Popdose: The Three Strike Rule: “Life on Mars” | Popdose
onebrownjeff
· 1 year ago
I'm having a hard time with the Keitel O'Mara aspect too. I'm also wondering if another actress would have had the vulnerability and innocent optimism of the original Annie. Ms. Mol isn't doing that for me, but I'm comparing the American show with the excellent British one too much. The American show has so far been re-telling the British plotlines and so the comparisons are unavoidable.
I want the American series to succeed, but I also want the British version to come out on DVD and BBC America to air the series sequel, Ashes To Ashes, so I'm a bit conflicted. Can the American version transcend one of the finest, most entertaining and thought provoking Television series ever? Doubtful. Unless ABC lets them develop the show over two seasons with little interference. Not something I imagine TV execs are usually wont to do.
I also want the show, like its British counterpart, to have a distinct end. That is one of the things that made the BBC version so compelling - its ending, and all the philosophic ramifications that it had. If the American version just continues in this limbo of is he/isn't he a time traveller/insane guy, the series will lose its edge, its focus, and just become another procedural cop show. That is the last thing we need on television.
Malchus
· 1 year ago
I agree that it's hard not to compare the two shows, especially since every episode, so far, has been a rewrite of one of the BBC originals. I have a sneaky feeling that the DVD release has been held up because of this U.S. version. I'm sure ABC didn't want comparisons made. It's a drag because I would love to see the BBC version crisp and clear, like they were filmed. I don't know about you, but whenever I watch BBC America, the broadcast quality is something like mid 70's PBS.
There HAS to be an end in the minds of the producers. Two of those guys worked on Alias and that show kind of meandered to its end. I hope they learned their lesson and are taking a cue from their buddy, JJ Abrams. Abrams and his "Lost" co-horts have decided that they MUST end the show. They plotted it out and ABC gave them the go ahead to wrap things up in the next two years. Mind you, "Life on Mars" has to become a hit, first.
There is an article in today's LA Times that documents the decline in TV viewing at 10 PM. Across the board, networks are steadily losing viewers during that hour. ABC is going to have to become creative to keep the small momentum of "Life on Mars" alive.
Mary in Dallas
· 1 year ago
I didn't want to join the braying mob that insisted it was sacreligious to remake the British gem, which I agree was excellent. But after two viewings of the U.S. "Life on Mars," I'm done. It's missing the chemistry of the British version: the chemisty between Annie and Sam,and more importantly, the chemistry between Gene and Sam.
If I had never seen the U.K. version, who knows...maybe I would like the American version enough to keep watching. But it's impossible for me not to compare the two, and the American remake comes in second.
Malchus
· 1 year ago
And now you can understand why ABC didn't want the DVD box set in circulation here in the U.S.
I would agree that in the first couple episode, there wasn't that much chemistry between Sam and Hunt. Like I mentioned, I get the feeling that Sam and Ray will be interacting much more. As for Sam and Annie, I can see signs of life in that relationship.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
A criticism that's been regularly leveled at the show, and that I agree with, is that they're so intent on reminding you that you're in the '70s rather than just being in the '70s. It would be easier to take if there were more inklings that this is, in fact, a hallucination. Then the inferences would just be a detached mind trying to come to grips while using second-hand cliches... That the producers aren't ready to take it that far kind of demands more of a "lived-in" approach to all the timeline details.
All Comments
I want the American series to succeed, but I also want the British version to come out on DVD and BBC America to air the series sequel, Ashes To Ashes, so I'm a bit conflicted. Can the American version transcend one of the finest, most entertaining and thought provoking Television series ever? Doubtful. Unless ABC lets them develop the show over two seasons with little interference. Not something I imagine TV execs are usually wont to do.
I also want the show, like its British counterpart, to have a distinct end. That is one of the things that made the BBC version so compelling - its ending, and all the philosophic ramifications that it had. If the American version just continues in this limbo of is he/isn't he a time traveller/insane guy, the series will lose its edge, its focus, and just become another procedural cop show. That is the last thing we need on television.
There HAS to be an end in the minds of the producers. Two of those guys worked on Alias and that show kind of meandered to its end. I hope they learned their lesson and are taking a cue from their buddy, JJ Abrams. Abrams and his "Lost" co-horts have decided that they MUST end the show. They plotted it out and ABC gave them the go ahead to wrap things up in the next two years. Mind you, "Life on Mars" has to become a hit, first.
There is an article in today's LA Times that documents the decline in TV viewing at 10 PM. Across the board, networks are steadily losing viewers during that hour. ABC is going to have to become creative to keep the small momentum of "Life on Mars" alive.
If I had never seen the U.K. version, who knows...maybe I would like the American version enough to keep watching. But it's impossible for me not to compare the two, and the American remake comes in second.
I would agree that in the first couple episode, there wasn't that much chemistry between Sam and Hunt. Like I mentioned, I get the feeling that Sam and Ray will be interacting much more. As for Sam and Annie, I can see signs of life in that relationship.