This introduction to the beginning of "Life" is geared toward people who want to enjoy "Life" for the first time, and for fans of the show who have not seen all of the first five episodes. Rather than being a basic summary of events in the first five episodes, it will go into detail about the six main characters, followed by information on the major story arc and what are (from my point of view) recurring themes.

Episode Six will premiere on Wednesday, October 31st at 10 P.M. By that time, the trick-or-treaters should all be home, giving you time to check into this fascinating program.

- Crews is a former LAPD officer who spent twelve years in prison for a triple homicide. The victims were a man with whom Crews co-owned a bar, and his wife and son. The evidence at the time was overwhelming, but twelve years later his appellate attorney used DNA evidence to show that Crews was not involved, and his conviction was overturned. He later sued the city for the wrongful imprisonment, settling for an undisclosed sum of money. No one has confirmed the amount, but numbers as high as $50 million have been mentioned. More importantly, Crews was reinstated to the LAPD, on the grounds that he was wrongfully terminated. Promoted to detective, he is currently working in the homicide division.

Crews nearly didn't survive prison. As a former cop, he was targeted by the rest of the prison population. At first he spent more time in the prison infirmary than he did in general population, and for his own safety, for a time he was in 24-hour solitary confinement. Rather than go insane, Crews found sanctuary in the Zen philosophy, and eventually asked to return to general population.  Even after his release from prison, he quotes Zen in his daily life and activities.

Currently Crews' only relationships are with Ted Early, a former fellow inmate who is living over his garage; Danni Reese, his partner in Homicide; and Constance Griffiths, his appellate lawyer. His wife Jennifer divorced him when he was in prison. Since his release he has brought home a succession of beautiful young women, who recognize him from the newspapers and know about his wealth. Presumably he sleeps with them, although the audience never witnesses any intimacy, and in fact there seems to be strong feelings between himself and Griffiths.

Crews may in fact be creating an impression that he is wasting his time on these women, when in fact he is investigating the homicide which led to his conviction. (Shades of Bruce Wayne, perhaps?)  The police do not appear to be trying to locate the real killer; Crews has an entire room in his mansion devoted to the mystery. It appears that the main reason he wanted his badge back was the access it would grant him to police records.

Played by - Damian Lewis. Lewis is best known for his work in TV miniseries. He played Captain Winters in HBO's "Band of Brothers", and Soames Forsyte in PBS' "Masterpiece Theater - The Forsyte Saga (parts I and II)". He also starred in the Stephen King film "Dreamcatcher".

- Reese is assigned to partner with Crews, allegedly as punishment. It was learned in Episode Five that during an undercover assignment, Reese became addicted to heroin and fell in love with a fellow junkie.  His whereabouts have not been disclosed. Reese is currently attending rehab as a condition of her keeping her badge. From her behavior in Episode One, when she was accidentally covered in illegal drugs and frantically tried to clean it off, her commitment to staying clean is genuine.  That being said, she still has a drinking problem.  Previews for Episode Six highlight her consuming vodka.

Reese, however, is dealing with anger management issues. She is also pursuing a series of one-night stands with strange men she meets in bars. She never asks for their names, and she never gives hers.

Despite her exasperation with Crews' Zen philosophy and his eccentric behavior, Reese has been loyal to Crews. Certain figures in the department, including their lieutenant Karen Davis, are interested in seeing Crews forced out of the LAPD, but Reese has refused to give them evidence of his detective skills, which can be unorthodox and not by the book.

Played by - Sarah Shahi. Shahi is best known for roles as Carmen on Showtime's "The L Word", and Jenny on ABC's "Alias".

- Early was a successful financier and pension fund manager who was charged and convicted for embezzling millions. He claims to be innocent, and a victim of nothing more than bad timing.  He was sentenced to two years in the same maximum-security prison as Crews, who took him under his wing. When both men were released, Early moved into a room over the garage in Crews' home. Unable to find other work, Early has been managing Crews' legal settlement from the city. While Early appears to be a true friend to Crews, there is still the lingering issue that he may not be the right person managing Crews' millions.

Played by - Adam Arkin. Arkin is the son of Oscar-winning actor Alan Arkin. He is best known for playing Dr. Aaron Shutt on several seasons of CBS' "Chicago Hope".

- Davis is in charge of the homicide bureau in which Crews and Reese work. Davis helped Reese keep her badge and get rehab. She's a hard-nosed boss who isn't thrilled to have Crews in her precinct, and given the chance, she'd do what it takes to have him transferred out. However, in more recent episodes this hasn't stopped her from being able to work with him on a normal basis. According to the NBC.com website, Davis is married with two children.  The website also states that Davis wants Crews gone because his presence is a continual reminder of the stain his wrongful conviction left on the department.  That being said . . .

There is also a picture of Davis in a patrolman's uniform on the wall in Crews' "mystery room", although we don't know why it's there. It's possible that Davis wants him out because she's part of the reason he was framed.

Played by - Robin Weigert. One of several members of HBO's "Deadwood" to appear on "Life", Weigert was nominated for an Emmy for her role as Calamity Jane. She has also made several guest appearances as Juliet's sister on ABC's "Lost".

- Stark was Crews' partner before his wrongful conviction. Like most everyone else, he turned on Crews, and he testified for the prosecution during the trial. Since Crews was released, he has tried to reconnect, inviting him to a Stark family barbecue where he gave Crews his old badge and gun. Stark also helped him find one of Constance Griffiths' clients, who had assaulted her.

