Life on Mars: Out Here in the Fields (series premiere)

I hope as the show goes on it will seem less like a carbon-copy of the British original as far as the script and episode plots go. I suspect I'll always miss the amazing work of John Simms and Philip Glenister, but Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli sound like New Yorkers and look like they belonged in a NYC precinct house circa 1973. On the other hand, Jason O'Mara and Gretchen Mol look and sound as though they wandered in from another show entirely -- not sure which is less incongruous - their accents or their hair-styles.

The music was fantastic, though, and the street scenes looked very period. I loved the way they filmed the city so that NYC looked properly 1970's seedy and rundown. While crime was a part of the problem, lack of space for growing families, high taxes, expensive rents, and the relative ease of commuting in from NJ, CT and the adjoining areas of New York had a lot to do with the changing demographics of NYC. Life on Mars is set less than 2 years from the date when the New York Daily News will run one of its most notorious headlines: "Ford to City: Drop Dead." (describing how President Ford will inform Mayor Abraham Beame to forget about a Federal bailout as the city nears bankruptcy.)

One quibble -- while the cell and the Pepsi Free reactions work, I'm pretty sure a 1973 bartender would have known what Tab was. Coke introduced it in 1963 and it was still quite popular. Even if bars didn't carry diet soft drinks, grocery stores and restaurants did and there was a lot of advertising for the product in print and on tv.

I was skeptical, but the US version of Life on Mars was impressive. The only major misstep -- and it's a doozy -- is Harvey Keitel. He's all wrong for Gene, too old for starters. They blew it because they were dazzled by his credits. He's at least 20 years too old for the role. It's a shame, really. I would like to see them recast.

I didn't have any knowledge of the BBC version other than that this was a remake, and of course a cop goes back in time, but I like the epi, am intrigued to see how they will keep the storyline going now that Maya told him she was safe, and how he'll get back to 2008.

Loved the music too, if you head over to ABC's site, they have a listing of the songs played, and you can listen to 1973 radio, it's pretty cool.

I have never seen the British version but I really like the episode last night. It reminded me a lot of the movie "Frequency". While the end with the boy was predictable, I liked it. Maya did not need to be saved seen the boy did not repeat the killings because Sam changed history.

The only part that bugged me was the color on the episode. The use of the filters just did not work. It made me wonder if the TV needed to be fixed.

Having not seen the British version (only heard about it), I really enjoyed last night's premiere. It is always fun to see a character with knowledge of the present day go into the past and use those talents to be smarter than everyone else. The fun twist was that Sam's improvements from 2008 put him at a disadvatage sometimes during the policework, when compared with the police brutality and lawless behavior that the 1973 cops used to get the job done. The views of old New York and 1970s life in general were a lot of fun. They could (and likely will) do a lot more with that. Remember, the Son of Sam comes on the scene in just four years!

I saw that a few of the commenters mentioned the lack of recaps. Is that a site policy? Because I think a recap of the pilot might be a nice touch in addition to the very astute review above.

I thought Keitel was fine. I think if you don't try to compare to other versions, he comes off as really great.

I did love the soundtrack; clearly the preimere had a big budget. Some great classic rock there.

I thought the "Sam, I'm safe" thing at the end was a silly copout. There were a few things in the show that were a bit too obvious, but it's hard to get everything right. I just found the show really entertaining. Instead of worryign how it "ends," just enjoy what you have - hell, other police shows have gone on for 10 seasons. This one could, too. Besides, the American version of The Office is already outlasting the British one...not everything has to be exactly the same.

I'm sick of all the reality shows on tv, and I'm glad to see something different.

The original unaired pilot was terrible. The new re-worked pilot was MUCH MUCH better and much closer to the original British series. Really the only complaint I have about the US version is Harvey Keitel. He was terrible and seems much too old for the role. I think a different actor would have been better choice.

I really enjoyed the show and am excited about future episodes. I watched the British version, which I enjoyed immensely, but I like the American accent and 1970's slang, as sometimes I couldn't understand the British actors and/or didn't get the references. I also feel that the actors playing the backup characters are more believable and multidimensional, but this could just be that I grew up in NY in the 1970s and remember people like those portrayed. As a matter of fact, my father had Michael Imperioli's hair cut and side burns.

I am really exited about this series. I was a fan of the original, and almost didn't watch this new pilot. Now I feel that the US version will out-do the British, specifically due to the production value, which is often lacking in UK television series.

I dug it. I hope they realize they can only take Sam so far and exploit the situation. I can't see more than 4 seasons worth of material to be mined before they either decide to end it or make the transition to Ashes to Ashes (which I would be all for if they can continue to churn out solid scripts and Harvey Keitel takes off--all big ifs).

I just discovered that I can only get behind procedurals if they have dynamic, weird, and flawed lead characters and the word ' Life' appears in the title. So, that narrows it down to two.

i agree with Leah, this site is getting boring, they rarely recap any shows and is mostly news that everyother site has.