Sleeper-Cell
I love the original BBC Life on Mars. It is gritty and fun. I tried watching the American copy when it first came out and it just didn't work for me. One of the main interests of the original BBC version is Gene Hunt as played by P Glenister. Gene Hunt is a tough 70's cop who has no problem going Dirty Harry to get results. In the BBC version Hunt is much bigger and more physically imposing than Tyler. This forces Tyler to have to get on Hunt's good side and also to on occasion outwit him. And this is where it failed for me in the American version. The American Gene Hunt is smaller, much older and just looks like he can be cast aside easily. It also lacks the grittiness of the original. I didn't get through the first episode and as the series was cancelled mid season due to falling ratings it appears I wasn't the only one. Do yourself a favour and check out the BBC version.
chrisjones-51312
This is sooooo bad seriously the Americans should seriously stick to theirs own shows as they really foul up on remaking British shows, this along with The Inbetweeners and shameless prove they can not pull it off, please stick to your own shows of which you are good at such as walking dead and breaking bad.
kikkapi20
It's become a running gag now in England that American remakes always flop. The Red Dwarf US pilot is hated by American fans, and the overseas version of Fawlty Towers wasn't to include Basil, the main character. Thank God the BBC haven't allowed there to be a US Doctor Who. Anyway, along comes Life on Mars, one of the biggest success stories for the BBC in years. And as with everything successful in Blighty, America came a'calling. Was this similar to the weak remakes of old? Sadly, yes, it was. The biggest insult to the original thought comes in the form of its ending. And without spoiling it, Life on Mars' US ending is possibly one of the least original and cheesiest endings a US remake ever had. Which adds to the cheek of the writers asking permission to change the ending, due to the original not being "creative enough". My one piece of advice to viewers is to avoid this remake with a 1 mile pole, and to purchase the UK original. It's on both DVD and iTunes around the world now, and was successful enough to gain a second run in the form of Ashes to Ashes, totaling 5 series compared to America's one series. America's version of Life on Mars really was a "God awful small affair"... cheesy ending I know, but fitting for the show itself.
cmwray16789
This should have been at least a 7 or 8, but the ending completely destroyed any hope of me giving this show a good review. ABC pretty much told all the viewers that they were morons for watching it in the first place (I could go on and on about how the networks always seem to do this so I won't) When i first heard the show was being canned, I like many fans were disappointed, but that was nothing compared to the disappointment from the last 5 minutes of the finale. It premiered on April 1st, so after it was over, I kept watching the TV PRAYING (i'm an athiest) that it was some sort of cruel April fool's joke and that the real finale would be on next week, but that would have been too kind to the viewers. Ever since the finale I haven't watched a single show on ABC, and I encourage you all to do the same.