Tim Roth: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Dr. Cal Lightman - Lie To Me (2009-2011)

Lie To Me never reached the same peaks of popularity as similar shows such as House M.D. (which also dealt with new cases, week by week, in "interesting" ways) and was unjustly cancelled after just three seasons - annoying, given how much promise the series had and how good Tim Roth was in it. Playing the questionably-named Dr. Cal Lightman, who uses applied psychology to solve cases, Roth struck the perfect balance between troubled and true, rendering a potential "been there, done that" character as a real human being we cared for. Tim Roth is the sort of actor capable of reaching great dramatic heights, and his role here gave him the room to show off a variety of emotions, whilst also keeping his feet firmly on the ground. The show's conceit - that Lightman uses body language and micro expressions on people's faces to tell whether or not they were being honest - was a good one, and it kept the narrative interesting for all three seasons of the show. But really, it was Roth who made this worth watching; he puts in an admirably ego-free performance that we still miss years later.