“Tru Calling” Season 1 (2003-04, Fox), episodes 1-4 – Even before aired its first episode, “Tru Calling” faced resistance from the sci-fi community. About 99 percent of Eliza Dushku’s fans wanted to see her continue her role as Faith the Vampire Slayer on “Angel” or her own spin-off. However, Dushku signed on with Jon Harmon Feldman’s “Tru Calling” last spring, and soon after that, the series finale of “Buffy” expanded the Slayer roster from two to hundreds. Suddenly, Faith wasn’t so unique.
In terms of superpowers at least, Tru Davies is one of a kind. She works in a morgue where corpses suddenly spring to life and say, “Help me” in a creepy, tense scene that’s exactly the same every week. After that, Tru wakes up (looking good in a tank top every time) and repeats the day. Tru has no idea why this happens to her, but I’m guessing a groundhog is involved.
If and when she is handed a really tough case, we’ll probably be treated to scenes of Tru repeatedly smashing her alarm clock in irritation ala Bill Murray, but in the first four episodes, Tru has Nancy Drewed her way to saving the would-be corpse every time. The mystery doesn’t heat up until the second half-hour because Fox knows everyone is watching “Friends” before that.
Dushku, despite retaining her raspy Boston accent, has managed to distance Tru from Faith. She lost the tattoo on her arm and doesn’t wear as much black, but I think the main difference is that Tru has a brother (Shawn Reaves), a sister (Jessica Collins) and a friend (A.J. Cook from “Higher Ground”). Faith didn’t have so much as a last name.
While Dushku has no trouble carrying the show (it’s the mediocre scripts that let “Tru” down), it would be better if Tru developed a Scooby Gang of sorts (maybe we should continue the homage chain and call ’em the Buffy Gang). Of course, the show won’t last long enough to develop its ensemble. It’s a Fox sci-fi show, and that means it will be canceled before you can say “Freakylinks.”
If you watch
Title: “Tru Calling”
Airtime: 7 p.m. Thursdays on Fox
Starring: Eliza Dushku, Shawn Reaves, Zach Galifianakis, A.J. Cook, Jessica Collins
Created by: Jon Harmon Feldman
Grade: C+
– John Hansen, ” ‘Tru’ falling, ‘Arrested’ developing,” Brainerd Dispatch, Dec. 4, 2003