what Gene Genie's big secret??

I also liked the ending to the original, sure there was some stuff that was there to set up the spin-off, rather than to wrap up the story, and yes it does feel tacked on. However, there is a braveness to the ending (which I am not going to spoil) that would never fly on US TV, think about what the actual moral of the ending is, and just think how controversial that is. I think a lot of people concentrate on the where he ends up, and ignore the decision needed to create the how.

I'm looking forward to the show, but I really wish the original was available as R1 DVDs. Hell, even if it came out on Blu-Ray, that'd be fine since there's no regioning.

I'll be checking this out. And someone give a heads up next time BBC America does a LoM maratrhon. I missed the one they did a few days ago.-----later-----m

OK, I liked it, and if indeed it was a "cover" I absolutly want to watch the original. Next week is the true test with the USA writers taking over. Let's hope they don't fuck it up. These guys don't have the best track record.-----later-----m

It sure seems like they're emphasizing the coma angle, even though the producers swear that the US version will have a different explanation. And what the flashback with Annie running through the woods in the red dress? How are they going to shoehorn that plot point into their new mythology? I'm not sure the American audience will love this show like the UK audience did, but I'll be back to see more.

Cop drama. Love story. Quirky time-travel mystery. Musical.

I know, people with not enough time to watch all the new shows, busy critics who think they're paid to be critical and Anglophile elitists who assume the original short-run version of any British series has to be better than any open-ended American remake are all dismissing it. "We already had that '70s show" and "Swingtown". Right, as if television only ever had room for a couple series set during World War Two or the post-Civil War Wild West.

Quirky time travel sci-fi series.

New York Cop Sam Tyler (same first name as the guy from Quantum Leap, imagine that.) is struck by a car in 2008 and wakes up with a mild concussion in 1973. He lists the options: He time traveled from "the future," he has brain damage and is delusional or he's died and is imagining everything. (Hey, if the British series decided on one of those three, I don't want to know about it, okay?)

What's novel: he remembers his past life in the future of our present. But he lives in a world where his instincts to use use cell phones and personal computers, to respect criminals rights and treat a policewoman as an equal, and to expect forensic evidence such as fingerprints to take less than several weeks to analyze and process, are all seen as evidence of his delusion.

Even Sam veers from believing it's all in his imagination (even believing that a gun a suspect is holding on him won't kill him, just wake him up) to believing it must be real because his new reality simply has too much specific detail for his subconscious to be making it all up.

Cop drama.

If you're a fan - or just remember - the late '60s/early '70s New York cop movies like Serpico and the French Connection, well, Life On Mars gets those right in a way that eallty seventies NYPD law shows like Beretta and Petrocelli weren't allowed to.

The twist is, by viewing this as a historical drama, we see the bigger picture of social change in action. In the bicentennial year Dirty Harry flick "The Enforcer" Tyne Daly's "women's libber" female cop takes a bullet and her dying words are "Harry, I screwed up". Here Gretchen Mol's police woman Annie Norris is an undervalued and underappreciated asset with a PHD in psychiatry who endures the taunts of coworkers and superiors who refer to her as "No Nuts" and expect her to fetch coffee.

Love Story.

Sam loves co-worker Maya Daniels. Something tragic happens to her during a case they are investigating of a copy-cat serial killer. Stuck in the past Sam solves the case and figures out who the killer is... or will be in the future. now he's a six year old boy. And Sam comes this close to killing the kid in order to save Maya in the future when her voice on his car radio informs him that she's alright. As the radio signal disolves to static she begs him to come back to her, and there's nothing he's like more, but how?

Musical

Relax, it's not Cop Rock. it's just a historical drama/fantasy that makes use of the music of the era being depicted.

The problem or the Shark Jump for That '70s Show wasn't when supposed lead actor 2fer "Gopher Face" Grace, Tanya roberts, Forman's sister Laurie left the series. Heck even the name Eric Forman left the series and, with the addition of an 'e', joined the cast of characters on House, MD. No, the trouble was that everyone else stayed. For a few years too long. Not that it was "30 year old teenager 90210 syndrome," but that the shows original premise of moving forward one year every season fell apart when the show stayed stuck in 1979 for several years because the shows creators had already sold off the title "That '80s Show".

But while it was moving forward through the decade, it tended to over-focus on the events of each single year, like a high school play written by consulting an encyclopedia entry or an almanac for the topical events of a certain period.

Or, alternately, by presenting a '70s fantasy land in which bell bottoms, platform shoes, vote t-shirts and double kniit polyester leisure suits all happened simultaneously with glitter, prog, shock and punk rock and disco in a time when boys played with pet rocks and Rubik's Cubes and Donna hid her copy of Playgirl under the mattress. A seventies where the entire decade happened all at once.

