Because Life on Mars wasn't odd enough already, here's Whoopi Goldberg in this week's episode. Looks like an original script this time, too. Tell me you don't feel a little strange after watching it.

[via]

Read other posts about: Life on Mars

Time (ho ho) for a third-episode verdict on the US version of Life on Mars. So far, we've had a combination of two remake scripts and an original script – on top of the original bland pilot.

The new first episode wasn't bad at all and ironed out many of the problems of the pilot and episode two did enough jiggering around with the UK script and added enough new elements to the overall set-up that the show started to feel increasingly different – even if it was word-for-word and shot-for-shot the same at times.

Episode three, the first original episode, decided to venture into the treatment of gay men in the early 70s. Although pretty clumsy in places, with none of the regulars revealing any truly horrifying prejudices and Gene Hunt delivering an awesomly bad speech at one point on the subject, it did allow the producers to deliver an episode that focused on truly American concerns, making it a show in its own right, rather than simply a relocation.

Jason O'Mara, previously one of the weak links in the show's set-up, is proving a reasonable lead, since he's veering more towards a comedy portrayal of Sam Tyler than John Simm did, something he actually seems quite good at. Oddly, the weakest link is Harvey Keitel who veers between non-comitted, frail and spaced out with no apparent reason. He's starting to make me wonder whether David Caruso could do a better job, which is something that should never happen.

On balance, it feels like a weaker version of the UK Life on Mars that's still trying to find its feet. It's still pretty good and there are aspects of it that are better than the UK's version, such as Gretchen Mol's more interesting and brighter Annie. But as of yet, it still hasn't got the magic of the original.

Predictions
Could limp on for at least another season, but could go on for a whole lot longer if it finally finds its mojo.

Carusometer rating
Two or partial Caruso

Read other posts about: Life on Mars

Doctor Who

• Pics from Torchwood
• Prince Charles turned down Doctor Who cameo
• David Tennant likely to stay to 2011
• Seven Doctors to reunite for Children in Need?
• Torchwood's new cast members

Film

• Ridley Scott to direct The Forever War
• Frank Darabont quits Law Abiding Citizen
• Trailer for Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber's Defiance
• Orphange director Juan Antonio Bayona to take on Hater
• Pics of Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson

• Channel 4 quits digital radio

British TV

• Richard and Judy ratings getting even lower
• FX to show John From Cincinnati in November

US TV

• CBS to stream entire shows on YouTube
• Four more episodes of Knight Rider ordered
• Thursday night ratings, including Life On Mars', strong
• Salma Hayek to appear in 30 Rock…
• …and clips of Jen and Oprah
• Clips of Nicole Richie in Chuck
• Sarah Palin: The TV series?
• CW's Sunday night ratings not great

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Life on Mars, Torchwood

In the US: Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC
In the UK: I'm guessing the Beeb will buy it. What do you think?

This is the one we in Britain have all been waiting for. Despite running for only two series, time travel cop drama Life on Mars became something akin to the crown jewels - a national treasure to be revered by everyone. Even the awfulness of spin-off Ashes to Ashes couldn't dull our love for it.

So when we heard that the US was going to adapt it, we all feared the worst and assumed terrible things were going to happen to our precious*. "Take your hands off our crown jewels, Yanks," was the general reaction.

To be fair, once we saw the trailer and the pilot, we actually had a good reason to be dismayed. The trailer was truly awful and the pilot was bland. Relocated from Manchester to LA, the show ditched most of the characters, took away a lot of the fun bits without adding anything, and didn't really have any style of its own.

And ABC agreed. It took one look and said, "Guys, do you want to try again? Because this is sh*t." So the producers did try again. They changed production team, relocated the show to New York, brought back all the old characters and rewrote the script. Then they brought in heavyweight acting talent Harvey Keitel, Gretchen Mol and Michael Imperioli – and reshot the entire thing.

Wow. They say pilots can be unrepresentative of the series that follow, but that's all pretty unprecedented – although unsurprising given just how few new dramas ABC is running with this Fall.

Has that been enough though?

Continue reading "Review: Life on Mars (US) 1x1"

Read other posts about: Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars

Doctor Who

• Catherine Tate to co-star in Liam Neeson movie, make US version of her TV show?
• Things you can learn from the fourth series DVD commentaries

Film

• David Cronenberg to team with Denzel Washington for adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Materese Circle?
• Forest Whitaker to play Louis Armstrong
• Tr2n to be 3D
• Ridley Scott still working on Brave New World

Theatre

• Girl With A Pearl Earring to close early

Art

• Charles Saatchi opens new gallery of modern Chinese art

British TV

• Dougray Scott to star in Irish thriller for ITV1
• Rescue Me to air exclusively on iTunes
• Sanctuary and The Story of Maths do well but tie in the ratings
• Derren Brown to make acting debut in Mark Gatiss's Crooked House

