“Lie to Me” is a charming expose into the intricate web of lies that make up our lives and navigates us through a world, as we now see, shrouded by deception.

The January 2009 debut of this Fox show instantly enraptured viewers. Words might deceive, but crumbs of truth are always left behind. The drama instructs viewers on the proliferation of microexpressions that reveal concealed emotions by weaving them within captivating storylines. The unraveling of one lie leads to another, and another, until an entire conspiracy is exposed.

Even when an entire mystery is solved, expected endings still do not arrive. In one episode, a congressional candidate is rumored to frequent a sex worker, who is actually a politician’s daughter and looking to quit the profession. If the lie is exposed, her reputation will be forever tarnished, but he will be exonerated. Thus, to publicize the lie or not: that is the question. The father chooses to sacrifice his career to give his daughter a second life opportunity: he resigns and buries the truth.

Detecting lies is important, but digging out the liar’s motive is more significant. The process of peeling through layers of lies mirrors the complexity of our entangled existence in this world. “Lie to Me” teaches us to think more than twice about truths and lies. An American soldier who lied about a Taliban compound turned out to be an undercover agent who was abandoned by his motherland. His lie was a sinuous protest against U.S. officials’ irresponsibility. A female writer claimed to witness atrocities in Africa and used the experience to call for international help. Her lie gave voice to the vulnerable victims of violent crime.

Lies are often envisioned as removable components. In fact, lies and truths are woven into life. People tend to “lie up to three times every ten minutes.” If lies were expunged, life would be uncanny.

This reality accounts for the decline of viewership in later seasons. Season one was an immediate sensation. Dr. Cal Lightman is a detached expert and his penetration into people’s foggy lies enthralls viewers. In contrast, in seasons two and three, Lightman is more directly involved and compelled to confront the lies that have constituted his own life. It is entertaining to watch Lightman’s adroit manipulation of the scientific scalpel to anatomize others’ lies. When that same gaze is used to pierce our own vest of lies, and expose our naked selves, we refuse Lightman and embrace opacity. Lies still abound.