I have nothng but praise for the autenticity of AMC's Mad Men, But it's that encyclopedia, almanac, yearbook, catalog and old magazine authenticity in which every fashion, every prop, every set design is very specific to the period; a 1962 where everything that happened was happening exactly then.

In the Life On Mars pilot, for example, there is a reference to something from ten years earlier that at first seems anacronistic until you realize that sometimes people listen to old records, or wear hand me downs, or buy used furniture. Whether it's 1962, 1973 or 2008, very few people live completely in the now.

I really liked Swingtown, but... there were no music lovers, no record collectors, audiophiles or even hipsters. The show was often a non-stop jukebox. I once compared it to watching the TV with an oldies station tuned in. But no one really cared about cool music - everyone was satisfied to listen to the soundtrack cherry picked from the eras top 40 hits. Personally, in the disco era I was already listening to a lot of albums and music from a lot of genres including a lot of "classic" pop and rock music from the '60s, and not much of what was getting current commercial airplay.

Life On Mars gets that, starting with it's title track/theme song/inspiration. If you want to hear a cut from Bowie's Hunky dory album now, you put it on your iPod. if you wanted to hear it in your car in 1973, forget the radio, you had to buy the 8-track tape.

Okay, some of the music choices are slightly jarring non-sequitors. What does "Little Willie Won't Go" have to do with a chase scene? But some of it is brilliantly and cleverly chosen to set the tone of the period.

And really, how incredibly gutsy and cool is it to co-opt the theme song from CSI: NY, The Who's "Baba O'Reilly" (or as people living in an alternate universe where they can just make up names for stuff call it, "Teenage Wasteland") and actually put it in it's correct historical context (as well as playing it right, instead of giving us some sort of electronica dance music remix.)

Besides, Swingtown was set in 1976 and music - at least the hit music of the period - was crap. Oh, people looking back with hindsight have respect for the music put in a historical context, but people who lived through the '70s knew that '70s music sucked.

Maybe it's me - in 1973 I was 20, just flunked out of Junior College, driving a Fiat, dumped by the love of my life, just beginning to discover drugs, still under 200 pounds and wearing blue jeans and sneakers. It was a golden year for me. And there was some great music then. 1973 was a helluva year for great music. Okay, for music it was no 1967, '68 or '69... but it was pretty good.

= Napoleon Park =

cast*Jason O'Mara - Det. Sam Tyler*Harvey Keitel - Lt. Gene Hunt*Michael Imperioli - Det. Ray Carling*Gretchen Mol - Annie Norris*Jonathan Murphy - Det. Chris Skelton*Lisa Bonet - Maya Daniels

Okay, how great is getting Harvey Keitel, star of the corrupt cop film Bad Lieutenant, to play the brutal, suspect beating, warrent ignoring police Lieutenant? How cool is getting Michael Imperioli from Goodfellas and the sopranos to play the polyester jacket and porn mustache wearing cop who was up for the position that Sam walked into. How hot is having beautiful film star Gretchen Mol signed to a series? How keen is having Cosby kid Lisa Bonet back on TV in a Thursday night series (just like The Cosby Show was)?

Plus, series star/Irish actor Jason O'Mara has already been a regular on two series and had recurring roles on five others. Any change of him getting a gig that lasts more than a season?

"If I was a figment of your imagination, I'd probably leave your hand on my chest." - Annie

Sunday night, I think, has the desperate old ladies in the suburb show. Outside of Lost and College football I don't know what else ABC airs.

Desperate Housewives. Boston Legal. Eli Stone. Pushing Daisies. Private Practice. Dirty Sexy Money. Grey's Anatomy. Life On Mars.

I guess either I watch a lot more TV than you or have o;der and more mainstream tastes, whatever point you were trying to make. Personally I watch more shows on American than any other network.

Which would be WAY cooler and I'd be totally ok with.

If there was one and only one thing I would hope they keep from the British version, it would be that Sam Tyler is no hero.

He was constantly at odds with his 70's counterparts - especially Hunt - but in a very unherolike fashion he also tended to get beat up and actually LOSE fights that he got into. I really liked that he would try to make a point about something and typically end up worse for wear and often looking stupid and failing to get his point across.

Anyway, if it goes the way I think it's going to go then it should be pretty alright

Keitel seems like a better fit for a New York setting than Colm Meaney, although he seems to be getting on in years (Isn't he like 70 now?). Looking forward to seeing Imperioli becoming more of a jerk as Ray and it looks like next week has the classic swimsuit chase.

