Dushku Sees Dead People in ’Tru Calling’ October 31, 2003 by David Kronke\ Television Critic

Someone get Tru Davies a subway pass. In Wednesday night’s premiere of "Tru Calling," she’s dashing madly on foot around New York City trying to prevent an untimely death that only she’s privy to. Granted, a shot of the lithesome Tru riding the subway toward a potential crime scene is hardly as dramatic as one of her dashing through curiously empty city streets, but if she’s really interested in making good time, running ain’t that efficient.

But then, not a whole lot really makes sense in "Tru Calling," a surprisingly dispirited enterprise starring Eliza Dushku ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as Tru Davies. In a brief prologue, it’s established that Tru is haunted by witnessing the murder of her mother at an early age. But she’s not that haunted, as she’s chronically late (even for her college graduation) - and, despite graduating, hasn’t made firm plans for medical school yet.

Hence, she takes a job at a city morgue - the very one, we discover, where her mother was taken (shudder!) - working the graveyard (eek!) shift. Each week, paramedics bring in another disfigured corpse (ulp!) who, more amusingly than creepily (oops!), turn to the camera, pop open their eyes and implore, "Help me."

From there, Tru wakes up and finds herself back at square one the previous morning and spends her day attempting to right the wrongs that were committed in her dream/vision.

Tru Calling" is a grim amalgam of "Crossing Jordan," "The Sixth Sense" and "Groundhog Day." "Most of these people shouldn’t be dead yet," Tru is told meaningfully, but, "there’s nothing you can do about it." Except, maybe, sprint frantically around the city.

The producers don’t seem to appreciate the irony that in two episodes made available for review, Tru’s post-vision meddling seems to be at least a partial catalyst for the tragedies or near- tragedies that ensue.

Dead men do tell tales in "Tru Calling," but you quickly see why it’s preferable they don’t.