"Life On Mars" begins with a sci-fi/fantasy premise (man is hit by car, wakes up 33 years in the past), but soon settles down into a period buddy cop show, with a "case-of-the-week" format, laddish "male bonding" humor, a pinch of drama, and moderately engaging characters. The only fantasy elements in most episodes are some subtle and not-so-subtle hints that the main character may be in a coma back in 2006 and doctors/relatives are trying to revive him. Only in the last episode of the first season do we get a purpose to his experience (a crucial discovery about his own past), but not a resolution to his situation. And while I am reasonably curious to find out what happens to Sam Tyler, I'm not in much rush to wade through eight more "1970s CSI"-type of episodes to find out. In other words, these comments refer to the 1st season only. It's good for what it is, it's just not what I was hoping for.
Review of Life on Mars
