I'm delighted to see that BBC ...
Question: I'm delighted to see that BBC America will be showing
Life on Mars later this month, but I heard that ABC wanted a U.S. remake. I know most U.S. versions of scripted U.K. shows haven't been too successful recently (
The Office is the only nonreality show I can think of that has), but given the differences in policing in the U.K. and the U.S. in the '70s, I think this one could stand a chance of being different but good in its own right, rather than a pale imitation. What do you think? Have you heard anything more about the U.S. version?
Answer: All I know is what the trades originally reported, that
David E. Kelley was interested in developing this provocative premise for American TV. Backing up for those unfamiliar with the show, which premieres on BBC America July 24: Despite the title,
Mars isn't a sci-fi show, though it does have a heavy fantasy element. It's about a detective who is hit by a car and wakes up back in 1973, where he's still a cop, but now operating in a scrappier time without modern forensics. Is he dreaming? In a coma? Is any of this real? And why does the case he's initially assigned to seem to have echoes of the case he was working on when this time warp occurred? I've only seen the first two episodes of the BBC America series, but I'm already hooked. And I agree, it could be very cool to give an American version a real
Starsky & Hutch sheen. I haven't heard any updates about when or if an actual pilot will get a green light, but I'd love to see Kelley give it a try. (If only for the music, which Kelley is always a master at. The title refers to a
David Bowie song. He has it on his iPod at the time of the accident, and later, it's being played on a rickety 8-track. Remember them?)
