A&E’s new series Lie Detector: Truth or Deception feels like a natural extension of our culture’s obsession with both true crime and reality television. And an obsession with fame is apparently enough to convince individuals long suspected of serious crimes to take polygraph tests. It’s 15 more seconds of fame … or more notoriety.
It’s hosted by journalist Tony Harris, whose career trajectory seems to mirror the de-evolution of our culture. He was a CNN anchor, then worked for Al Jazeera English, before moving on to Investigation Discovery, where he collaborated with the Southern Poverty Law Center to expose an anti-government, white supremacist group. He later hosted another Investigation Discovery series about crime in small-town America, followed by the Monster: DC Sniper podcast, and then a History Channel series about UFOs and unidentified creatures.
And now, he’s hosting Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, which premieres tomorrow night. Its first subject is Shannon Price, the ex-wife of former child star Gary Coleman, who some have long suspected played a role in Coleman’s death. Though divorced, Coleman and Price were still living together. Coleman reportedly fell down a flight of stairs, hit his head, was taken to the hospital, fell into a coma, and was taken off life support by Price two days later.
Was Price responsible for his fall? Did she fail to render appropriate medical aid as advised by the 911 operator? Is this unbelievably trashy television? Yes. Are lie detector tests notoriously unreliable? Yes. Am I still morbidly curious about whether she passed a polygraph exam? Obviously. Do I hate myself a little bit? Of course.
On whether Price ever abused Coleman or failed to render proper aid, her denials were “inconclusive.” On whether she directly caused Coleman’s fall, Price’s denial indicated deception. In other words, according to an inconclusive polygraph exam administered on an A&E reality series by a “former FBI agent and veteran polygraph examiner,” Price murdered her ex-husband.
Will that finding nullify the medical examiner’s conclusion? No. Will more people be convinced she killed her ex-husband? Probably. Did she get paid anyway? Almost certainly. Is my curiosity satisfied? Sure.
‘Lie Detector: Truth or Deception’ premieres tomorrow night on A&E.
via PEOPLE
