TV Show Review: Life on Mars - The Complete US Series

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Interesting characters in well done stories

Cons: The ending works, but it could have been better

The Bottom Line:

Do let this series

Pull you back to 70's

Ending could frustrate

Solving Crime to a 70's Beat, Man

I wasn't planning on giving Life on Mars a chance when it premiered on ABC, but a blog I read was talking about it so excitedly, I decided to give it a chance.  After the first week, I was intrigued.  After another couple weeks, I was hooked.

Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) is a cop living in 2008.  He's actually a very successful New York City Detective.  While working on one particularly tough case, Sam is hit by a car and wakes up to find himself in 1973.  He finds that he has just been transferred to a precinct in New York and finds himself working on a case that just might matter to his 2008 self.

But Sam continues to find himself trapped in 1973.  His modern, politically correct ways are out of step with his new co-workers, especially in their attitude of Annie (Gretchen Mol), the lone female who wishes to be recognized as a real detective.  He finds his more modern methods occasionally help out with cases.  Then there are the cases that bring him into contact with his father, mother, and himself as a boy.

All the while, Sam searches for a way to return home.  Will the weird clues he gets help?  Or is he stuck in 1973 for the rest of his life?

This show is at once a mix between drama and comedy.  The cases that Sam and his new co-workers solve are definitely dramas.  Yet Sam often says or does something that makes sense in a modern context, only to get strange looks from those around him.  Then there are some of Sam's alias.  Whenever Sam needs to go undercover (or hide who he really is from his family), he adopts a name from pop culture that comes in the last 25 years.  My favorite is "Detective Skywalker."

The characters were what really hooked me on the show.  Obviously, Sam is intriguing as he tries to decide just what is happening to him and how he can get home.  Annie's fight against her co-workers attitudes (she is called "No Nuts" by most of them) was interesting.  Lieutenant Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel) is about as far from a modern TV cop leader as you can get, saying that anything goes as long as they catch the bad guys.  Detective Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli) is a racist and sexist as they come.  Meanwhile, detective Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy) seems to have a case of hero worship for everyone else.

Any of these characters could have been one dimensional, offensive, and obnoxious.  It is a testament to the writing and acting that this never happens.  The characters are given enough personality that we get them.  We may not agree with them often, but we understand them and want to root for them.

The stories were quite interesting as well.  Watching Sam interact with his parents knowing what would happen was at times heart breaking and compelling.  Several of the storylines definitely took advantage of the time period, like the one surrounding protests or race relations.

It's hardly a surprise that the soundtrack relied heavily on the music from the era.  I'm not familiar enough with the music to name artists and songs, but I did at least recognize many of them.

Then there's the final episode.  ABC canceled the show part way through the season, but told the producers they would get one final episode to wrap up everything.  Fans seem to be split on that seventeenth episode.  Some hate it and the way it ends things.  Others find it satisfying and logical.  I fall into the second camp.  Initially, I didn't like it.  But as I thought about it, I did feel it was set up early and often.  And I liked the sense of closure it gave me.  I have never seen the BBC version of this show that this one was based on, but I have read about the ending.  I definitely liked this one better.

This set does contain all 17 episodes from the American version of the show.  The episodes are on four discs with widescreen picture and 5.1 surround sound.  The behind the scenes featurettes include one on the creation of the show and two on the 70's look and feel of the show.

Even if you don't buy the ending, you can still enjoy the period piece, drama, and comedy of the show.  There are sixteen solid episodes before you get to the questionable finale.

This show isn't for everyone (which is why the ratings tanked and it crashed).  But if you want some 70's nostalgia, give Life on Mars a chance.