Thanks to extremely competitive time slots, being moved around the schedule, and long hiatuses, Lie to Me has often struggled with viewer numbers since it first premiered back in January of 2009. Still, it’s managed to build a strong, loyal audience that seems to follow it regardless of where it’s at. In fact, recently it showed signs of improvement: In its final two episodes of the season, Lie to Me had some strong numbers, especially when compared to previous months. (Episode 3×12 was the most watched in over a year.) Despite that, it’s likely we won’t hear about Lie to Me’s fate until May. In the meantime…

What Can You Do?
1) Obvious, but true: let Fox know how much you love the show – E-mail scheduling and marketing at askfox@fox.com

2) Sign and RT petitions on social networking sites like Twitter. We’ve started two:
http://act.ly/349K
http://twitition.com/5eaem/

3) There are a couple of fan campaigns going on now. A site to check out, that seems to have info on these:
Keep Lie to Me On

Have another link to share? Leave it in the comments below.

Let your voice be heard, guys… in whatever way you can.

Truthfully, the episode has nothing to do with Facebook, but you can’t help but notice the parallels between it and the Oscar-nominated film, The Social Network, which explores the complicated personal and legal entanglements behind the founding of the most popular website on the Internet. In Lie to Me’s tale, Nikita’s Ashton Holmes plays Zach Morstein, the wunderkind co-creator of a popular dating application who Dr. Lightman (Tim Roth) fingers as the lead suspect in the murder of Zach’s best friend and company co-founder.

Executive producers Alexander Cary and David Graziano happily wear their influences. “We didn’t want to shy away from it as a milieu because there was a movie that took place in that arena,” Graziano tells TVGuide.com, noting that the original story was based in small-town politics, not technology. “It is really hard on television to establish the character of a small town. At its heart, this episode always was about three close friends and how they become divided. So, rather than it be small town where this happens between three local politicians, we just made them friends with a corporation.”

“Obviously we were aware of [The Social Network], but it didn’t really inspire us or inform us,” Cary adds. “You draw your inspirations from these places but then, once you’ve come out of the gate, you go with it in your own way. We just thought it was a fun way to do this story. It was a fun type of character to go against Lightman. It’s sort of old-school against new-school.”

Indeed, Graziano says the episode is actually more of an homage to Peter Falk’s Columbo. “We liked the way he is a working-class protagonist who goes up against these very powerful, very rich antagonists and through the course of an episode, takes them down at the knee,” Graziano says. “Lightman is sort of cut from the same cloth. The important things about these episodes is that you always need a very clear and strong obstacle to the truth. The people that are the strongest obstacles just wind up being the people with the most to lose and the people who are the smartest and most powerful.”

It just so happens that the murder victim is a former patient of Dr Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams), which raises the stakes for Lightman & Co. In fact, when Graziano and Cary learned that the episode would double as the show’s season finale (Fox opted not to order the back nine episodes to make room for new midseason shows), they decided to more fully explore Foster and Lightman’s “relationship status.”

“We wanted to make a statement about what’s at the nucleus of their friendship, which is a deep love and a respect,” Graziano says. “And one of the things Lightman does for her — he’s her protector.”

“We wanted to really cement the relationship between Lightman and Foster,” Cary says. “We wanted to really do a love story in a very indirect way between Lightman and Foster with a sort of horrible crime that affects Foster, and therefore Lightman, personally. And I think what we wanted also to do was imbue Lightman and Foster and some of the other characters with a sense of hope for the future.”

But what is the show’s future? While Fox execs are unlikely to rule on Lie to Me’s future prospects until May, Cary remains very confident. “They have been incredibly supportive to us and encouraging, and they have made it absolutely clear that we should not pack our bags,” he says. “We’re feeling really good and they’re looking after us and keeping us busy. I think this is just the nature of the business. They make people like us fight for our shows and it’s fair enough. To fight for our show is no bad thing, and to allow other shows to have a crack at it is no bad thing for us or the business.”

And Graziano notes that the final moments of the finale will leave everyone wanting to see what comes next. “We’ve made some promises that we plan to achieve in Season 4,” he says. “Those aren’t just things that we’re planting in the episodes to string the fans along, but where we want to see the show go.”

