November 13, 2008
Previously, we learned that ABC is moving its British import Life on Mars to Wednesday at 10pm come mid-season to follow the returning Lost (and Pushing Daisies?). While shifting schedules mid-season have annoyed fans in the past, this move had sunk well with fans as Wednesday will now be a sci-fi block and Grey's Anatomy will be paired off with its spin-off Private Practice during Thursdays. The two line-ups ideally attract the same demographic, making each more compatible with each other, making the lead-ins work better for their lead-outs.
On the last episode of Life on Mars, a racial fight erupted between the African American and Puerto Ricans when a young African American girl was found dead. Meanwhile, Sam was assigned to the case and thought about his mentor in 2008 in order to get an edge on the case. That episode also had the likes of special guest star Whoopi Goldberg as Brother Lovebutter.
November 11, 2008
The great ABC scheduling debate has gone on for four years and has yet to be answered conclusively. What show should ABC air after Lost? There have been numerous contenders, none of which have performed particularly well. It's long been argued that no matter what is placed after Lost, the Lost audience isn't going to stick around. Why? Because Lost is such a interactive, thought-provoking series, that after every episode fans would rather discuss the events and theorize than watch another hour of television. Perhaps this is a flawed theory, and ABC just hasn't found the right series to pair with Lost. We shall see – it was announced today that freshman series Life on Mars will follow Lost on Wednesday nights come mid-season.
November 6, 2008
Last week on ABC’s Life on Mars, Sam Tyler pulled out their latest murder victim from the East River. More interestingly, he ran into his circa-1973 mother, who was being harassed by the local mobsters after she gets tangled up with a loan boss who Sam later met through Tyler’s crew. Later on, Tyler got into trouble with Adrienne, who tried to seduce him but failed. After an odd hallucination, Tyler woke up in the nude and in handcuffs, only to find out that Adrienne took some lewd photos of him so that Elliot could have ransom.
Tonight on Life on Mars, the suspense and drama continues as Episode 1.05, “Things to Do in New York When You Think You're Dead” airs at 10pm on ABC.
October 30, 2008
Remakes are in again. That seems to be the trend nowadays, when networks tend to snatch a British series format and create their own based on the original. This holds true for ABC’s
Life on Mars, which recently debuted earlier this month. The series stars
Jason O’Mara as Sam Tyler, the detective who gets thrown into New York circa 1973 after being hit by a car in present time. While there, he tries to fit in while juggling his job under Gene Hunt (
Harvey Keitel) and working alongside Ray Carling (
Michael Imperioli), Annie Norris (
Gretchen Mol) and Chris Skelton (
Jonathan Murphy).
Recently, Michael Imperioli spoke to the New York Times, saying that his role on the show allowed him to stay with his family in New York, where they are currently filming. The 42-year-old father of three also grew up in the area of Mount Vernon, near New York City.
October 23, 2008
Tonight, Detective Sam Tyler will explore his past once again in a new episode of Life on Mars. But before the preview, here's what has happened so far. Still beleaguered by the turn of events in his life, Sam tried to focus his attention on a series of fatal robberies while proving himself to Lt. Hunt and the rest of the squad members.
In the third episode of Life on Mars called “My Maharishi is Bigger Than Your Maharishi," the 125th precinct is forced to deal with controversial issues after the murder of a returning Vietnam veteran. But as the squad further investigates the case, the case becomes even more complicated and notorious, sending Lieutenant Hunt in an outrage as he demands a quick resolution.
October 17, 2008
Michael Imperioli's Fu Manchu. The soundtrack. Harvey Keitel beating the crap out of people. Slow-motion chase scenes set to glorious seventies music. Naked hippies. There are a lot of things to like about Life on Mars. Though it's not yet clear if Life on Mars can or will have staying power, it is a great little curiosity two episodes in to its stateside life, and I, like many viewers, are going to keep riding Life on Mars until it disappoints. Like Mad Men, Life on Mars works fine as a simple time capsule show, a fun peek into the gritty world of New York City in 1973. The procedural elements still need to fleshed out, but the cast is beyond good, and at this point, I have no problem sitting back and enjoying the scenery.
October 16, 2008
It seems like remakes of old shows are the ‘in' thing again this season as several networks decided to make their own spin of originals such as NBC's Knight Rider and the CW's 90210. Of course, ABC won't be the last to jump on the bandwagon as they have already premiered their very own remake of a British hit—Life on Mars.
The new ABC offering, whose original edition won the international Emmy Award for best drama series in 2006, follows Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) as he is thrown into the not-so-distant past after getting into a hit-and-run accident. There, he must deal with the primitive methods of crime-solving while trying to figure out a way back to his “present.”
October 9, 2008
After a lot of shake-ups, the US version of the original British series Life on Mars will debut tonight on ABC at 10pm. If time travel is your thing, you should check it out. It comes on right after Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays.
Life on Mars is about a detective who finds himself stuck in the early 1970s and thus has to go about his modern professional life absent the help of thirty or so years of technology and forensic science. The series had a rough transfer to a US network after the first pilot by Ally McBeal's David Kelley was scrapped and the whole thing had to be redone from scratch. ABC has announced that it now has ABC drama October Road producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Namec, Scott Rosenberg at the helm.
Some potential premiere spoilers ahead.