"Life on Mars" (2006)TV series 2006-2007

Creators:

Mathew Graham
Tony Jordan
Ashley Pharoah

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

9 January 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Two cops in the same town at the same time... 33 years apart

Plot:

After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler (Simm) wakes up to find himself in 1973, the era of 'Sweeney' type policing, Mark III Cortinas, and flared trousers.

Plot Keywords:

Gender Issues | Buddy Cop | Hallucination | Culture Shock | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

John Simm	...	Sam Tyler (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Liz White	...	Annie Cartwright (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Noreen Kershaw	...	Phyllis Dobbs (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Tony Marshall	...	Nelson (12 episodes, 2006-2007)

Also Known As:

Ford Granada (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:42 min (16 episodes) (cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (most episodes) | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

Kudos Film and Television

Trivia:

Continual references are made to The Wizard of Oz. In episode 1 of season 1, Tyler leaves the station with the intention of walking back to reality. He says to Cartwright that he is going to 'follow the yellow brick road'. In episode two, after the principal drama has resolved Tyler suggests to Hunt that his 'guv' transfer him back to the division he came from. Hunt obliges by picking up his phone and saying that the Wizard of Oz will sort it out 'because of the wonderful things he does'. Throughout the series Hunt insultingly refers to Tyler as 'Dorothy'. In the final episode the song 'Over The Rainbow' can be heard in the soundtrack.

Quotes:

Sam Tyler: [credits introduction] My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident, and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Scenes of... The CID Set (2007) (V)

A novel approach to scifi crime

I'm giving a vote of 9 out of 10 to Life on Mars, even though I know BBC America must be butchering the episodes they are screening in the US. IMDb says the runtime is 58 minutes. After you take out the commercials and endless promos BBC America runs each hour (at least 8 or 9 minutes must be for that worthless trash, Footballers Wives), I'm guessing we in the US are viewing about 44 minutes out of the 58. So good is Life on Mars, however, I'm willing to put up with it--and hope for the full version DVDs later.

What makes this show tick? Perhaps it's the ever present dreamscape quality--made possible by the slight sepia tint seemingly applied on most setups, which combine with the bright incandescent interior lighting of the institutional quality police stations, bar rooms, and housing projects to give a greenish, otherworldly haze to many scenes.

Combine this with the fun look back into a time without computers, fax machines and those damnable cell phones and you have poor Sam Tyler facing off with an English version of Dirty Harry. Combustible. Not to mention that Sam's holier than thou attitude is beginning to lose out to the realists on the beat. All of it makes for a very interesting hour--or 44 minutes.