Parents' Guide to

Lie to Me

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Crime drama focuses on the details of deception.

TV Fox Drama 2011
Lie to Me Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

zack333
zack333 Adult
November 29, 2014
age 14+

Nothing too Graphic but a lot of themes

Good show, extremely compelling and interesting. The crimes they deal with are pretty gruesome in nature but nothing is every graphic in nature. The sexual crimes in the show are what makes it iffy. A few of the sexual crimes were shocking even to me (a 19 year old guy) but nothing graphic is every shown. No nudity.
1 person found this helpful.
kalin333
kalin333 Parent of 14 and 16-year-old
April 29, 2021
age 13+

best film of all

i still recommend the film to be watched with parent as a guide coordinator . very witty and down to earth dialogue. the acting of all the cast is excellent , you feel that you are part of the movie , you feel that you are a part of the virtual reality and imaginary mini world of the movie and its actors
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) is an expert in deception who has made a science out of studying the tiny, but telling, behavior patterns and bodily tics that indicate when someone is lying -- at least to people who know what to look for. In LIE TO ME, Lightman is the head of a Washington-based consulting company that's regularly brought in by law enforcement agencies, political agencies, private clients, and other groups when they're embroiled in especially juicy crimes and scandals and need to know whether someone is telling the truth.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (16 ):

"Everybody lies," seems to be Lightman's motto, and it certainly keeps him in business. He and partner Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams) investigate a constant stream of cases in which the suspect seems so obviously guilty that you know he isn't, sex scandals with a hidden twist, possibly corrupt officials, unexplainable accidents, and other standard TV conflicts. The cases are interesting, but not surprising and will be familiar to anyone who's ever seen a cop show.

The fun in Lie to Me comes from Lightman's explanations about who's lying. The plotlines may be trite, but the show's science is based on rigorous research and is often backed up by pictures of real people trying to hide their feelings. The characters spend a good portion of each episode interviewing suspects and then dissecting the conversations -- examining the hidden meanings in a dilated pupil, a quick glance to the side, a subtle twitch in the corner of the mouth, and other tiny clues. Even more fun are Lightman's on-the-fly assessments of the people he encounters, ferreting out their deepest secrets to share with the world. Because it's true: Everybody lies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about lying. Is it ever OK to lie? Do you think some small lies are a necessary part of social interaction?

  • Is it possible to tell, definitively, that someone is lying? Have you ever been caught telling a lie? If so, what gave it away, and what happened?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate