From Usatoday.com :

’Tru’: Death becomes her Wouldn’t life be simpler if the dead were more direct?

Eliza Dushku’s Tru Davies takes the Six Feet Under of talking to the dead one step futher: she does their bidding. By Anthony Mandler, Fox

Granted, none of us really knows how much energy the dead must expend crossing the mortal plane. Still, if they’re going to go to all that trouble to contact us, they might as well go that extra mile and make the contact intelligible.

But no: It’s all rattling chains and low moans and chills in the air. Or worse, it’s the dead waking up just long enough to mutter "help me" to some poor schnook like Tru Davies, the put-upon heroine of Fox’s Tru Calling. (Related item: See a clip from Tru Calling)

Having dumped their problems on Tru (nicely played by Buffy’s Eliza Dushku), the dead then miraculously send her back in time, one day only, for reasons that are not explained. She must right whatever went wrong for the dearly departed, which is her reward for wishing she could have somehow prevented her mother’s murder when she was a little girl.

Actually, while she’s wishing, Tru should also put in a request for a car, a bike or a bus pass. Then she wouldn’t be spending half of tonight’s episode dashing from place to place, an apparent attempt to remind TV viewers of a movie most of them haven’t seen, Run Lola Run.

Yes, Tru was a track star. We hear that twice. And yes, Dushku looks cute on the run. But it doesn’t take long for the device to become unintentionally comic.

To be fair, Tru’s pace slows in a future episode. The show’s basic problem, however, remains. You have a heroine with no official contacts playing Junior G-Man every week, hunting down clues and making intuitive leaps that would make Sherlock Holmes blanch. One glimpse of a blanket and the crime falls into place.

For her first deadly request, she’s trying to stop a girl from getting shot. In that future episode, she tries to save the life of a hunky fireman, for not entirely altruistic reasons. At the same time, she’s trying to assist her family: a brother who has a gambling problem (Shawn Reaves) and a sister who is addicted to coke (Jessica Collins).

Tru may be a bit odd and dreary for mass consumption, but for fantasy fans searching for an alternative to Friends and Survivor, it does have its virtues. Dushku gives an appealing performance in a role that allows her to be more vulnerable and less aggressive than Buffy’s far tougher Faith. The show doesn’t overreach: Tru can’t solve everyone’s problems every time. And the plots, if not always involving, are at least complicated.

Unduly complicated, but that’s not Tru’s fault. Blame the dead.

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From Courier-journal.com :

New ’Tru’ features chats with the dead

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By TOM DORSEY tdorsey@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal

The hereafter is calling again.

"Tru Calling," which has its debut on Fox at 8 tonight, stars a young woman who chats with corpses.

The idea of crossing over has largely been confined to syndicated series, such as the one John Edward does, until this year.

Showtime kicked off the trend with "Dead Like Me" about a teenage girl who gets hit by a meteorite and finds herself part of a dearly departed squad. Then CBS launched "Joan of Arcadia" about another teenager who has everyday conversations with God.

Now Fox joins the group with "Tru Calling" starring Eliza Dushku as Tru Davies. She needs a job, so she takes one on the graveyard shift at the city morgue. It all fits into her plans to attend medical school.

The first thing you know, the dead speak up and sometimes ask for help. That freaks her out, but she sticks with it, maybe because her mother lay in her coffin a decade before she whispered to Tru that she was all right.

That’s not all. It’s not even the main part of the plot. The real story line pops up the next morning when she awakes from dreams to begin reliving the day before. It’s kind of like Bill Murray’s character in "Groundhog Day." What happens next will remind you of the old CBS series "Early Edition," in which the guy got tomorrow’s newspaper today and dashed out to save people he knows will otherwise die or be in some sort of hot water.

Tru’s job is to save someone from a fate worse than death before tomorrow arrives. She’s got to beat the clock and sometimes must solve a crime before it happens.

Sounds like an intriguing idea. Who hasn’t wished they could live yesterday over and correct blunders before they happen? The trouble is Dushku sleep-walks through the role. She’s not driven enough to make the character riveting.

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From Heraldtribune.com :

Specials sweep into TV schedule

ith Fox still introducing some of its fall lineup, the November sweeps take on a strangely quiet tone this year.

Specials, mini-series and made-for-TV movies, like the already controversial "The Reagans," are still on the schedule for the monthlong period that begins tonight and runs through Thanksgiving Eve.

November is one of several months when ratings help determine local advertising rates, so networks generally fill their lineups with special events to boost viewership.

Yet because of the hugely successful baseball playoffs and the World Series, networks remain in the throes of sorting out the success or failure of the new fall schedule.

Several shows already have been pulled, including NBC’s "Boomtown" and "Coupling," UPN’s "The Mullets" and CBS’ "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire."

Fox has more shows to introduce, including tonight’s premiere of "Tru Calling" and the new Sunday comedy "Arrested Development."

Several real-life dramas are highlighted this month. Along with the two-part "The Reagans" are movies about kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart and prisoner of war Jessica Lynch.

Here’s a sample of what you can expect during the month to come.

Tonight:

"Tru Calling," 8 p.m. Fox — Debut of a new series about a young woman who works in a morgue and can help dead people.

"ER," 9 p.m. NBC — Bob Newhart begins a three-episode guest turn as an architect losing his vision.

Oct. 31

TGIF, 8-10 p.m. ABC — ABC’s TGIF lineup has a Halloween theme, including a "Wizard of Oz" on "Life with Bonnie" at 9:30 p.m. Carl Reiner and Martin Mull guest star.

Nov. 1

"Phenomenon II," 8 p.m. ABC — A sequel to the John Travolta film stars Christopher Shyer as a man who wakes up one day to find he has a higher IQ and special physical abilities.

Nov. 2

"CBS at 75," 8 p.m. CBS — CBS turns over its prime time schedule to a three-hour celebration of its 75th anniversary, with such stars as Alan Alda, Bob Barker, Angela Lansbury, Larry Hagman, Andy Griffith and Walter Cronkite.

"Tree House of Terror XIV," 8 p.m. Fox — The annual Halloween episode of "The Simpsons" comes a couple of days late but with lots of laughs to start the series’ 15th season.

"Arrested Development," 9:30 p.m. Fox — In this new comedy, Jason Bateman plays the one sane man in a truly dysfunctional family.

Nov. 3

"Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci," 8 p.m. ABC — An ABC News special stirred by questions about Jesus’ life raised by the novel " The Da Vinci Code."

"Average Joe," 10 p.m. NBC— A new relationship series in which average guys try to win over a beautiful woman.

Nov. 4

"8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," 8 p.m. ABC — An hourlong episode deals with the death of John Ritter’s character Paul Hennessy, with guest stars James Garner and Suzanne Pleshette helping the family to cope.

Nov. 5

"37th Annual CMA Awards," 8 p.m. CBS — Vince Gill hosts the Country Music Awards with performances by Dolly Parton, Norah Jones and Brooks & Dunn.

Nov. 7

"Hope & Faith," 9 p.m. ABC— Regis Philbin plays a used car salesman who hires Faith (Kelly Ripa) to star in a commercial.

Nov. 9

"Saving Jessica Lynch," 9 p.m. NBC — Laura Regan plays the Army private who was taken prisoner in Iraq and was eventually rescued.

"The Elizabeth Smart Story," 9 p.m. CBS — The story of the abduction and eventual return of a young girl from her Salt Lake City home last year.

Nov. 11

"The Andy Griffith Reunion: Back to Mayberry," 8 p.m. CBS — Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard and Jim Nabors reminisce about the popular 1960s comedy.

Nov. 12

"48 Hours Investigates," 10 p.m., CBS — A look at murder defendant Robert Blake.

Nov. 14

"The Animal," 8 p.m. Fox — Rob Schneider plays a police clerk who dreams of becoming a real police officer.

Nov. 16

"The Reagans," 9 p.m. CBS— The first half of a two-part miniseries about Ronald and Nancy Reagan from the time they met in Hollywood to the end of his presidency. James Brolin plays the president and Judy Davis plays the First Lady. Concludes at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

"American Music Awards," 8 p.m. ABC — Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 31st presentation of awards chosen by the public.

Nov. 17

Britney Spears: In the Zone," 8 p.m. ABC — The pop singer stars in a special mixing performance footage and a look at her private life.

"The Parkers," 8 p.m. UPN— Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Eric Davis guest stars in the comedy’s 100th episode.

