Life On Mars

Life on Mars is a sci-fi/crime drama that aired on ABC from 2008 – 2009. The original show aired on BBC One from 2006 – 2007. It is about a NYC detective who finds himself taken from 2008 to 1973.

The show follows detective Sam Tyler, played by Jason O’Mara, who after being hit by a car in 2008 wakes up in 1973. Sam resumes police work as a detective in 1973 and is very cautious in telling information about himself as he is unsure if he is in a coma, crazy, or what exactly is going on. I personally thought Jason O’Mara did a superb job in this role and I loved his character.

As detective Tyler made his way in 1973 he ran into many obstacles. He saw himself as a child and also some other children from his neighborhood that he knew would become future criminals. One of the best moments of the show was when Sam ran into his mother and had to make up a name on the fly, he went with Detective Luke Skywalker. Sam also found out about his father, who wasn’t in his life as a child. Sam’s father Vic Tyler, we find to be a criminal and even shoots Sam in an episode. Talk about a bad father/son relationship! As the series continued Sam started getting clues and seeing things from 2008, such as robots, iPods, and he also would receive calls giving him clues.

The show had an all star cast including Harvey Kietel, Michael Imperioli, and Gretchen Mol. I personally was surprised to see Harvey in a TV series but he played his role as Sam’s boss at the precinct superbly. Unfortunately ABC did not order a second season and the final episode has aired.

*Spoiler Alert*

In my opinion the ending was not what it should have been. It felt rushed and like they knew it was the end so the producers attempted to tie up all loose threads. In the final episode we find that Sam was part of a mission to Mars and his dream set up by the spaceship went awry.So everything that occured in the show was all just a dream. All the above mentioned cast were on the ship also on the mission to Mars. Thus giving us their connection to Sam.

*End Spoiler*

I loved the series and will pick up the DVD set which is available September 29, 2009