There were suggestions in Episode Five that Stark has lied about his involvement in a major bank robbery years ago when five robbers were killed and yet $18 million went missing. This will be followed up in Episode Six.

Played by - Brent Sexton. He is another member of the "Deadwood" contingent. He appeared through much of Season Three as Harry, who ran for Sheriff against Seth Bullock because he wanted to start a fire department.

- Griffiths spent years appealing Crews' conviction. She was able to produce DNA evidence that proved his innocence. She also handled his legal settlement. While their professional relationship is over, Griffiths has quite clearly fallen in love with Crews. While Crews returns her feelings to a degree, there are two obstacles - Griffiths is married, and Crews evidently feels that a relationship now would interfere in his mission to locate the real killers. Griffiths also has agreed to assist on a legal case in New York City. While she claims her departure isn't permanent, it throws an additional wrinkle into their relationship. (Of course, it also makes it more likely that Crews and Reese could become involved at some point in the future.)

Played by - Brooke Langton. Langton placed the original choice to play the role, Melissa Sagemiller.  Langton is best known for playing Samantha on FOX's "Melrose Place" and Jackie on NBC's current "Friday Night Lights". It is unknown if she will continue to star in both NBC dramas, but her departure in Episode Five could mean that her role on "Life" will be limited.

Crews has made it his personal quest to uncover the responsible for his wrongful conviction. Rather than telling us everything upfront, the writers of "Life" have given us the details of the case in pieces as Crews investigates. We have learned at least one new thing in each episode.

What we know:

- The victims (Thomas, Paula, and Daniel Seybolt) were stabbed to death in their homes. The only survivor was the nine-year-old daughter, Rachel. The police, led by investigator Det. Ames, claimed that the daughter was at a sleepover, but Crews learned that she was in her bed when the attacks began. In therapy the daughter made several drawings of a man with dark hair and a beard stabbing people to death. Crews had red hair and no beard at the time of his arrest. Rachel would be in her early twenties now. She was adopted after the slayings, and Crews has been unable to locate her.  Crews' ex-wife has encouraged him to leave her alone. 

- Crews' fingerprints were on the murder weapon, a kitchen knife. He had cuts on his body the day after the murder. He claimed he received them in a scuffle that day, but was unable to substantiate that. There was no sign of forced entry; Crews was very familiar with the family.

- The case was Det. Ames' last before he retired. He still claims Crews is guilty. From separate incidents, it appears Ames is an alcoholic.  Whether this is because he burned out, because he helped railroad an innocent man, or for unrelated reasons, we don't know.

- Crews has pictures of Ames, Stark and Davis on his wall. He also has a newspaper article regarding the bank robbery where the $18 million was stolen. There is also a cryptic note about $40,000 which the murdered woman had in a bank account when she died.

- apparently Crews is the subject of an ongoing documentary. We have seen several people connected to the case, including Early, Stark, Ames, Griffiths, and Crews' ex-wife, being interviewed on camera by an unseen man. The questions asked, and their answers, frequently introduce information relevant to the episode or to Crews' mission.

- some characters have expressed remorse, either through their words or their actions, for abandoning Crews when he was convicted. Stark "appears" to be trying to make up for this, although there is a strong possibility that he was involved in the conspiracy and has an ulterior motive. Crews' ex-wife expressed guilt on camera, although Crews has been harassing her second husband with alleged traffic violations.

- Griffiths has fallen for Crews, even though she is married. Crews has fallen for her as well, but his mission appears to remain his top priority. Reese fell in love with a junkie while undercover.

- Can Crews trust a convicted embezzler like Early with his money" Can Crews trust former partner Stark, who might have helped frame him" Or superior officer Davis, who might also have been involved" What about current partner Reese" Davis has leaned on her to turn on her partner.

- Four different actors from the HBO show have made appearances on the show. Robin Weigert and Brent Sexton are cast members. William Sanderson, who played Mayor E.B. Farnum, appeared in Episode Four as an alcoholic drifter who witnessed a murder. Garrett Dillahunt, who played Jack McCall in Season 1 and Francis Wolcott in Season 2, appeared in Episode Five as Roman Novikoff, a Russian criminal guilty of murder but being protected by Homeland Security as a confidential informant. (There's a definite chance the disturbing Novikoff, who knows all about what happened to Reese while undercover, and who told Crews about Stark's involvement with the bank robbery, could appear again.  Dillahunt has also joined the cast of FOX's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", though, so that may make a return less likely.)

"Life" is an excellent dramatic series. Rather than being a formulaic police drama, it combines the weekly mysteries of shows like "NYPD Blue" with the intricate, season-long mystery story arcs of shows like "Veronica Mars". Crews' Zen philosophy and his unusual police tactics make him an effective dramatic version of comedy's Adrian Monk.  At the same time, the show is frequently leavened by comedic bits, such as the back-and-forth between Crews and Reese, or when Early accidentally drove over Crews' car with a tractor.

"Life" is supported by a talented cast of actors with ample experience working on both regular programming, and on the more risque shows on cable. You may not know these people, but you will be glad you can now find so many of them all in one place.

NBC has committed to fourteen episodes, and "Life" has performed well in its time slot against shows like ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and CBS' "CSI: NY". Now is the time to commit yourself to this entertaining police drama, and make sure it is renewed for a full season and beyond.

P.S. Be sure to pay attention to the commercials. Each episode has one short segment where characters from the show make observations relating to Crews' investigation. In Episode Five, for example, Early observed that in frame jobs like Crews', money is usually involved, but that few police scandals involve large sums of money. By the end of the episode, we had learned of the $18 million missing from the bank robbery in 1992.