Any Life On Mars Fans Out There...?

[Michael P. Naughton]

Wondering what Crimespace members have tuned into ABC's new crime show Life On Mars? I like it and recommend... its entertaining. Reminds me of Twillight Zone meets CSI.

What do you think?

[JackBludis]

Too bad it's over. I liked the USA ending better thant the Brit's ending. It gave a new meaning to "Life on Mars" and that foot and trousers at the end ... 1920, 30s?

Confession: This series affected me emotionally more than any other series I have ever seen on TV. I was into the characters. Gretchen Moll--Yes! As you say, it's a shame it's over. I think Jason O'Mara (Sam) might have a pretty good future in TV.

I note that he produced and starred as the title character in the pilot of "Marlowe," as in Philip, which was finished in 2007. Anybody see it?

[Stephanie Padilla, Editor-NewMysteryReader.com]

Yeah, it's much too bad...a good series that didn't make it. My thinking is that it took too much thinking..can't have that! Not to make too much of a stretch, but that show took as much concentration as reading a well-developed novel, and I'm guessing that might be too much for those with a short attention span...course, that's only my opinion...

[John Dodds]

I don't know if you live outside of the UK, Michael, but the politics of 70s police dramas were dodgy at the time, and they are no less so on spoof form in a scifi cop drama. The whole thing was very mildly entertaining, but at heart really not that imaginative. It's only a spoof of 70s UK crime stuff. They could have done so much more with the idea, but they dropped the ball on it.

[JackBludis]

I have not seen the UK version, but the US version seemed on target ... been there, did a lot of it ... not the SF part of course, but the US version seemed far from spoof ... it had real emotion, characters I liked and disliked; characters that I cared about and others who amused me. I found myself getting emotionally involved. All is opinion, of course.

The 70s were a strange time. I remember thinking to myself while watching people dance, looking at their clothes, and knowing how much was going on in everyone's life, "This is not real." It was a fantasy world in a fantasy time that thankfully, disappeared.

It didn't just fade. It disappeared.

[Stephanie Padilla, Editor-NewMysteryReader.com]

I agree with just about all you said, Jack. The show was on target, especially in its depiction of a time when little did seem unreal to most people who were there, as you pointed out. I think the show captured that confusion and general knee-jerk response to events, be it violence or apathy, or groovy dances.