Quick Info
"Life on Mars" is a British drama series that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. After a car accident, a modern-day police officer, Sam Tyler, wakes up in the 1970s, with world around him resembling a classic British cop show. Is he in a coma, Is this time travel, or is he just plain crazy?
The series is built around this intriguing premise, and it's the performances that hold the story together. John Simm as Sam Tyler is fantastic; he gives us a man trying to make sense of his abrupt displacement in time while trying to uphold the values of modern policing in an era of machismo and rough justice. Of course, it wouldn't be as engaging without Philip Glenister's '70s cop, DCI Gene Hunt, who steals the scene with every cynical, politically incorrect, and often hilarious line of dialogue.
Fans of police procedural dramas with a twist will enjoy "Life on Mars". However, one small irritation was the lack of convincing evidence about what's really happening to Sam Tyler, leaving the series with a sense of ambiguity. Personally, I think that’s a neat way to end a series like this, leaving the door open for various interpretations.