Oh, and for the record, Baba O'Reilly was used in that very same scene from the original version, so I'm glad the U.S. team kept it.

but doubt abc's last long enough to have an ending. probably will get 1 season and fade.

“ER” managed its best rating in months en route to topping CBS’s “Eleventh Hour” and ABC’s “Life on Mars” in the 10 p.m. timeslot. At 10 p.m. “ER” averaged a 3.9, 0.1 ahead of “Mars” and 0.6 ahead of “Hour.” “Hour” squandered more than half its lead-in among 18-49s and nearly half in total viewers, where it tied “Mars” for first in the timeslot with 11.6 million total viewers. “Mars” performed much better than last year’s post-“Grey’s” timeslot holder, “Big Shots,” holding 69 percent of its lead-in and tying for the best new show premiere of the year with CBS’s quickly fading “Worst Week.”

Bill Clay I agree. ABC used the old graphics this summer, and they need to play it up more. It would really allow them to stand out. Looks like "11th Hour" will be gone by Christmas.------later-----m

In the 10pm Hour, "Life on Mars" Beats CBS' Debut of "Eleventh Hour" in Key Adults Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.) Against the premiere of CBS' Thursday dramas, ABC earned second place in Total Viewers (11.5 million) and across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 (3.4/10), AD18-49 (4.0/10) and AD25-54 (4.6/11). ABC posted a dominant first place on the evening in Women 18-34, besting its nearest competition by 26% (4.9/14 vs. 3.9/11 - NBC).

"Life on Mars" (10:00-11:00 p.m.) TV's highest-rated drama debut of the season, ABC's series debut of "Life on Mars" topped CBS' series premiere of "Eleventh Hour" by solid margins in the 10 o'clock hour across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 +23% (2.7/8 vs. 2.2/7), AD18-49 +15% (3.8/10 vs. 3.3/9) and AD25-54 +14% (4.8/12 vs. 4.2/10). In addition, "Life on Mars" ranked No. 1 in the hour in AD25-54, M25-54 and W25-54, and was the top-rated broadcast show in the slot with Teens 12-17 (1.4/6).

* "Life on Mars" stands as TV's No. 1 drama debut of the season in Adults 18-49, and the highest-rated Fall drama opener in 1 year - since 10/3/07.

* "Life on Mars" improved the time period for ABC over the same night last year (w/"Big Shots") by 3.1 million viewers (11.6 million vs. 8.5 million), by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10 vs. 3.6/10) and by 17% in Adults 25-54 (4.8/12 vs. 4.1/11). * "Life on Mars" retained a strong 93% of its lead-in among Men 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 3.0/8) and built on Grey's Anatomy by 6% in Men 25-54 (3.7/10 vs. 3.5/8).

What is terrible however is that the best thing I can say about it was that it didn't totally suck.

What happened to the days when shows were amazing and incredible? And why aren't more people watching "Pushing Daisies"?

Bottom line is I don't see how you drag this out over three or four season. I don't think it can hold up, but I'll watch it for a while.

http://tinyurl.com/4soztu

Why should I give a rats ass if a different version of some show in some foreign country is better than the new remake airing on American TV? You think I'm going to go to Great Britain just to watch The Office? Shuck that fit, the BBC isn't on my local cable system.

Ritche bastridges.

the American version of Life On Mars can be seen online, full episode, at http://abc.go.com/ But, y'know, I've already seen it twice.

Some of you fuckers act all high and mighty because you've seen shows that have aired in Europe.

"Oh, the US version could never ever be as good as the original on BBC. NO WAY."

If it's not up to your high standards, don't watch it. You don't have to.

Hooray for the people who can pay a hundred bucks a month to watch TV, but some of are financially limited to Basic cable.

Bit torrent and online file sharing is fine for lawbreakers who don;t mind filling their computers up with spyware, malicious coding and viruses, trojans and worms and can affort to upgrade to a new computer every year or so. Again, hooray for the wealthy.

Mr. Spork, you seem to know what I'm saying and i agree with everything you added. Say hi to the Beanworld for me.

Xiphoos 2, what did you do with the real Xiphos? Glad you cleared up what you meant to say about ABC's lineup because it sounded like what you were saying was that since you don;t kike the same shows I do, then I must have shitty taste, and I sure wouldn't take that sort of bullshit from someone who confesses in a public forum to watching college footsball. Nothing wrong with watching a bunch of young muscleboys in satin pants and funny hats grabbing each other and leaping into piles if that's what entertains you, especially if someone's conned you into betting your lunch money on the outcome. I prefer scripted dramas and comedies with attractive women and entertainment values. But to each his or her own.