Zen or something like it....

Just before the writer's strike in Hollywood in 2007-08 a a nifty little show appeared on NBC called Life.  Centering around police cases in and around Los Angeles and police officer Charlie Crews (played by the fantastic Damian Lewis).  Now there are and were a TON of police style shows around it... so what made this one different?  For one... most cops in cop shows haven't spent 12 years in Pelican Bay for a crime they didn't commit.  Then proven innocent by a crusading attorney, he gets his shield back and a serious settlement from the city of LA.  The series only made it for a short run for it's first season, followed by a second that hit a minor snag when Sarah Shahi needed to cut her time on the show for her pregnancy, but both had a lot of really fantastic episodes, an wonderfully developed characters.  Charlie is a fun and troubled spirit... who survived as a cop in prison through learning new skill sets, and working on developing a Zen philosophy towards "Life".  Partnered with Sarah Shahi's Dani Reese he skillfully uses his unique perspective to solve many crimes around the city, all the while trying to find the people who lead to his original incarceration.  As short lived as the series was it had wonderful characters, story and some brilliant photography.  I love this series, and highly recommend it to folks who enjoy good drama series.  It is one of the few shows that originated around the 07/08 Writer's Strike that actually got enough of a heads up for an actual resolution when the series ended.