Lie to Me’s Season 3 finale airs Monday at 9/8c on Fox. Do you want to see another season of the show?

Fringe and Lie to Me are not doomed. That was the big takeaway from the Fox exec session today at the TCA Press Tour.

Regarding Lie to Me, network president Kevin Reilly called the decision not to order additional episodes this season “a needs thing”, adding, “We’ve got a lot of midseason shows that we’re rolling out and we just have to get a little deeper into the spring and size everything up [before discussing another season]… We’d like to believe there’s [a future] for Lie to Me. It delivers a very loyal audience wherever we put it.”

Fans can expect a dose of dark romance in the second episode. The story centers on George Parker (Mad Men’s Sam Page), a charming yet shady ladies’ man who is about to become engaged to a wealthy divorcée. “He’s almost too good to be true,” says Cary. Spoiler alert: There’s nothing “almost” about it, and Lightman is tasked with uncovering the skeletons in the lothario’s closet.

A recent decision by Fox, meanwhile, has fans wondering if their beloved show is headed for the boneyard. Early in December, the network declined to order any further episodes to make room for the upcoming cop drama The Chicago Code. But Cary assures viewers his series is still vital and chalks the issue up to tricky scheduling. “They know what this series is and what it can do for them. But they’re trying to find out what some other products can do, too. They want to see how other shows perform, then schedule accordingly,” he says. “But I’m fairly confident that we’ll be very much in that plan for the fall.” No lie.

Lie to Me airs Monday at 8/7c and 9/8c on Fox.

While not a particularly strong performer ratings-wise, Lie to Me has been pretty consistent. Up against stiff competition, multiple schedule moves, a quick return, and other variables, Lie to Me has still managed to keep a pretty solid fan base. Its most recent airing actually saw an increase of almost 30% from the previous week.

More info to come…

Matt Roush: It’s probably wise to stop using Lone Star as a yardstick by which to measure any other show’s chances for success. That was (unfortunately) an ambitious but immediate noble failure, and except for the fact that Lie to Me was rushed back on the schedule to fill its time slot, the two shows have nothing in common. Lie to Me seems to me destined to be a somewhat undervalued utility player for Fox, the kind of show that often looks like it’s being taken for granted or badly used. Witness how Fox burned off so much of the second season during the summer months, and then slapped it on Mondays with very little warning. (Not that Fox had a choice.) The fact that Lie to Me will once again fall off the schedule in February when The Chicago Code premieres is hardly surprising, given that prime-time real estate is at a premium in the back half of the season on Fox once American Idol kicks in. But I’m not sure this necessarily means the show is in immediate danger. Networks need shows like this to fill troublesome holes on the schedule, and while it’s unlikely to ever be a breakout hit, I’m hoping Lie finds its place on the network as Bones eventually did.

Editor’s Note: There is still no word on a full season pickup for Lie to Me. However, the thirteen episodes that are currently set for this third season may in fact finish airing before The Chicago Code premieres on 2/7/11.

So here we are again… back in that familiar territory known as “Lie to Me’s pickup limbo”. This is now the fourth time “Lie to Me” fans have had to face this. It started back in season one, when a second season pickup came in the 11th hour. That pickup, it should be specified, was only for 13 episodes. Come to waiting game two: “Will ‘Lie to Me’ be picked up for a full second season?” That was the question on many a fan’s mind. The answer, fortunately, was yes. Of course, this too was in the 11th hour. Fast forward to the more recent decision to renew “Lie to Me” for a third season. But, wait for it… it’s only for 13 episodes. Not this again! So, that brings us now to waiting game number four: Will “Lie to Me” be picked up for a full third season?

Why It Should Be
Starting in more recent history: “Lie to Me” is the highest rated scripted show of the summer. It’s performed very solidly over the summer, never losing the audience in the second half hour of its slot, but, instead, gaining viewers. “Lie to Me” has really proven to be a tough show. It endured several time slot changes in its first season alone. I don’t know about you, but spreading a show’s mere 13 episodes over several time slots is a bit confusing. Despite that, “Lie to Me” miraculously managed to build a solid, if somewhat small, fan base. However, it has, for the most part, held onto that fan base, even amidst some extremely tough time slot competition. (Add to this the 6 month long hiatus… don’t even get me started on that!) Much like the airing of its episodes, however, “Lie to Me” has built on what it started with. Its fan base has continued to grow over time.