Nov. 18

"All of Us," 8:30 p.m. UPN— Will Smith, an executive producer of the sitcom that is based on his relationship with wife Jada Pinkett Smith, guest stars.

Nov. 19

"Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show," 10 p.m. CBS — Sting and Mary J. Blige perform on this annual display of new fashions and skin.

Nov. 21

"Vibe Awards: Beats, Style, Flavor," 8 p.m. — Queen Latifah is one of the hosts of the first awards program from Vibe magazine.

"Dude, Where’s My Car," 8 p.m. Fox — Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott star in the broadcast premiere of the hit film comedy.

Nov. 22

"Eloise at Christmastime," 8 p.m. ABC — Sofia Vassilieva returns as the young girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel. Julie Andrews is her nanny.

Nov. 23

"Fallen Angel," 9 p.m. CBS — Gary Sinise plays a big-city lawyer who learns it’s never too late to forgive or to love in this Hallmark Hall of Fame special.

Nov. 24

"Two and a Half Men," 9:30 p.m. CBS — Denise Richards guest stars on husband Charlie Sheen’s new comedy.

Nov. 25

"American Idol: Christmas Songs," 8 p.m. Fox — Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Justin Guarini and Tamyra Gray perform holiday favorites.

Justin Timberlake special, 9 p.m. NBC — In his first solo network TV special, the singer takes viewers on a tour of his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.

Nov. 26

Shania Twain special, 9 p.m. NBC — The country star performs an intimate program of new songs and old favorites from Nashville.

"WWE Special — The Stone Cold Truth," 9 p.m. UPN — Wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin tells his life story in his own way.

"Trista and Ryan’s Wedding," 9 p.m. ABC — "The Bachelorette" and her winning bachelor tie the knot.

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From Azcentral.com Eliza Dushku’s admirers may be ’Tru’ fans By Bill Goodykoontz

Oct. 30, 2003 12:00 AM

Whether you’ll watch and like Tru Calling depends on one thing: whether you like Eliza Dushku.

I do, so I’m giving this show more of a chance than I probably should. Dushku’s stint as the nutso alter-ego slayer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a high point of that series - and that was a series I loved. So I’m willing to forgive Tru Calling’s somewhat wacky concept, its flights of fancy and the plot knots that any sort of time-travel story inevitably become tangled in - for now, at least.

Dushku stars as Tru Davies, fresh out of college and into the morgue. Not as a body, but as an employee on the night shift. She sees dead people, of course. But she also hears from them - they ask for her help. One of them does, anyway, in tonight’s première.

OK, a little weird so far, but this is a TV show, not a documentary, and it’s scary enough to give you a jolt. But it gets weirder: The next day, Tru wakes up and finds that it’s not the next day after all. It’s the day before. So rather than plunk her savings down on a horse race for which she could have known the winner, or buy a guaranteed-winner lottery ticket, Tru sets to work trying to prevent the death of the corpse who spoke to her - who, this being the day before, isn’t a corpse yet.

While she’s at it, Tru also tries to fix up a few family problems along the way. Literally running all the while, by the way - Tru doesn’t have a car and she’s in a hurry, racing the clock; conveniently, she ran track in college. Very handy.

If this sounds like a messy mix of Run Lola Run plus 24, Early Edition and Groundhog Day, that’s because it is. The jumbled ideas step all over each other, so the show never takes off completely as a thriller, as a family drama or as a hot-chick-sprinting-through-the-streets project. Again, the only compelling reason to watch, or not, is Dushku.

But don’t tune in looking for Buffy’s Faith all over again. There are, as Dushku pointed out recently, similarities in the characters but also differences.

"She’s strong," she says, "but she’s not psychotic. I mean, let’s be real, Faith was a little over the top sometimes."

Which is why we loved her, in a way we’re not likely to fall for Tru.

Still, give Dushku credit for trying something new. There was talk of a Buffy spin-off, but she didn’t bite.

"There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that we could have made an interesting show," she says. "But I think that you kind of go down the road less traveled sometimes and you take a risk."

Going up against Friends and Survivor is a risk, indeed. Keeping dead people from meeting their demise is nothing compared with trying to scare up a few viewers in TV’s toughest time slot. It’ll take a lot more than . . . faith