To the surprise of many, actress Eliza Dusku turned down the opportunity of reprising her Buffy The Vampire Slayer character of Faith in a potential spin-off show from the hugely successful genre series. Instead, Dusku accepted the title role of morgue attendant Tru Davies in Tru Calling, a series which incorporates elements of everything from Six Feet Under and Run Lola Run to Early Edition and Groundhog Day.
Tru Davies is a young woman with an unusual ability - when her help is requested by the dead, she is able to travel back in time and re-live the events of the past day. This ability is a gift to Tru, as it gives her the chance to try and prevent the deaths of some of the poor unfortunate souls who have ended up in her morgue. It also means that Tru can have a second stab at sorting out her own problems, as well as those of her family - in particular her wayward brother, Harrison, and her drug-addict sister, Meredith. Helping Tru along the way is Davis, her eccentric co-worker at the morgue. Meanwhile, mysterious new arrival Jack Harper (played by Jason Priestley of Beverly Hills 90210 fame) promises to cause some major problems for Tru.
Fox Television have said of their new series: ‘Tru Calling will put a stylish new spin on the procedural crime format as Tru uses her new-found ability to try and stop tragedies before they actually happen.’ And its not just Fox who have complete Faith (no pun intended!) in Tru Calling. Dushku is similarly enthusiastic about her new role: "Its so cool, so well written. The cool thing, too, is that sometimes she can save people and sometimes she can’t. There’s also the strange responsibility thing of: 'What do I do with this? What if I was supposed to do that?' I’m really excited about it."
Tru Calling has already been renewed for a second season, after a well-received first year's run in the US. And if Dushku’s opinions on the series - as well as early viewer reactions - are anything to go by, Tru Calling should turn out to be a major success story.
The Cast
Tru Davies........................................Eliza Dushku
Harrison Davies..............................Shawn Reaves
Lindsay Walker Thompson......................A.J. Cook
Davis..........................................Zach Galifianakis
Meredith Davies..............................Jessica Collins
Luc Johnston.................................Matthew Bomer
Gardez........................................Benjamín Benítez
Jack Harper.....................................Jason Priestley
