Life On Mars US Cast ........

[Beattie~Babe]

Irish actors set for Mars remake


Jason O'Mara (left) and Colm Meaney are set to team up
Irish actors Jason O'Mara and Colm Meaney have been lined up to play the lead roles in the US version of hit BBC drama Life on Mars.
O'Mara will take John Simm's role as time-travelling police officer Sam Tyler in the ABC network's pilot.

Meaney is reported to be in talks to star as detective Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister in the BBC version.

The US remake will see Tyler transported back to the 1970s after his girlfriend is abducted.

He will come up against the no-nonsense, old-school detective Hunt as well a serial killer who may have played a part in the abduction.


Philip Glenister (left) and John Simm paired up in the BBC series
Meaney is best-known for playing Chief Miles O'Brien on Star Trek spin-offs The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine between 1987-99.

Dublin-born O'Mara has played a number of smaller roles on US TV shows including CSI: Miami, Men In Trees and Badge of Honour in recent years.

The 35-year-old also appeared in BBC drama series Monarch of The Glen and Playing The Field.

Life on Mars was a major hit in the UK, where the finale was watched by more than seven million people earlier this year.

Spin-off

It won an International Emmy award for best drama series and collected the audience award for best programme at the Baftas.

Glenister's character will make a comeback in the UK in spin-off series Ashes to Ashes, which sees the action move forward to the 1980s.

But Simm's character will be replaced by a female detective from the 21st Century, who is stuck in the past after an accident.

The new show is due to be screened on BBC One next year.


BBC News - Life On Mars US Cast

I must admit I wasn't a huge follower of the show and had only watched a coupleof episodes, but I really, really hope they dont take the 'Britishness' out of the show.

[orokiah]

I'm a bit apprehensive about it, but only because I loved the original so much. I'm not familiar with Jason O'Mara but casting Colm Meaney is definitely a step in the right direction: he's fantastic.

It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

[aquarius]

Yikes.

I'm going to try to keep an open mind, but I love the original Life On Mars so much, I'm really afraid that the U.S. remake is going to suck big-time by comparison. Of our neighbors, we're the only ones who get BBC America, so it became the custom for several people to gather at our house for dinner and Life On Mars once a week.

I do have to admit I like Colm Meaney and when I read that article I had an easy time picturing him as Gene Hunt, though.

Also interesting reading about Ashes to Ashes. I will definitely watch that if we get it here.

[orokiah]

aquarius said:

I do have to admit I like Colm Meaney and when I read that article I had an easy time picturing him as Gene Hunt, though.

Same here, I can easily see him in the role - and I can just imagine him saying some of these lines! He played a similar sort of character in a film called Intermission and he did it brilliantly.

Supposedly the first choices for the parts were none other than John Simm and Philip Glenister - except they wanted them to reprise the roles with American accents.

[aquarius]

orokiah said:

Same here, I can easily see him in the role - and I can just imagine him saying some of these lines!

HAHAHAHHAHAH!! Right on!!

orokiah said:

Supposedly the first choices for the parts were none other than John Simm and Philip Glenister - except they wanted them to reprise the roles with American accents.

American accents?! Well, if they're setting the story here that makes sense, but I still can't help feeling like it's going to lose some of what made it special by redoing it.

[DreamDangerously]

it seems like such a pointless exercise remaking what is already a classic show. So what if some people in America wont get some of the cultural references...suck it up - British audiences manage when it's the other way round.

[aquarius]

Unfortunately most broadcasters here in the US would prefer that we don't think about what we're watching. That way they can keep us buying into the hype (or at least hope that we remain complacent) about the drivel they want us to watch. Before the advent of cable TV, we used to only be able to get UK shows on PBS, which is viewer-supported TV--as in no commercials, so corporate sponsorship wasn't dictating the programming, the preferences of the viewers did. It was the only way Americans really could see shows like Doctor Who and Are You Being Served among other things. Back then, the general perception here was that PBS was for nerds and snobs.

