October 30, 2003 (2003-10-30) – April 21, 2005 (2005-04-21)
Tru Calling is an American supernaturaldrama television series which aired on Fox. Original episodes aired between October 30, 2003, and April 21, 2005; however, the final episode was shown in other territories before it was aired in the United States due to lower-than-anticipated ratings.[2][3]
The show starred Eliza Dushku as Tru Davies, a twenty-two-year-old medical school student who takes a job at the city morgue when her internship falls through. When the corpse of a deceased woman seems to awaken and asks for her help, Tru discovers that she has the incredible power to relive that day in order to try to prevent that death. Over the course of the series, Tru struggles to keep her secret, juggle her responsibilities with her complicated personal life, and learn to control her power.
Tru is aided by her boss, Davis (Zach Galifianakis), who acts as a sort of guide and mentor, who is later revealed to have known about Tru's mother (who was, apparently, the last person to receive the "calling" before her daughter), her best friend Lindsey (A.J. Cook), who doesn't know Tru's secret, and her impulsive, good-natured and bumbling younger brother Harrison (Shawn Reaves). Tru keeps her secret from her boyfriends, as well as her sister Meredith (Jessica Collins), who has a drug problem.
Halfway through the first season, Tru's life gets much more complicated when she meets Jack Harper (Jason Priestley), a man who shares Tru's abilities but who works to preserve what he sees as the hand of Fate by ensuring that the people Tru tries to help stay dead, though the series was canceled before the conclusion of their struggle was written. In the first-season finale, it is revealed that Tru's father knows Jack Harper and that he had played a similarly antagonistic role versus Tru's mother, terminating her by hiring a hitman to kill her, though neither Harrison nor Tru found out.
The second season does not feature Tru's best friend Lindsey nor her sister Meredith, whose characters are not mentioned. This season has Tru juggling medical school and her live-saving ability, while Jack aims to foil her attempts at every turn.
After graduating from college, hopeful medical school student Tru Davies is forced to take a job with the city morgue after finding out that her planned internship at a local hospital was no longer available. When a woman arrives at the morgue who died before her time, Tru sees the woman seemingly awaken and ask for Tru's help. The entire day rewinds, and Tru finds herself racing against the clock in order to save the woman's life before she dies, alongside trying to fix some of her own mistakes.
Story by : Chris Brancato & Albert J. Salke Teleplay by : Chris Brancato
November 6, 2003 (2003-11-06)
1AHP01
When her relationship with one of her former professors falls through, Tru finds herself questioning the possibility of a relationship contending with her secret. However, when two victims of a fire – a girl and an attractive fireman – ask for her help, Tru finds herself falling in unexpected love as she tries to prevent arson.
Tru is relieved when Harrison finally seems to have met the right woman. But questions are asked and unsettling suspects raised when Harrison's new girlfriend's murdered ex-husband arrives at the morgue and asks for Tru's help.
Tru tries to get a handle on living with her gift, but soon finds her hands full as five men all arrive at the morgue, each having died at the same bachelor party, as all five of them ask for her help. The only problem is, each came in under a gurney sheet and Tru has no idea what any of them look like.
When a brilliant young med student arrives at the morgue, Tru tries to help her even as she questions her own life as her dreams of going to med school herself seem to have been put on hold by her newfound responsibilities. Things get even more complicated, however, when Tru discovers that the young woman was part of a highly illegal and risky experiment to temporarily die in order to recover lost memories. Davis tells Tru that he knows about her secret.
What at first looks similar to "Romeo & Juliet" turns complicated and dangerous when Tru investigates the deaths of two students who both attended the same expensive academy who died together in a car accident.
Tru's personal life gets complicated after a harsh phone call from the Davies' mostly absent father prompts Tru's sister Meredith to take her boss Davis out on a date.
9
9
"Murder in the Morgue"
David Solomon
Zack Estrin & Chris Levinson
January 15, 2004 (2004-01-15)
1AHP08
When Tru catches a man in the act of covering up a murder, he shoots Davis and fires at Tru before the day rewinds.
When Tru and Lindsay attend their high school reunion, Tru finds herself trying to save the life of the girl who was once her best friend but callously dumped her five years earlier in order to steal her prom date and become Prom Queen.
Story by : Dana Greenblatt Teleplay by : Chad Hodge
February 5, 2004 (2004-02-05)
1AHP10
Tru finds herself stuck in a tragic loop as she rushes to prevent a murder at a local grocery store, only to have the day rewind over and over again as each of her actions inadvertently cause the death of a different unintended victim each time.
12
12
"Valentine"
Paul Shapiro
Robert Doherty
February 12, 2004 (2004-02-12)
1AHP11
Tru, Lindsay, Luc, and Harrison visit a remote mountain retreat for Valentine's Day.
13
13
"Drop Dead Gorgeous"
Michael Katleman
Story by : Scott Shepherd Teleplay by : Robert Doherty & Jon Harmon Feldman
March 18, 2004 (2004-03-18)
1AHP12
Davis shares an earth-shattering secret with Tru about the woman before her who also relived days.
Tru, still reeling from Davis' revelations about her mother, is further shocked when her cold, aloof father returns to town with a new wife and two children.
