With the recent success of TV shows like "The Office," writers and directors have started "Americanizing" popular British television shows with increasing regularity. The newest victim of America's transatlantic theft is the short-lived cop/time travel series, "Life on Mars."
Canceled after only two seasons on the BBC, the show has been picked up by ABC as one of only three new television shows airing on the network this fall. The show stays true to its predecessor in the pilot and promises to take the beloved show to a new level of success and popularity in the States.
The show opens in 2008 with Sam Tyler (played by Jason O'Mara) and his girlfriend Maya chasing after a serial killer. The killer tricks them and escapes, and when Maya goes after him — alone and not paying attention — she is abducted. Tyler figures out where the killer has taken his girlfriend, but when he gets there, he is distracted and gets hit by a car. When he wakes up, his SUV has turned into a yellow muscle car, his pants are now flared, and the World Trade Center towers still loom in the distance. It is now 1973.
Tyler is still a cop, but he is no longer the head of detectives. He now answers to an aggressive, law-bending ruffian Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel), who is on a mission to keep criminals off the streets at any cost. Type-cast cops Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli) and Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy) also join Tyler in the new era; Carling is a buffoon, and Skelton is the insecure newbie. Rounding out the predominantly male cast is Gretchen Mol as Annie Norris, also called "No-Nuts" Norris. Clearly, the '70s were a simpler time, before all those sexual harassment lawsuits.
The 1973 killer Tyler is chasing down seems familiar — so familiar that he thinks the 2008 criminal may, in fact, be a copycat. Using his great detective skills, he tracks down the 1973 killer, only to discover that the present-day killer was his neighbor as a young boy. To top it all off, in 1973, Tyler hears noises and voices that resemble an emergency room — a direct link to his present-day comatose diagnosis.
Despite its far-fetched premise, the show enjoyed a fairly strong following in Britain, and it looks like it might be the next crossover hit, as about 15 million people tuned in for the premiere. The acting is excellent — different from most TV shows.
This is O'Mara's first mainstream TV role after many guest roles on popular shows, such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Closer." He has the charisma necessary for a leading man, as well as good looks, comedic timing and dramatic impact.
The rest of the cast is equally impressive. Keitel's no-nonsense act can be incredibly intimidating, and Imperioli's ladies' man routine is hilarious. Mol also fleshes out her character well. Shy, yet smart and sassy, the Annie Norris character provides contrast in a male-dominated world.
The alternate reality of the '70s is so drastically different from the present day, that it could almost be considered another show. From the costumes to the cars, the storefronts to the music, the show's creators spared no expense to fully capture the essence of those years.
Although the show seems to send a message that the present day is much better than 25 years ago (the flagrant disregard for citizens' rights, no cell phones or computers), several scenes suggest that some positive elements have been lost. Maybe it's the music — a time when talent and passion in the business actually meant something — or maybe it's the rebellion and protests that have shifted to apathy.
Though the show's overall message is still in the works, the talent and dramatic potential come across as clearly as a pair of bell-bottoms.