Things have improved a little since the advent of cable and satellite because of the diversity in programming available, but again the main four airwave broadcasters (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) still love that perception that channels like PBS and BBC America are too intellectual for what an American audience wants and can understand. There are extreme conspiracy theorists who think that it's all part of a government ploy to keep us stupd, and you know, when I see half the crap on TV the theory starts looking credible, lol. The broadcasters like to perpetuate that myth about British television being too intellectual, so that way they can serve us their corporatized, focus-grouped, watered-down American versions of things that "everybody understands." *rolls eyes* So yeah, some of the more ignorant people out there will have trouble keeping up with a UK show, and they'll perceive the rest of us who watch that stuff as snobs, even though we watch it just because we're tired of the Same Old Crap. I don't think anyone's told those people that British programming has car chases and explosions, too.

[fenris]

Ashes to Ashes begins the day after tomorrow (07/02/08) and although I'm going to watch it, I'm not setting my expectations particularly high, because I think Life on Mars petered out towards the end.

I don't deny that Life on Mars was based on a great concept, and if it had been a self-contained, ten episode series it would have been an undisputed classic. However, it was dragged out over two series and sixteen episodes, and as a result it spent most of the second season trending water.

I hope I'm proved wrong, but I can't shake the feeling that Ashes to Ashes might be one trip too many to the well.

[orokiah]

fenris said:

I hope I'm proved wrong, but I can't shake the feeling that Ashes to Ashes might be one trip too many to the well.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, but with some trepidation. It's been hyped to death, which is normally my pet hate, and I loved Life on Mars so much that in many ways I would have been happy to see it end there.

One of my main reservations is that the central mystery which drove LoM was solved in its final episode (to my satisfaction anyway; there's always different interpretations to keep the debate going) - whether it'll be as compelling now it's being rehashed with Alex Drake taking over from Sam Tyler remains to be seen. It's a hard task coming up with a new mystery, or new spin on the existing one, that can top it.

It will be great to see Gene Hunt again though. Such a brilliant, iconic character who's captured so many people's imaginations. Literally if your name's Sam Tyler.

[fenris]

The first episode of Ashes to Ashes left me with mixed feelings. Although it's been described as a follow-up or sequel to Life on Mars, it would be equally accurate to say that it's the third season of its parent show, because unless you're seen Life on Mars, you'll be totally lost watching Ashes to Ashes. This is not a series that was designed to exist independently or viewed in isolation.

Accordingly, the producers were incredibly keen to transport DI Alex Drake to '1981' as soon as possible. The scenes beforehand, set in the present, were extremely rushed and we only learnt the bare basics about Alex, her daughter Molly, and her first-hand knowledge of Sam Tyler, prior to her receiving a bullet to the head. This undue haste is clearly because the producers know that the Life on Mars fans are already familiar with the series' concept of time travel, and are only interested in seeing Gene Hunt strut his stuff again. But personally I felt that we needed to see at least another 10 - 15 minutes of Alex in the present, allowing the character, plus her career and relationship with Molly, to be fleshed out more adequately.

Likewise, Alex seemed to cope with arriving in '1981' surprisingly well, although this can be explained by the fact that she's familiar with this type of delusion from her time spent with Sam. In fact, she believes the appearance of Gene, Ray and Chris in the fantasy construct that her mind has created is entirely due to what Sam told her. However, the real reason for Alex's rapid re-adjustment to the world she finds herself in is because the show's producers know that the viewers have already watched one copper's prolonged struggle to cope after arriving in the past, and don't want to sit watching it again at length.

Interestingly, there are already hints that perhaps this isn't just happening in Alex's head. In Life on Mars, everything was seen through Sam's eyes: where-ever he went, the camera went, and he appeared in every scene. But in the first episode of Ashes to Ashes there are several scenes where Alex is absent: WPC Shaz Granger being abducted; Gene and Ray discussing the notebook in the restaurant while Alex sleeps upstairs on the sofa; Gene sitting alone in his office, etc. This would apparently indicate that '1981' is somehow real and exists outside of Alex's perspective.

A few other random thoughts: Montserrat Lombard (Shaz) is one of my favourite actresses, so it's great to see that she's regular cast-member. Gene Hunt seems to have mellowed slightly - witness him putting a blanket over the sleeping Alex, and later wordlessly filling her glass in the restaurant, before returning to his usual corner. Ray also showed a more reflective side, while talking to Alex about Sam. The Bowie Clown is nowhere near as frightening as the Test Card Girl (who could be pant-wettingly scary), not even close - although having Zippy and George as a slightly menacing Greek chorus is truly inspired (loved them shaking their heads in unison). Note that Alex broke the fourth wall in the final scene, twice looking at us, the viewer, just before the credits rolled. And I'm definitely buying the soundtrack album.

