Life On Mars

[Stubblecat]

Has anyone here been watching Life On Mars?

For those of you not in the know, it's based on a BBC series from 2005/2006, and it's about a cop who gets hit by a car in 2006 who wakes up after the accident in the year 1973.
He's still a cop and he's apparently just transfered to a new division. He has to adjust to antiquated policing methods in a lazy and corrupt police department, while at the same time trying to figure out how to get himself back to 2006.

Is he a time traveller, in a coma, or just totally raving mad?

Think Back To The Future meets Lost, with a dash of CSI.

Anywho, the first episode was completely identical to the original BBC version, and the ensuing episodes borrow heavily from the original elements.

While I really loved the first few eps, I'm getting kind of worried lately because British shows run for about 57 minutes, and U.S. shows run about 46 minutes, so they've had to cut a lot of what you might call 'filler' (I wouldn't) and condense the storylines.

The example of that was last week's episode. In the BBC version it was one of the best episodes, but in the ABC version it seemed like a very rushed 'greatest hits', just hitting the important plot points and casting away all the finer dialogue and character moments.

Anywho... So I ask: Is anyone here watching it?

[Binkleywalker]

I haven't yet, but caught the show description at some point browsing Hulu or something. I'm in this TV show limbo where I think I've seen most of what I want to see, and now I'm backtracking through shows I never gave a chance or forgot about. Since I've been watching a lot of cop shows lately, this one might be interesting, but something tells me I'd be better off watching the British version if I can find it.

[Stubblecat]

The DVDs of the original two series is (of course) not available R1 yet. I had to download the torrent to get it.

But totally worth it.

And a really neat quirk is the after the show ended (and that ending was one of the most satisfying I've ever seen, BTW) a spin-off show was created called Ashes To Ashes, about another cop who wakes up in 1981 after being shot in the head. She's convinced that the 1981 world is just a dream, sometimes refusing to do the 'right' thing, as it will just feed and validate the fantasy.

[AbigailD]

I started watching the BBC version actually, but only in season two. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it at that point, and so it didn't really do much for me. For that reason when I saw the ABC version, I gave it a miss.

[Stubblecat]

That's a drag. The only major failing of the U.K. version was the first 3 episodes of Series Two were standalone episode which didn't serve the overall story arc very well.

You probably saw 2 or 3 of those eps, which while they are fine episodes, are NO WAY to start watching this show.

[devil9233]

I have seen the BBC version of the story..I have also seen the ABC version..But that one is bit on fast track...so that makes the show lil bit down.....

[daaku]

I have seen both version of and i think the popularity of this show goes down becoz of these different versions.