Fear not, Life on Mars fans: The producers behind ABC’s take on the
beloved British cop drama swear that being a detective in 1973 New York is just
as interesting (if not more so!) than tracking perps in Manchester 35 years
ago. In fact, when Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (late of October Road,
but also of Alias) took the remake over from uber-producer David E.
Kelley, their first move was to change the stateside setting from L.A. to New
York. “When you think of the early ’70s cop genre, you think of New York”
Appelbaum explained to the crowd at ABC’s Television Critics Association press
tour. The new producers also gutted the entire cast, save for star Jason O’Mara
(Grey’s Anatomy, Men in Trees) — who plays Sam Tyler, the
circa-2008 cop who finds himself hurled back three-plus decades after a blow to
the head. Thus Michael Imperioli is now on board as Ray Carling, a detective
who clashes with Sam. (And the rest of the players have yet to be cast; even
seemingly pitch-perfect Colm Meaney as Sam’s ornery boss Gene Hunt is being
replaced.)
Appelbaum and Nemec feel confident they can sustain the show — despite the
complicated time-shifting construct — over several seasons, even though the
Brits wrapped it up in 16 episodes. Mainly, they said, because the end game won’t
be the same: Though Sam will still get “dispatches from 2008″ — in
the English version, he frequently heard voices from his present-day hospital
room as he lay in a coma — producers said there are “many other options”
besides Sam being simply in a dream state or crazy. “In our second
episode,” Appelbaum said, “Sam writes up 13 options that it could be.”
He declined to elaborate much on those, but he added, “it’s not a
time-travel show.” Let the obsessive blogging begin…before the pilot’s
even shot.
Comments (1-11) of 11 Add your comment
Colm Meaney was the only thing I was looking forward to with this remake. Unless they can get Bob Hoskins, this is a big mistake.
The English version is, in my opinion, one of the greatest shows ever made. Gene Hunt is one of the greatest characters that I can remember. I will watch this show, just to get a taste, but there is no chance it will come even close to the original. And the ending, THE ENDING! Wow! I still get chills thinking about the pay off!
I can’t imagine anyone doing Sam as well as John Simm. Why can the Americans just leave well enough alone? The Office is the only project out of the UK that ever did well in my opinion.
I loved this show on BBC America and Colm Meaney would have been PERFECT – this does not bode well for this show…tho the move to NYC was smar
No Colm Meany means I have no reason to watch. He was the main reason I felt I should give the show a try. Some of the other changes I didn’t have a problem with, but now the producers have lost me. Sorry Jason, you will be starring in yet another failed show.
I wish they would have just scrapped it entirely. I hate that American producers can’t get original ideas, so they just steal from the Brits. The original is one of my favorite shows ever and I don’t want it Americanized. I agree that Colm Meaney would have made a decent Gene Hunt, but now that he’s out there’s nothing to tempt me to watch it.
First, one of the most compelling parts of Sam was that he wasn’t this buff uber-cop type. From what I can tell from the original trailer for this he was a bulking giant compared to Colm’s Gene. It’s quite the reverse from the original where Gene was this towering Goliath to Sam’s David. IF Colm’s out, then who do you get??? Philip Glenister should do it if at all possible!!! There really is no replacing him!!!Second, this is ABC we are talking about here. Had this been FX then maybe it would have been able to maintain the same gritty intensity. But I just don’t see ABC being able to get away with it. It’ll be cleaned to a point that makes it less believable. How can you honestly be having a 70’s era group of tuff cops who have to censor their dialogue!! Also, the subject matter would have to be cleaned up to boot!! And how can you use the Gene Genie reference??? It just won’t work! I’ll watch though and shake my head in frustration while biding my time until the REAL Life On Mars!!!!
BBC’s Life on Mars is one of my favorite television programs. I do not want to see a watered down Americanized clean TV version. The rough edges are what gave it charm, I could see a faithful adaption on Cable but ABC, Really?
And please don’t stretch out a tightly wound inventive story for the sake of making more money. That never works.
Sorry, I love Colm Meany, but how could he be pitch-perfect casting as Gene Hunt? Have you seen the original guys? I also agree with the poster who wrote that O’Mara is too buff to be an effective Sam. Ausiello is right, the bloggers are going to have a field day with this show. And they should!
Just watched the premiere of the US version and, while some aspects are ok, Harvey Keitel is absolutely AWFUL! Horribly miscast as Gene Hunt, and even then, he looks like he’s sleepwalking and mumbling through the role. Bloody travesty.
Nike Air Force One
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