Get ‘Life’ Now

Earlier I wrote about the September release of the Season One DVD set for NBC’s underappreciated crime dramedy Life. What I didn’t realize at the time is that the show’s rookie season is already available online in its entirety, and thanks to NBC and Hulu, the video quality is excellent.

If you’ve never wathced the show, now is a great time to start. The pilot episode I’ve included after the jump sets up the plot clearly enough that I don’t even really need to give a description. But I’ll provide a few details anyway.

Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) stars as LAPD Detective Charlie Crews, who was set up and convicted for a triple murder he didn’t commit and subsequently spent twelve years in prison, before DNA evidence exonerated him.

After Crews is freed, he and his lawyer successfully sue Los Angeles and the LAPD for an undisclosed amount of money that’s rumored to total millions, as well as his old job back. Crews immediately acquires a high-class lifestyle to go with his windfall, but he always remains intent on reestablishing his career and figuring out who almost destroyed his life by framing him.

Since nobody wants to work with him, Crews is partnered with Sarah Shahi’s (The L Word) no-nonsense Dani Reese, a recovering drug addict from her days working undercover as a narcotics agent.

Now that you’ve got the basics, check out the episode of Life after the jump that got the series up and running.