Life

A quirky drama about police officer-turned convict-turned detective. Charlie Crews has returned to the police force after a 12 year stint in prison for a crime he didn't commit - armed with a $50 million settlement, a strange new fondness for fruit and an unusual approach to solving crime he is turning police procedure upside down. 'Life was his sentence. life is what he got back'.

• Life Season 2 [DVD] | DVD | (28/12/2009 from £3.44   |  Saving you £27.81 (1,275.69%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Charlie Crews has been given a second chance at life... and he's doing whatever it will take to make every moment count in all 21 episodes of the critically acclaimed second season of Life. Damian Lewis returns to his role as Charlie an eccentric detective who returns to the force after being wrongfully imprisoned. Back on the beat with his determined partner Dani Reese he sets out to catch all the LA wrongdoers in his wonderfully unconventional way. Episodes Comprise: 1. Find Your Happy Place 2. Everything... All the Time 3. The Business of Miracles 4. Not for Nothing 5. Crushed 6. Did You Feel That? 7. Jackpot 8. Black Friday 9. Badge Bunny 10. Evil... and His Brother Ziggy 11. Canyon Flowers 12. Trapdoor 13. Re-Entry 14. Mirror Ball 15. I Heart Mom 16. Hit Me Baby 17. Shelf Life 18. 3 Women 19. 5 Quarts 20. Initiative 38 21. One

• Life Season 1 [2007] | DVD | (02/02/2009 from £17.53   |  Saving you £7.46 (42.56%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A quirky drama with moments of startling originality, Life: Season One concerns Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis of Band of Brothers), a cop who spent 12 years in federal prison for murders he did not commit. Exonerated by DNA evidence, Charlie receives a multimillion-dollar settlement for his troubles and returns to his old job, though now as a detective. Cleared of the crime, Charlie still faces skepticism from his law enforcement brethren and the impatience of a new partner, Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), a former drug addict squeezed by her superior (Robin Weigert) to find reasons to boot Charlie from the force. None of this hostility, however, compares with the terrible time Charlie experienced behind bars, where a former cop is everyone's punching bag. Charlie's sanity, saved by studying Zen methods of non-attachment, remains with him after he is released into a digital world, Charlie has a lot of catching up to do, but it is his post-prison unorthodox manner and tendency to speak without thinking that prove jarring for colleagues and crime witnesses. Still, it is easy to root for the guy and appreciate (non-attachment aside) his fondness for the good life: a mansion, fast cars, beautiful women, and lots of fresh fruit. The pilot episode is a knockout, the kind of show featuring moments one has never seen before, such as a scene in which Charlie is forced to shoot a suspect and then talks him through an almost dream-like death. Subsequent episodes are a little uneven in quality, but the overall package is quite compelling, particularly as Charlie quietly solves the mystery of the murders for which he was blamed. Throughout, Charlie's religious transformation in prison collides with his darker impulses toward possible revenge, making Life a fascinating study in conflict. --Tom Keogh