Helping her in this mission is her boss, Davis (an almost entirely straight-faced Zach Galifianakis), and her brother Harrison (Shawn Reaves), both learning of her secret in a relatively fast and believable way. Her mother was murdered when she, Harrison and her sister Meredith (Jessica Collins) were children and an absentee father hovers over their relationship with each other. White Collar’s Matt Bomer also pops in and out as the unsuspecting boyfriend, adding to the grounding forces in Tru’s life. In these early episodes, it’s the cast and their undisputable chemistry that saves the show from being simply dire, and fans can still enjoy the forming of those core relationships against the backdrop of such pedestrian plotlines.

Harrison, Davis and Tru in particular are a joy to watch, and form an endearingly familial bond over the 26-episodes. Other less entertaining or vital characters are, to the show’s credit, phased out pretty seamlessly. The sister, for example, simply disappears one day and is never verbally written out. The best friend and on-off girlfriend to Harrison also departs after the first season, marrying a random guest star and moving to Europe in an hilariously unbelievable way. Rules of the day-rewinds themselves are tested and stretched, causing great episodes and terrible ones in equal measure. The show can always be seen experimenting and changing in these early stages, but it sadly might have proved too little, too late.

But the writers were hiding some pretty big ideas, and would only delve into the central mythology, and thus the compelling drama, after they brought in new character Jack Harper. Though always intended as a character, boyfriend Luc was originally supposed to become a mythical antagonist for Tru, before the network apparently asked for a big name to fill the role instead. They got their name with the casting of Jason Priestley, 90s teen pin-up and star of Beverly Hills 90210, and fans were treated to a brand new show with his arrival. It’s unclear why the writers waited quite so long to introduce viewers to the central motif of the show, and it probably would have done better had they introduced it a little earlier.

Jack was the antithesis of Tru, the opposing force whose mission it was to retain order in the universe. Those who died on day one were supposed to in his opinion, and Tru was messing with the rules for her own moralistic satisfaction. He was not a cackling villain, but a hero in his own eyes, and Priestley’s unexpected casting does wonders for the part. He’s charming and appealing, and has some cracking monologues in his arsenal. With his appearance in episode fourteen, and slowly teased reveal thereafter, Tru Calling became a proper genre show with big, universal themes and something compelling to say. Almost all of the episodes thereafter were great, making it a crying shame that this improved quality wasn’t enough to save the show.

It was cancelled after only five episodes of season two had aired, with a sixth subsequently included on the DVD. Plans for the rest of the year don’t just read like an improvement on season one, but an incredibly entertaining show building on its ideas and seeking new things to do with existing characters. For those who haven’t read the outlines for season two available online, the mythology of Tru and Jack went much deeper than the series was ever able to explore, with two ancient powers battling for the fate of the universe. One having established a set path for the future, in terms of who would die and when, then came a rebellious element that sought to make things better.