Life on Mars looks good despite the behind-the-scenes turmoil

[Mr. Television]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08283/918495-42.stm

TV Review: 'Life on Mars' orbits into 1970s New York
Thursday, October 09, 2008
By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Despite behind-the-scenes turmoil, there is life in ABC's "Life on Mars."

A cop show with a mystery at its core, "Mars" tells the story of 2008 New York detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) who gets hit by a car and wakes to find himself in 1973. Is he a time traveler? In a coma? Something else? Viewers will have to stay tuned to find out.

The show's pilot episode is nearly identical to the British original that aired on BBC America, right down to some shots and music cues. The new American version moves a little faster, which may sacrifice some of the subtlety of the original, but overall this first episode is a faithful adaptation.


The big question is how to keep viewers tuning in without resolving Sam's dilemma. He hears a voice mention "persistent vegetative state" several times in the premiere, lending credence to the idea that he's in a coma. That might have worked for the 16-episode British series but not for an American show designed to run 22 episodes a season for several years.

Producers said in July that future episodes will introduce other possibilities for what's happened to Sam beyond time travel, coma and lunatic as a way to help sustain the show over the long haul. The show's immediate appeal is seeing a 2008 cop trying to solve crimes using pre-DNA 1970s techniques with '70s rock as the soundtrack.

The American "Mars" is somewhat less gritty (not as much cigarette smoking) and more progressive. Annie "No Nuts" Norris (Gretchen Mol) is a member of the Bureau of Police Women but as Sam observes, she's a "closet feminist," more so than her analogue in the British series.

O'Mara, an Irishman who's been trying to break through on American television for the better part of a decade ("The Agency," "In Justice," etc.), is more of a tough guy than John Simm, the actor who played Sam in the British original. But that fits not only the American cop sensibility but also the New York City setting.

Michael Imperioli, late of "The Sopranos," ably plays another period cop and Harvey Keitel is especially well cast as the harsh but effective precinct leader, Lt. Gene Hunt, who doesn't shy away from roughing up suspects.

"Life on Mars" was originally adapted for American audiences by veteran producer David E. Kelley. O'Mara starred in Kelley's "Mars" pilot, which was set in Los Angeles. Kelley relinquished control this summer and the new producers, fresh off ABC's canceled "October Road," pulled up stakes and moved the series to New York and fired the original cast (Irishman Colm Meaney played Hunt in Kelley's version).

Only time will tell if this version of "Mars" will fly. Producers were wise to put the 2008 relationship between Sam and girlfriend Maya (Lisa Bonet) in the opening minutes since the "Mars" lead-in is the relationship-heavy "Grey's Anatomy." But once Sam goes back in time, the show won't have him traveling back to 2008 anytime soon. We'll see whether the 1973 relationships he develops are enough to sustain interest among the "Grey's" crowd.

[TJL]

I totally forgot that Colm Meaney was going to be in this show! I remember reading about that last year.

I caught oa few episodes of the BBC version of the is series, so I will be watching.

Will the premise hold up if the show is a hait and stays around for a few seasons? Who knows.

[Brian Damage]

I suggest recording them also, because if they are going to use original music from the 70's, the DVD will certainly be edited out aka WKRP.

[Pavan]

I don't think you have to worry about music for current shows on DVD. They all are pretty much cleared. Especially current ABC Studios shows.

[MusicJunkie]

I liked it but I can't see the show lasting a long time without getting old fast, and I know they aren't sending him back to 2008 any time soon

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by MusicJunkie

I liked it but I can't see the show lasting a long time without getting old fast, and I know they aren't sending him back to 2008 any time soon

I don't have a problem with that, give me 1973 every week-lol

[DSfan]

I just watched the pilot, it was great!

I found it very fast moving and the scene changes were subtle and effective. It's a very interesting show with a good plot and the proper cast for the roles they are trying to fill.

As well, I loved how they used Baba O'Riley in the second half of the show. That is one of my favourite songs.

This show sort of reminds me of New Amsterdam, the short-lived FOX series from last year. They are both set in New York about police detectives who have something strange happen to them, eternal life and, in this instance, going back in time.

I found the scene with Sam staring at Colin with the marbles as he was walking up the stairs, as well as the scene right after Sam being hit by the car where he stares up at the Twin Towers to be quite surreal.

Can't wait for next week, but how long will it be until we see Lisa Bonet again. He can't be going back to the future for a while now, so is each episode going to be with these characters or different situations entirely? I'm sort of confused with that, are they still pursuing Maya or not?

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by PhillySportsHater

I don't have a problem with that, give me 1973 every week-lol

I agree. I want it to stay in 1973. I love anything '70's. lol

[robyrob]

Originally Posted by MusicJunkie

I liked it but I can't see the show lasting a long time without getting old fast, and I know they aren't sending him back to 2008 any time soon

if they even loosely follow the stories of individual characters in the original they could stretch it out quite a bit - there are a number of different storylines involving other characters we saw only briefly in the pilot, like his friend the black detective we saw in 2008. Some stories start in 1973 and intertwine with events in the present.

so far I am pretty happy with the casting they chose for all the characters, I was scared that Michael Imperioli was going to be Chris and that would NOT have worked, and I thought that Lisa Bonet was going to play Annie, but Gretchen Mol was a much better fit for that character.

The only thing I don't like so much character-wise is that Harvey Keitel seems a little old to play Gene Hunt, and they tamed his character down too much; he is supposed to be even worse than most of the criminals they are trying to catch, and it is up to Sam to win him over and "reform" him.

We will see a lot more of Lisa Bonet's character Maya; he dreams of her, she tries to communicate with him, he thinks about her all the time as he tries to save her and find a way home.

I was also very pleased by the look and feel of the show, and the music was great too.

[Pavan]

Excellent overnight ratings. It crushed CBS's Eleventh Hour and held much of Grey's Anatomy's numbers.

Glad everyone liked it. I knew people would. I saw it last week and was amazed how good it was.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by pavanbadal

Excellent overnight ratings. It crushed CBS's Eleventh Hour and held much of Grey's Anatomy's numbers.

Glad everyone liked it. I knew people would. I saw it last week and was amazed how good it was.

i was amazed at how many people at my job was interested in watching.


only one person said they didn't like it and that was my dumb friend who couldn't give a reason why she didn't like it-lol

[DSfan]

LOL, there is always that one person who disagrees just to disagree.

[TVFactFan]

She said it was BORING.


Not to me it wasn't