SubscribeWill Emmy voters discover 'Life on Mars'?
The American version of the Brit TV hit "Life on Mars" debuts tonight on ABC to generally decent reviews. The alphabet net has high hopes for this series about Sam Tyler, a contemporary cop (Jason O'Mara) who imagines himself living in 1973 after being hit by a car and entering a coma.
After all, the original edition won the international Emmy Award for best drama series in 2006. But how will it fare with American Emmy voters? For every "All in the Family" or "The Office" that crosses the pond successfully, there is a "Coupling" or "Cracker" that crashes and burns.
When this remake of "Life on Mars" was first announced, Emmy darling David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal," "The Practice") was in charge.
However, he was bounced in the spring by the trio that ran the less-than-stellar "October Road."
O'Mara was the only one of the original cast who was kept. They brought onboard Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel ("Bugsy") for his first regular TV gig. He replaced Colm Meaney as the tough-talking Gene Hunt who leads a less than politically correct police squad. This character, as played by Phillip Glenister, proved so popular in the U.K. that when series star John Simm pulled the plug after only two seasons, Hunt returned in "Ashes to Ashes," a sequel of sorts set in 1980s London rather than 1970s Manchester.
Also added to the mix was Emmy winner Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos") who is now playing one of the good guys as a rival police detective. Onetime screen ingenue Gretchen Mol is the love interest back then while Lisa Bonet ("The Cosby Show") returns to series TV as the woman who waits for Sam in the present day.
Robert Bianco of USA Today reflected the concern of many critics by lauding the faithful retelling of the first episode of the original series but wondering where the show will go from there. "The British series ran only 16 episodes, and even it had trouble maintaining interest in its central question. The longer you extend that question and the more complicated it becomes, the less likely it is that the answer will be satisfactory."
Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times, an admitted fan of the original, "is not wholly convinced" by the remake but remains intrigued.
Barry Garron of Reuters said the show, "is true to the spirit of the original and exciting enough to make you swallow the premise and beg for more."
Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times thought it "strange and exhilarating."
During those two short seasons that the British series ran, it captured the public's attention, winning the audience award at both the 2006 BAFTA kudos and the 2007 National Television Awards. However, it failed to win any of the peer-voted prizes for which it competed, losing best drama series at both BAFTA and the Royal Television Society to "The Street," an anthology set in a Manchester working class neighborhood.
Photo credit: ABC
I'm a retired Police Lieutenant (35 yrs) and the first segment sure took me back in time. Well done and one of the best shows I've seen for some time. Scale of 1-10 I give it a 10 rating.
Posted by: George J. | October 10, 2008 at 08:57 PM
I loved it
One of the best shows I have seen since the office.
Loved it loved it
Posted by: suz | October 10, 2008 at 11:58 AM
LOVED IT!! LOVED THE MUSICE!! AWESOME!!
Posted by: Tina | October 10, 2008 at 11:23 AM
The original "Life on Mars" indeed did not win the BAFTA in either of the years it was nominated - to gasps of shock from the audience of peers. It was generally regarded as a travesty.
Posted by: Aine Neary | October 09, 2008 at 11:20 PM
I can only assume that if the US Version is picked up for a full run they will have to depart more and more from the UK Version. One thing about the UK's "closed-loop" style season is that you can plan pretty much every turn in the road. I am interested enough to tune in and see how the US Version handles a more open-ended approach to what is necessarily a limited central mystery.
Posted by: TheWatcher | October 09, 2008 at 02:17 PM
I am looking forward to this premiere tonight! Show has to be good with Keitel!
Posted by: PeterP | October 09, 2008 at 12:18 PM