5 stars
We Came from Cavemen
October 23, 2008
In 2008, most of us have 300 channels, but nothing good is ever on, unless you like seemingly endless shopping networks. Once in awhile a network production company will surprise us and come out with a real prize. Such is the case with LIFE ON MARS, a show that has some very interesting potential, on many levels.
1) The physical: Detective Tyler, while attempting to rescue his fiancee from a psychopath, is abruptly run over by a car. Instead of ending up on a CSI slab however, he ends up in 1973. The WTC was brand new. There was no such thing as the Miranda Decision. On the roads, Chevelles were everywhere, and Toyotas were largely unheard of. Big hair, big mustaches, everybody smokes, and the general mannerisms in the workplace would today be considered Hostile.
2) The mental: We know, somewhere in our minds, that this scenario is not likely. Is Tyler experiencing this all in his mind? There are vague, disturbing references throughout the show that this might be a hallucination. Just when the writers have us believing, okay, this is real, some new anachronism will enter the picture. In the second episode, Tyler comes across a kid's toy that just happens to look like the Mars Pathfinder probe, a true 21st century bit of technology, putting serious doubt back into the mind.
3) The Spiritual: Is this really a prolonged life-on-the-verge-of-death thing going on? Is Tyler really dead or dying, and if so, is this some new twist on the old life flashing before my eyes gig?
4) The Tangibles: The chemistry between Harvey Keitel and Jason O'Mara is hugely convincing; both of these guys are stellar performers, and Michael Imperioli gets to use a little of that old Sopranos-style muscle, but this time on the right side of the law...not that there was much difference in the 60's and 70's between the legal and the not-so-legal. Women Police Officers are relegated to typing, filing, and parking meters, even when they clearly outperform their male counterparts. The glass ceiling isn't just glass; it's solid fossilized carbon.
All in all, this is really a spectacular show, and is so rich in detail that it never seems like an hour has passed. This is not a show for reality-tv sofa tubers. It's especially fun to watch with twenty-somethings in the room, people who cannot possibly conceive of 8-track tapes, Viet Nam, Richard Nixon, or the AMC Gremlin.
5 stars
Best New Show Since Greys
October 27, 2008
This is the best new show since Greys Anatomy. And what a brilliant time slot, right after Greys. The writing of this show is superb. I thoroughly enjoy how they are able to bring bits and pieces of our world today and zap them into the world of 1973. For example, discrimination and the effect is has on the world then and what it has done to our world in the years that follow. My favorite shows are those about cops, lawyers and doctors. NYPD Blue was one of my all time favorite cop shows. LOM definitely has a bit of NYPD Blue in it in that it is gritty, probably more accurately depicts life as a cop in the 1970s vs today, is more realistic than many shows with regard to life as a police officer, and it allows you to feel and understand what the main character is feeling. I also enjoy how it brings to the screen the element of 'everything is connected' in that he is able to see how events of the past helped shaped the world that he came from. It also makes you see that many times you don't really know what you have until it is gone and that when pushed you will do anything to regain it. This show is emotionally powerful, wonderfully thought provoking, and I am anxious to see each new episode. Thank you ABC for giving me a new favorite show. I don't spend a lot of time watching TV so when I do I want it to be worth my time and Life On Mars is definitely worth my time.
