gridoon2018 "Life On Mars" begins with a sci-fi/fantasy premise (man is hit by car, wakes up 33 years in the past), but soon settles down into a period buddy cop show, with a "case-of-the-week" format, laddish "male bonding" humor, a pinch of drama, and moderately engaging characters. The only fantasy elements in most episodes are some subtle and not-so-subtle hints that the main character may be in a coma back in 2006 and doctors/relatives are trying to revive him. Only in the last episode of the first season do we get a purpose to his experience (a crucial discovery about his own past), but not a resolution to his situation. And while I am reasonably curious to find out what happens to Sam Tyler, I'm not in much rush to wade through eight more "1970s CSI"-type of episodes to find out. In other words, these comments refer to the 1st season only. It's good for what it is, it's just not what I was hoping for.

hollispierman Based (obviously) on the David Bowie song named before this, Life On Mars is a completely successful drama that combines the horrors of coping with a past and your present, and coping with a new setting, new faces, and completely different way of life.Basically, in a nutshell, this (in my opinion) would've been one step further than Doctor Who. It was that intriguing and successful, that it has earned my respect from the kind of person who is piqued in interest by these kinds of shows.John Simm and all the other actors really put a stick into the behinds of other great British and American programs, and say, "Here! Have some more!" and sticks it further. This is one show that no one should be able to trifle with, no matter what.

jax713 Here is an entertaining drama highlighted with a sci-fi aura that is primarily a character study, and certainly not your typical crime show. Once you get into the series, you find you don't care as much about solving the crimes as you care about what happens to the characters. Though the backbone of the story is a cop transported back to 1973 where he has to adapt to what are the now-revolting police tactics, sex discrimination, and lack of technology of that era, the thing that keeps you glued to the screen is watching the characters cavort. Without the intensely committed acting skills of the two leads, John Simm and Philip Glenister, this series might have lost its wow-factor. Each in his own way brings a palatable emotional reality to what might otherwise have been a flight of fancy, and the relationship that builds between their characters is smart and convincing. You almost feel like standing and applauding in front of your TV after each episode just from watching them interplay.The scripts, too, are peppered with genius because they make a certain sense of time travel, of meeting one's self in the past, of being able to change certain events without changing the whole world, of cognizance in two vastly different time spectrums. The writers succeed in plotting intelligent twists mounted atop common sense to keep the action moving and, thankfully, giving us a fully satisfying ending.The one complaint I have with the series is the overload of 70's music at each and every interlude of dialog. It's as if they wanted to insert a few seconds of every chart-topper of 1973 and I found it annoyingly intrusive and grating because, though the lyrics may be relevant to the scene, the tempo frequently is not. 8 out of 10

grasshopper54 I started to watch this series on PBS a couple of weeks ago. All I can say is "WOW!!!" I was lucky enough to be around in 1973. In fact '73 was one of the best years of my life! This series brings back some fond memories, especially the music and the cheesy way they used to dress back then! This show is carefully crafted; from the music, the cars, even the "minor" things like the people being clueless about cell phones, PCs, and iPods! Even the televisions are ancient! I got a kick out of the Bobbie who thought a Jeep Cherokee was a "military vehicle"! And the way the main character screams about graduating from the police academy in 1988 and saying that '88 was "Star Trek" compared to 1973! And also the way he said, "You could have at least put me in a year from A.D. not. B.C.!" The irony of it all rests with the young kids today who are just as "clueless" about that way of life just as those living back then would be "clueless" about today's technology and changes. Highly entertaining, refreshing for us "old folks" and tremendously recommended to everyone!