Tru Calling

infobox television
bgcolour = #FFD700
show_name = Tru Calling


caption = "Tru Calling" logo
format = Drama
runtime = approx. 43 minutes
creator = Jon Harmon Feldman
starring = Eliza Dushku
Zach Galifianakis
Shawn Reaves
A.J. Cook
Jessica Collins
Benjamín Benítez
Matthew Bomer
Jason Priestley
country = United States
opentheme = "Somebody Help Me?" by Full Blown Rose
network = FOX
first_aired = October 30, 2003
last_aired = April 21, 2005
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 26
list_episodes = List of Tru Calling episodes
imdb_id = 0364817
tv_com_id = 17237

"Tru Calling" is an American television program, filmed in Vancouver, Canada, which premiered on the Fox Network in October 2003. It ran for two seasons of 26 episodes in total, before being canceled.

The show's cancellation was officially announced at a press conference in January 2005, but Gail Berman, then president of Fox, insisted the network intended to broadcast the remaining six episodes filmed for the show's second season. Season two of "Tru Calling" first aired in New Zealand on TV3 beginning February 4 2005, with the final episode shown on March 11, 2005, in Croatia, the following March/April; and, after nearly a year-long hiatus, in the U.S. beginning March 31 2005. In the United Kingdom, the second season began October 12, 2006 on Sky One.

The complete series also aired in Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Pakistan, India, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, and Slovakia. DVDs of both seasons have been released in the United States and the United Kingdom. The final episode filmed was never originally broadcast in the U.S. until it was shown on SCI FI January 21st 2008 as a part of their Tru Calling Marathon.

Premise

The lead character, Tru Davies, (Eliza Dushku), is a young woman working the night shift at the City Morgue. Occasionally, the corpse of a newly dead person appears to awaken and utter the words "Help me" to her. As they do, Tru wakens with a start, at the beginning of the same day, finding herself compelled to stop the death, which may be the result of anything from suicide to murder. In the course of the re-run day, Tru often takes the opportunity to rectify various personal situations involving family and friends. Supporting characters in the series include: Harrison Davies (Shawn Reaves), Tru's irresponsible younger brother (who becomes a loyal asset to Tru by the end of the first season), and Davis (Zach Galifianakis), her friend, confidante, and supervisor at the Morgue. As the series progresses, it is revealed that, several years earlier, Davis had a fateful encounter with Tru's mother (who was, apparently, the last person to receive the "calling" before her daughter).

Supporting characters surviving only a portion of the series included: Meredith Davies (Jessica Collins), Tru's older sister; Lindsay Walker (A. J. Cook), her best friend in the first season; Luc Johnston (Matthew Bomer), her love interest in the first season, and Gardez (Benjamin Benitez), her former co-worker at the morgue.

Jack Harper (Jason Priestley), a counterpart to Tru's character, is introduced midseason as a foil. He is there to make sure fate gets its way, and introduces a philosophical aspect to Tru's endeavors: should she be saving the lives of people who may have been intended to die? In the second season, Tru and Jack compete to get to a person first — she to save them, and he to restore the order of fate, and maintain the balance of the universe as he understands it.

Episode list

Cancellation

On April 20, 2005, Fox announced that the sixth and final episode would not be aired, and that the series would end its run one week early with the episode they originally intended to show the following evening.

Cast

Main Characters

* Eliza Dushku (Tru Davies) (2003-2005)
* Zach Galifianakis (Davis) (2003-2005)
* Shawn Reaves (Harrison Davies) (2003-2005)
* Jason Priestley (Jack Harper) (2004-2005)
* A. J. Cook (Lindsay Walker) (2003-2004)
* Jessica Collins (Meredith Davies) (2003-2004)
* Benjamin Benitez (Gardez) (2003-2004)
* Matthew Bomer (Luc Johnston) (2003-2004, recurring previously)

Special Guest Stars

Season two featured some recurring "Special Guest Stars", notably:
* Cotter Smith (Richard Davies) (2004-2005)
* Liz Vassey (Dr. Carrie Allen) (2005)
* Eric Christian Olsen (Jensen Ritchie) (2005)

Guest Stars

Tru's two Medical School friends were also recurring characters in season two.
* Lizzy Caplan (Avery Bishop) (2005)
* Parry Shen (Tyler Li) (2005)

The pilot episode was directed by famous Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce. He made a name for himself directing successful action movies such as Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Tru Calling was created by executive producer/writer Jon Harmon Feldman. Marty Adelstein, Neal H. Moritz, Dawn Parouse and R. W. (Bob) Goodwin are also executive producers.^ Dawn Parouse. (2004). Finding the Calling: The Pilot (Tru Calling Season 1, Disc 6, Special Feature) [DVD] . 20th Century Fox.

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of "Tru Calling" on FOX. The Last episode was shown on Sci Fi.

"Note: Each U.S. network television season begins in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps."

Region 2 & 4

*"Tru Calling" Season 1
**Region 4 — August 9, 2005
*"Tru Calling" Season 2
**Region 4 — August 9, 2005

References

External links

* [http://tightropegirl.livejournal.com/?skip=20#8190 Tightrope Walker] The LiveJournal of "Tru Calling" staff writer Doris Egan revealing where the Season 2 story arc was going.
(In reverse chronological order intermixed with other topics)
** [http://www.truefan-eliza.com/atsmyth.html The Mythology of Tru Calling] The "Tru Calling" posts archived in chronological order.
* [http://community.livejournal.com/reliveaday Relive A Day Foundation] A virtual continuation of the series.