[orokiah]

Much of the magic has gone, that's for sure. Ashes to Ashes seems a much colder, more clinical show than Life on Mars, from the warm browns of the 70s being replaced by the brash reds of the 80s, the police being sneered and spat at instead of dropping in for cuppas and cosy chats, down to Alex's character: a psychologist who analyses everything as a matter of course.

But there were still some golden moments in the opener: all of Gene's one-liners, Alex's sinister 'D E A D' acrostic, and Gene and co racing along to her rescue on a speedboat. I was worried that knowing from the outset what's happening to Alex (or do we?..) would work to the detriment of the show, but it added a fresh new dimension. Loved the way she used finger quotes every time she said Gene's name.

I found it difficult to warm to the show, or to Alex. But the final scene really sold them both to me. Alex's recording, liberally cribbed from Sam's narration in LoM, was beautifully played, and the use of Roxy Music's 'Same Old Scene' was inspired. Had it stuck in my head ever since.

I think Shaz is a character worth keeping an eye on too, since she's the only one of the regulars who's a construct of Alex's, rather than Sam's. Although as fenris points out, the fact that scenes aren't limited to Alex's POV means some doubt is being cast on the notion of it all taking place in her head. I thought I had it all figured out at the end of LoM but it looks like there's still a few twists and turns to come.

[fenris]

orokiah said:

The use of Roxy Music's 'Same Old Scene' was inspired. Had it stuck in my head ever since.

Yeah, I had it playing constantly in my head for 2 - 3 days after watching the first episode. I meant to mention it in the Song in Your Head thread on the Fun & Games board. I also really enjoyed hearing 'I'm in Love with a German Film Star' by The Passions, when Alex entered the restaurant earlier, as it's one of my all time favourite songs.

I think Shaz is a character worth keeping an eye on too, since she's the only one of the regulars who's a construct of Alex's, rather than Sam's.

I agree. Gene, Ray and Chris were all created by Sam's subconscious, so where has Shaz come from? There may be other, non-descript detectives hanging around in the squad room background, but Shaz is the only newcomer to form part of the inner group whom Alex has surrounded herself with. If Alex's mind was merely mimicking Sam's, then surely Annie Cartwright would be there, completing the original Gang of Four.
And Shaz's comments to Alex about seeing your life flash before your eyes seemed to have hidden significance. I wouldn't be surprised if Shaz is eventually revealed to be a key character.

[fenris]

I’m a week behind with Ashes to Ashes (haven’t seen the third episode yet) but with the second episode it seemed that most of the fantasy elements were abruptly jettisoned and the series fully embraced the standard cop show format. I recently read an interview with one of the producers of Ashes to Ashes (can’t recall exactly where – might have been the current issue of SFX) and he revealed that they plan for the series to last three seasons (!!). Therefore, the mystery of what has happened to Alex is clearly going to be stretched out for as long as possible, and it seems one of the ways they intend to achieve that is by pushing it firmly into the background.

In my opinion, the only thing of interest in the second episode was the sight of WPC Shaz (the lovely Montserrat Lombard) in her New Romantic gear. Incidentally, Montserrat can also be seen this coming Saturday (01/03/08) in the second season of Love Soup (BBC1 at 21:00), alongside Sheridan Smith and Tamsin Grieg. All three actresses are reprising their roles from the first season – which was screened nearly three years ago!

[orokiah]

Anna Wilson-Jones is guest-starring in next week's episode of Ashes to Ashes (13/03/08).

At last some incentive to watch it. It's a solid, slickly made show but I can't seem to muster up that much enthusiasm for it: the awesome soundtrack and Philip Glenister's barnstorming performances as Gene Hunt aside. I'm still a couple of weeks behind.

[fenris]

orokiah said:

It's a solid, slickly made show but I can't seem to muster up that much enthusiasm for it. I'm still a couple of weeks behind.

Yeah, I've missed the last couple of episodes as well. It's non-essential television. It just isn't a show that I make a point of watching. I've probably only see any future episodes if (1.) I happen to remember it's on, and (2.) I've not particularly got anything else to do.