Usually, in the capricious world of TV, that would be it. But someone high up wanted this to succeed, and a whole new pilot was commissioned for this launch. But is this second try for Life On Mars an evolutionary step or a diversion to extinction? But the show’s biggest change is location: from L.A. to the far more interesting New York. I knew this was a much better choice from the outset, as they were able to use the twin towers as a massive visual hint to Sam that he wasn’t in 2008 any longer. But actually the delight of this show is the ethnic texture of 1970s New York, which is almost exactly as I remember it. If they can keep using that, grounding the drama in the memories, then this could be an exceptional series. While the original pilot diverged significantly from the source, this episode is almost a de facto Americanised rehash of the BBC pilot, with almost every element intact. As such, it’s a great improvement. If you’ve seen the original, you’ll be less excited, but I’d suggest that US audiences will relate to this better. But they do manage to get a little American TV cop-lore in here; Frank Cannon appears on TV, but no Theo Kojak sadly. I desperately want to see some Shaft references also, please. Overall it all looks rather promising. The viewing figures seem to support the idea that Life on Mars could be as big a hit in the US as the BBC version was in the UK.
