Life on Mars

Our hero is thrust back in time by unknown means from 2008 to 1973 he is mysteriously holding a cops ID and is expected at the station house as a new transfer into H Keitels "team" of detectives. Its all confusing to him but he pulls himself together and for some reason goes to work every day as a new york detective working cases and living adventures with his new partners. We get to experience the culture shock first hand. There is also a dark unknown force always teasing Sam as to why he is there and that Sam is following someones unknown plan....

There are funny moments which are played out quite well almost looking like they are happening for real. Its a credit to the cast that they can pull it off considering the script quality.

more light hearted than the UK version and not quite so edgy. Even so in its own right its a decent show. the characters are intriguing and make you want to know more. As normal with yank shows there is always some big moral backdrop to the story which a lot of UK fans will find cheesy but the Americans love that stuff.....

each episode has its own story though they are all linked, I think the show could do with a bigger arc for us to get our teeth into spread out over several episodes or a season, though I would say it does look like its heading that way.

excellent cast. Though Harvey Keitel and Gretchen Mol both outshine Jason O'Mara the lead. He doesn't seem very realistic as a character and I wish he would take more advantage of the fact that he's from the future to make him more believable.

in summary thumbs up, good entertainment.

Life on Mars.

Another prime example of a good show that had a following killed off because of idiotic decisions by a Network, this one by one of the worst offenders, ABC. Had the show not gone on a 2-month hiatus and then a time and day change, it might have seen 2 or 3 seasons, easily.

This was one of the first shows of several in a line of 70's or 80's time period. Why? Because that is the time period most of the people now in charge grew up in. It's something they, and myself, relish for a return of. Back to a "Simpler" time, if you will. Of course, EVERY generation thinks and says that lol.

This was a remake of yet another British series of the same name and many of the same named characters, with, of course, a few differences to entice the American audiences. I'm not sure what it is, but the British sure seem to have a knack for strange and interesting Television and Movie entertainment.

The show has an AWESOME cast. Jason O'Mara is in the leading role as Detective Sam Tyler. He isn't really your "normal" leading man in action based Sci-Fi Television shows, but he does a great job when put into them. Terra Nova was another show he was an "odd" leading man in as well. And now also as a cast member of Agents of Shield. When you first see him, you think, "WHAT?" But after a few episodes, you settle in and can't imagine anyone else in that role. In one of the episodes of this show, his real life wife, the stunning Paige Turco is a guest star. You will recognize her as Clarke's Mother, Abby Griffen from the show The 100. In that same episode, you get a chance to hear Jason's REAL accent. Being that he is from Ireland, it, of course, is Irish.

Gretchen Mol plays Woman Police Officer, Annie Norris. She, of course, is a very beautiful woman, but they are able to "Temper" that beauty by her uniform and meek presence. At moments along the way, they spotlight that beauty by adding some growing strength and a Burnette look here and there. Mol is a natural blonde and hot, but nothing like when she turns into a Brunette and sizzles off the TV screen. She is truly one of those women who is much better looking as a brunette and not her natural blonde. The show takes some interesting twists and turns and Mol's character, what is normally a "3rd Tier" supporting role, blasts to the forefront.

Harvey Keitel is Lieutenant Gene Hunt, the leader of the 125 unit. He is the typecast of the old 70's man in charge, gruff, tough, mean, but with a tender side. His character, like all of them, seem to grow and change because of the presence of Det. Sam Tyler.

The rest of the cast is relative unknowns, but Michael Imperioli who plays Det. Ray Carling, begins to shine as the typical 70's "Sexist Pig" male that Feminists of that era battled for control with. He is some pretty good comic relief with his lines, jokes, and name calling.

I recommend this show in general, I gave it a 7, which for me, is a very "good" rating. Any of my ratings of 6 or up you will be happy with the show and easily be able to watch the entire series. If I rate a show 8 it is an awesome show, 9 would be one of the best shows I have ever seen and 10, doesn't exist it. It is hard to classify because it crosses a few genres, Sci-Fi, Police Procedurals, Drama. d then relies on another to keep it going. Much like many of the shows being made now.