Now, a brief case study: A somewhat humorous pickup occurred recently on the cable channel TBS: they picked up the show “Are We There Yet?” for 90 more episodes. That’s right: 90. Clearly this network sees something in the show that works, and that they feel can work for them. So why won’t Fox do the same? The fans aren’t even asking for 90 episodes… just 9… to start.

Another important reason Fox needs to water “Lie to Me” and help it grow is their own stable of shows has diminished. Fox has one long time action drama that’s ended (24), another drama that’s aging (House), and not too much hope of anything big in the very near future. But what they also have is a solid drama with a solid fan base that’s proven, not only are they loyal, but there’s huge room for growth among them.

I hesitate to say something negative about Fox. After all, they have a track record of being a very patient network. And, truth be told, they could’ve pulled the plug on “Lie to Me” long ago. But, I dare say they also could’ve been promoting it… long ago. All that being said, however, it’s important for everyone to keep in mind that promotion, while certainly helpful, isn’t in and of itself a guarantee. (Case in point: “The Good Guys”, another Fox drama.) And, Fox has been very careful about where they place “Lie to Me”. Up until now they’ve managed to avoid relegating it to Friday or Saturday night. I do feel Fox has some faith in the show… or else it wouldn’t be on. But what we’re asking for now, Fox, is to show that faith. Pick up “Lie to Me” for a full third season. And, while you’re at it, promote it… even a little. It’s a solid bet. Honest.

Now for the fun part… If you would like to see “Lie to Me” picked up for a full third season, leave your name below. Also feel free to share why you think it should stay on the air, how long you’ve watched, and whatever else you feel is relevant. (Only one entry per e-mail address, please. It will be monitored, and duplicates removed.) Be heard, “Lie to Me” fans!!!

Also, if you’re on Twitter, join the act.ly petition for @FoxBroadcasting. Follow the icon/link below…

What’s been your favorite episode from the back half of season two?
“Ummm, well, I tend to forget about them when we finish shooting them and then when they resurface for broadcast I’m like ‘Oh! That episode!’ There’s an episode coming up where Torres and I are competing for a promotion. There’s a case involving pornography that Lightman and Foster are working on and then we get pitted against each other for promotion, me and Torres. It brings up all our professional jealousy and sexual tension and all kinds of fun sh*t. That I recall being really fun. There’s another episode where I get a bit too involved in Lightman’s family life and a little bit of trouble ensues from that. I like the ones where Loker f**ks up or has awkward sexual moments!”

Where does season two end for Loker?
“It’s still really up in the air. There’s not much in the way of a sense of conclusion. Obviously that’s good because we’re going to continue but nor is there any cliffhanger element to the show. It ends with a really strong episode. The thing about the show is that we have a very low-lying serialised element to it that is tied to a chronology. For the most part the show is very standalone and you can pick it up at any point but for those who are really paying attention and who watch it for the characters and the overall storyline, we’re always growing that. The effect the end of the season has is more of a cumulative effect on the people who really appreciate the show on that level.”

To read the rest of the interview please visit Digital Spy.

UPDATE: Gotten several questions on when Lie to Me finishes its second season, so for those that are wondering: It’s set to finish its second season on September 6th August 30th. (The finale will now be 2 hours, airing from 8:00-10:00pm.) It will be preempted on Monday, August 9th for The Teen Choice Awards. Other than that, it’s new eps straight through. Hope that helps clear things up for those that were wondering.

Shawn Ryan said that originally he had “mixed feelings” about the hiatus and the new time slot, “because traditionally [summer] has been a burn-off spot” for shows. “But”, he continues, “When I was told that they were pairing us with ‘The Good Guys’ (starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks), which I knew was an important element in their schedule… I chose to look at the glass half full. Now we have a chance to attract some audience attention and get some eyeballs that maybe were tuning into other things during the fall. I’m definitely looking at it as an opportunity more than a punishment.”

Shawn says that the second season, of which 12 episodes are yet to air, will conclude with a “really strong” stretch “that will launch the show into the third season”.

Be sure to check out the rest of Matt’s write-up for more info, including scoop on upcoming guest stars.