling now joins the ranks of some of the best shows that never got a fair chance: Firefly, Undergrads, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and Clerks. In the years to come when more and more people discover these hidden gems they will wonder why some of the best TV from 99-04 got the axe while other shows that nobody will even be talking about got season after season. Perhaps the reason that TC didn't last so long is that it was too smart for the average viewer. It helps when you think about TC when your watching it. Tru Calling is not the pop song that so many other shows are, it is an opera filled with all sorts of layers. Tru Calling had such a good set up and did not get the chance follow through on its potential. There were so many amazing stories that they could have told if given the chance. If you have not seen Tru Calling and are on this page I suggest that you pick up the DVD sets as you'll end up going back to it time and time again. The best new show on TV in 2003/4 can be the best new show in your DVD collection, as it is in mine. Its too bad nobody could go back in time and save Tru Calling....... and Firefly and Undergrads and Clerks.........

The candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long.

At first glance, Tru Calling may appear to be a "rip off". It has elements of The Dead Zone, Early Edition, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Quantum Leap; even Saved By an Angel. And with vetran writers from shows like Star Trek: Voyager, you might think that you've seen this all before. Well, you haven't!

But, isn't that the way of scifi television? Even Star Trek: The Next Generation could be considered a "rip off". Why do comic book heroes keep reappearing on the screen, after years and years of already knowing their superpowers?

The answer is simple -- good storytelling. And, especially in the second half of the first season, "Tru Calling" found its stride. What makes "Tru" different is that the show seems to seriously care about the themes it presents to you; murder, life, death, and dealing with the ability to change the fate of people facing this prospect. Tru successfully walks the line between tongue-in-cheek Back to the Future/Ground Hog day humor inherent to the premise, and the serious obligation that would be involved if you could change someone's fate. Tru is a great lesson in mortality and touches on how we all deal with death, with a comic book's playfulness. In this way it is like any great adult comic book that gives itself a bit of philosophy.

The first season DVD is highly recommended if in the US. At the time of this writing the show has been canceled by Fox television and the cliffhanger ending may leave you wanting to see the last six episodes, which have yet to air.

CJF