US TV

• My Boys gets a third season
• FX cancels The Riches
• NBC Monday night ratings plummeting
• Spike ordering Irish mob pilot
• Jack Kenny to show-run Warehouse 13
• David E Kelley does another legal drama
• Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk to star in How To Make It In America
• Life on Mars radio spots, pictures, and article [via]

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: Life on Mars

Doctor Who

• Deeply implausible Patrick Stewart rumour clearly made up by fans to see if The Sun would publish it

Film

• Brandon Routh, Gil Bellows, Martin Donovan and Carrie-Anne Moss join Unthinkable
• Under Siege 3. In space. With aliens. Hmm.

British TV

• ITV acquires rights to new seasons of Pushing Daisies, Gossip Girl and Dexter
• BBC4 gets record ratings
• Wallace and Gromit: the exhibition
• RTL gets the green light to put in bid for ITV
• Mark Gatiss writes a ghost story for the Beeb
• QI daytime spin-off planned

• CBS orders pilot for domestic comedy Big D
• Kevin Bacon to exec Showtime series about John Wilkes Booth and his brothers
• Will and Grace spin-off back on
• A chat with Life on Mars exec producer Josh Appelbaum

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: Dexter, Gossip Girl, Life on Mars

Doctor Who

• Lots and lots and lots and lots of Torchwood filming photos

Film

• Daredevil reboot being planned
• Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt to star in Every Day
• 300 sequel to take place before Battle of Plataea
• Yogi Bear - the movie

Commercials

• Monster Munch ads featuring Timmy Mallett and Geoffrey Hayes

Theatre

• Eddie Izzard to return to the West End for stand-up

German TV

• Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor to be remade as Ich Bin Boes

British TV

• Pulling pulled
• Heroes gets 3.1m viewers
• BSkyB could be forced to share content
• Beeb looking for Hollyoaks rival
• Five revives Going For Gold - without foreigners
• QI moves to BBC1

US TV

• The Life on Mars starter kit
• James L Martin to co-star on The Philanthropist
• AMC plans adaptation of Red Mars
• Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sex Money and Private Practice all return to bad ratings
• TheWB.com launching three new series
• Frasier's dad to play Michael Weston's dad on Burn Notice?
• Heroes' budget not high enough?

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: Burn Notice, Heroes, Life on Mars, Torchwood

Looks familiar, yet something's different. Yes, it's Harvey Keitel as Gene Hunt in ABC's forthcoming version of Life on Mars, although the scripts' pretty much the same. And no, Jason O'Mara still can't act much. Apologies in advance for the slightly weedy quality. Watch it while you can – fingers crossed, it won't get ripped down.

[via; thanks to Toby for the heads up]

Read other posts about: Life on Mars

Remember BBC1's Bonekickers, which was let loose over the Summer? Here's my review of the first episode to jog your memory.

It was a sub-Dan Brown piece of escapism created by the guys behind Life on Mars, Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham, in which a team of archeologists would go hunting for precious relics, such as the cross of Jesus Christ, get chased by other people who wanted it, then at the last possible moment they'd burn/throw into a bucket of acid/smash with a mallet the very precious, unique, vital relic they'd dedicated their entire careers to searching for and treating with respect. Then they'd head down the pub.

Now, ever since it's been on, I've been pondering a couple of issues that Bonekickers has raised

1. Ashley Pharoah (apparently) gets miffed about criticism and likes to leave messages on The Guardian's blogs insulting Gareth McLean and co as a result (do a search for TheWordBoy, which is also his Dome of Stars name). How odd
2. It's much harder to suspend your disbelief for a UK show than for a US show

The second point is the one I want to look at. Why is it that something like the US's Relic Hunter seems almost acceptable as a bit of escapist fun, when Bonekickers isn't?

Is it just we hold our own shows to higher standards? Is there something about the unfamiliarity of US settings that forces us to suspend our disbelief anyway - so it's a smaller leap to other more far-out ideas? Does the US simply have a greater tradition of escapist shows, so we've learnt to adapt? Are the US's actors simply more credible in escapist entertainment, while our slightly more down at heel, less gym-friendly actors don't look like they could run for more than a couple of minutes anyway? Or was it simply that Bonekickers wasn't very good?

And US readers: do you have any ideas on this and is there a similar situation for you? Do you hold US shows up to a higher standard than UK shows or vice versa? And do you even agree that there are more escapist shows on US TV?

Over to you, guys. What do you think?

Read other posts about: Life on Mars

It's looking better (and more like the original) all the time, isn't it?

Individual cast photos after the jump

Continue reading "Full cast pic for Life on Mars (US)"

Read other posts about: Life on Mars