Story by : Scott Shepherd Teleplay by : Stephanie Williams & Paula Yoo
April 1, 2004 (2004-04-01)
1AHP14
A newspaper reporter has been struggling to reveal Tru's secret by questioning her and Davis about why Tru is at the location of so many prevented crimes, and about Tru's seemingly psychic ability to know when trouble is going to happen.
Jack tries to piece together the mystery of Davis' past that he shares with no one.
17
17
"Death Becomes Her"
Michael Katleman
Robert Doherty
April 15, 2004 (2004-04-15)
1AHP15
Carly Anders (special guest star Tamyra Gray), a famous movie star, befriends Tru while spending the day with her doing research for a job. Things abruptly take a turn for the worse when Carly dies, and Tru must race to save her.
18
18
"Rear Window"
Michael Katleman Paul Shapiro
William Sind
April 22, 2004 (2004-04-22)
1AHP17
Tru must figure out who the identity thief is when two Chris Berensons enter her life.
19
19
"D.O.A."
Dan Lerner
Zack Estrin & Chris Levinson
April 29, 2004 (2004-04-29)
1AHP18
Tru is overjoyed at the idea of having another person in the world who actually understands her burden, Tru is horrified to find that while she uses her power to try to save lives, Jack believes in a different path.
20
20
"Two Weddings and a Funeral"
Michael Katleman
Jon Harmon Feldman
April 29, 2004 (2004-04-29)
1AHP19
As Lindsay's nuptials approach, Tru is torn apart when Harrison is murdered. When Harrison asks for her help, however, the day rewinds – but Tru must fight to defend what she loves when every move she makes to save Harrison is opposed by Jack, leading to an explosive ending and a shocking secret.
After the explosive events of "Two Weddings and a Funeral," Tru is relieved to have had two months of peace, during which time Davis pulled some strings and Tru began auditing med-school classes. Her life is once again turned upside-down when Jack reappears, fighting to prevent Tru from saving the life of a Harbor Patrol officer who drowned in a rescue attempt.
The battle between Tru and Jack surges to dangerous new heights when Jack deviously frames Tru for the murder of the psychologist Tru was trying to save, leaving her on the run from the law.
In an effort to cheer Tru up, Harrison gets Tru's new med-school friends and Davis to help him throw her a surprise birthday party at the morgue. Things quickly get complicated, however, when the lights surge out and somebody asks for Tru's help -- but due to the dark, Tru has no idea who he was or what he looks like.
24
4
"The Last Good Day"
Michael Katleman
Richard Hatem
April 14, 2005 (2005-04-14)
2AHP04
Tru and Jack have no idea how to react when a girl Jack is interested in commits suicide, causing Tru to experience what Jack's power feels like and causing Jack to experience what Tru's power feels like, leading Tru to believe that Jack is meant to save her. A distraught Jack turns to Tru's father for advice.
After her entanglements with Jack and the growing tension of fighting to save lives every day, Tru snaps when Jensen (Eric Christian Olsen) is killed in an accident and his body doesn't ask for help. Jack finds himself trying to convince Tru of the wrongness of her actions as she desperately tries to outwit Fate by finding another body to ask for help so her day will rewind and she can save Jensen.
On Christmas Eve, Tru reluctantly finds herself working with Jack to save an old cadaver, leaving her confused as to Jack's true motives. Harrison, believing his father is having an affair, accidentally catches Richard having a meeting with Jack, leading to disastrous consequences. Jensen begins to feel the wrongness of Tru subverting Fate by saving him.
Cancellation
The series was canceled in 2005 due to low ratings. The final episode aired in many other territories before it screened in the U.S. The cancellation ended the series with multiple unresolved cliffhangers:
Tru's season two romantic interest, a fellow medical student named Jensen, begins to remember reliving an occurrence he and Tru had together from the negated timeline where he was killed, causing him to obsess over death.
Although initially highly antagonistic to Jack, Tru invites him to a Christmas party with her, hinting he may in time become an ally against her father, Richard.
Dr. Carrie Allen, the new psychologist at the morgue, who is revealed as an agent of Jack's working to seduce and subvert Davis, learns the truth about Tru's power to rewind from Davis; Davis has yet to tell Tru about this.
Jack, talking to Tru's father, hints he is still intent on killing Jensen, despite having failed to seal his fated death in a previous episode.
Russian adaptation
The series has been adapted in Russia using the title Я отменяю смерть, pronounced as “Ja otmenjaju smertj′”, and translated to I Revoke the Death, premiering in the country on TV-3 on October 9, 2012.[5]
Broadcast
The series completed airing in its entirety in New Zealand first. The second season began airing in the country on TV3 on February 4, 2005, with the final episode shown on March 11, 2005. After nearly a year-long hiatus in the U.S., new episodes began on Fox on March 31, 2005. However, the series was pulled again in favour of Fox's new show Point Pleasant and the final episode was screened in many other territories before it finally aired in the U.S. on January 21, 2008 on Syfy.
Each U.S. network television season begins in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
^Only 5 of the 6 episodes were aired by Fox. The series finale was shown in the U.S. on Syfy in 2008 and is not part of the season's ratings. The second season originally aired in New Zealand from 4 February 2005 – 11 March 2005.
