Lie to Me
Interviews

As Gillian Foster on Lie to Me, Kelli Williams often hears the same question:

When will your character hook up with Tom Roth's Cal Lightman?!?

In a new interview with TV Guide, though Williams says she's one of the few that isn't anxious for this development to take place.

"We can care for each other and be supportive and have those more tender moments and not need to become a couple," Williams said of Gillian and Cal. "Sometimes it's more fun to keep that flirtation there. Personally, I'm not ready to consummate anything."

While it might not be in the romantic sense, Williams told the publication that Gillian will come to Cal's rescue in the near future.

"Lightman is going to get into a lot of scrapes. He gets his butt kicked for reading people. It's fun to see that the truth can truly hurt."

Overall, the actress says there's definitely a difference in her character, now that Shawn Ryan has taken over showrunning duties.

"Foster was in a much heavier place at the end of last year with her marriage falling apart. This season there's a little bit more levity in the office. And since I'm no longer with my husband, there are a lot of places they can take Foster."

Following its inaugural season, Lie to Me was considered a success for Fox.

But the network chose to tweak its highly-rated, Tim Roth-led drama anyway, bringing in Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield; i.e. the best show in television history) as executive producer.

A couple weeks into season two, Ryan spoke to TV Guide about his plans for the series.

"There were a lot of things that worked well about the show last year, primarily Tim Roth," he said. "He's one of the premier actors in the world. The show had a lot of strengths. I have just been trying to refine it, add a little adrenaline, add some deeper character work and dig really deep into who these characters really are."

During the September 28 season premiere, Roth's Lightman strangled a client to extract information from her.

Is this the dark kind of path the show will now be taking on a regular basis? Ryan said:

"The show is still going to have humor. It's not a dark universe we're trying to portray, but a visceral, real world. That's something that Tim Roth really embraces. There's a real blue-collar, rough-around-the-edges nature to Tim, in real life and in the way he plays Cal Lightman. And we want to expand upon that this year."

A slew of Lie to Me spoilers have also revealed that Ryan will explore the depths of these characters as much as the plots in which they're involved.

"I think there's a way to still remain a procedural while still delving into who your characters are," Ryan said. "Certain kinds of stories allow you to open avenues of who those characters are as it relates to the story. We're choosing stories that allow us to reflect and illustrate who these characters really are."

Already a success after its first season, Lie to Me is receiving even more critical acclaim after its season two premiere.

Executive producer Shawn Ryan - who created the best show in TV history, The Shield - has already delivered on his promise to focus more on character development this year.

With that in mind, viewers want to know: In what direction will the Foster/Lightman relationship take? Ryan spoke on it to TV Guide:

"It's something we're going to take a little slowly, but it's something we also take seriously. You'll see the nature and the intimacy of their relationship, even if it doesn't end up landing them in bed together."

But what about Cal's ex-wife, Zoe?

"There's always the possibility that those two could wind up in the back of a car in some parking lot at any moment," Ryan said.

That's reason enough to tune in! Remember to visit TV Fanatic each week for the latest Lie to Me spoilers, quotes, photos and more.