Final Note: (And if you have read some of my other reviews, MY TYPICAL RANT TIME). In my opinion, the Networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, now FOX and probably soon, the CW, have a LONG HISTORY OF DESTROYING GOOD SCI-FI SHOWS with STUPID Decisions. This show was a victim the same way. Right now, the only way a good Sci-Fi show has a shot at several seasons is on a Cable Network or the CW. The main Networks rely too heavily on an old, outdated, FLAWED, system of measurements, the Neilsens. Nowadays, most of us are busy and DVR or Stream our TV and Movie entertainment. Perhaps a Social Media system should be set up to gauge audience interest rather than the horrible "Neilsen" system used FAR TOO LONG. As proof, imagine how long CBS or NBC would have allowed a show like The Walking Dead to go on. They would have killed it after the 1st season. CBS had a decent winner in Supergirl, but yet they transferred it to their CW. They now have the new Star Trek show, but wisely(?) (We shall see), they are going to be showing just the Pilot on their network and then going to their new "Streaming" service with it. They are going to make it their "Flagship" of their streaming service. If not done right, their streaming service will crash and burn like could easily happen if not handled correctly. NBC killed the show "Revolution" which had massive ratings and proved, done properly, a Sci-Fi show can live on the Networks, but an overly long Hiatus for the show killed it. The audience moved on to other shows and by the time it came back, no one was left to watch it. Plus, they changed the premise so much, it didn't really resemble much of the original 1st season.

Yes, I HATE the Networks and can't wait until the day they bankrupt themselves from stupidity and arrogance.

Who can resist checking out a new series with a time-travel aspect? I couldn't - so I watched. The pilot was pretty good. The stories, however, looked as if they would get tiresome since he's perpetually in 1973. Fortunately, the show's developers leave a little hook at the end of each episode where he's flashing forward to the present time. What they they are going to do with it is unknown, but it keeps me interested and watching.

If you haven't seen the show, it's about a present-day police officer who is severely hit by a car while investing a crime. He wakes up as a police officer in 1973 and, in every episode, tries to figure out what happened and what he needs to do to get back.

After a slightly shaky start, the series is holding up. The constant references to what life was like in 1973 (esp. things we take for granted) keeps it interesting - but it's Jason O'Mara (who plays the lead character) who holds the show together. His style of skepticism, seriousness and conflict (1973 values vs. modern values) is really great to watch.

There are some similarities to Journeyman from NBC, but let's hope this one sticks around.

The energetic and entertaining "Life on Mars" is a cop-show tonic for those tired of being CSI-ed five night a weeks. It's managed to craft a very watchable balance of humor and light science fiction in the frame of a traditional 1970's police story, and yet it's backed by some pretty solid acting chops from Harvey Keitel and Jason O'Mara. Yes, it's different from the British series which it takes its inspiration from, but if you can accept the premise, it makes for some pretty solid entertainment. For those of you fearing or thinking this could develop into another "Lost" with multiple incomprehensible story lines, the tenor of the first couple of episodes makes it clear that this show won't get overly weighted down by its time traveling premise.

In some ways, it is.

When I first heard "Life On Mars" was being adapted for American television, I really didn't expect much. And when I first watched it, I was unimpressed. The British series is just SO original, and SO excellent. Who could replace the Gov? No one. Even now that my opinion of the show has changed, I still think he is irreplaceable. But that's okay! The American series has other things going for it, which I suspect largely stem from a bigger budget. The music is better, for one. Also, the attention to detail is immaculate. One of the joys of watching it is experiencing the atmosphere of 1973 New York. I also quite like Michael Imperioli as Ray— perhaps he's not as funny as Dean Andrews, but he's enjoyable to watch in a grittier kind of way. I also like Jason O'Mara as Sam Tyler. He brings a lightness to the role which was absent in John Simm's portrayal. Whereas Simm was often terribly serious and painfully moral (admittedly why we loved him—it is these traits which made his exchanges with Gene Hunt so entertaining), O'Mara's Sam Tyler immerses himself more in the time period. When he takes delight in 1973, so do we. One of the few elements damaged by the adaptation is DC Chris Skelton—played in the BBC series by the talent Marshall Lancaster. Jonathon Murphy fills the role in the ABC version and he is so extremely boring that I lament the adaptation of his character every time he appears in a scene. Finally, it's certain that Harvey Keitel has big shoes to fill but he's adequate. He's a professional and has a presence which embodies 1973 New York.

If you are a big fan of the British series, you will enjoy this show. And if you've only ever seen this adaptation, I encourage you to rent the original BBC series.