Following a car accident, modern-day cop Sam Tyler (John Simm) wakes to find himself in 1973. Has Sam actually been transported into the past, or is it all in his mind? The first season of Life on Mars explored Sam’s sanity, but no real conclusion emerged. One thing is clear: whether it’s insanity or the laws of time keeping him in the ’70s, Sam wants to get back to the 21st century.
The sci-fi premise of Life on Mars may not make a lot of sense to new viewers who missed season one. But the plot becomes clearer as you watch the series yourself, so don’t fret too much about the time travel thing.
Themes of space and time aside, Life on Mars is essentially a police drama. Sam’s position as a modern man forced to navigate the past make for interesting conflicts, but ultimately we’re in it to see him catch the bad guys.
{The US version with Jason O’Mara in the lead strikes a slightly different tone than the Bafta-winning British original. Not finding the same success across the pond, the remake has been axed after one season.}
Minh Nguyen
