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Life On Mars (UK)

post #1 of 58
7/24/06 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
Another surprisingly excellent summer TV show!
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post #2 of 58
7/24/06 at 10:01pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Never heard of it. What station and what time?
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post #3 of 58
7/25/06 at 6:47am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Yes, I enjoyed it. I'll definitely give it a few weeks.

For those who haven't heard of it, it is a new series on BBC America. It came on last night (monday). It looks like it will be shown again on July 30.

The Premise is about a British Detective that has a bad accident and finds himself 33 years in the past (1973).

BBC America's Show Weibsite
BBC's Show Website
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post #4 of 58
7/25/06 at 7:27am
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

It's one of those shows that is a lot better than it sounds. Plus you can't help but love a show that has Bowie (Lif On Mars), The Move (Feels To Good), and Blue Oyster Cult (Stairway To The Stars) as part of it's soundtrack.
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post #5 of 58
7/25/06 at 10:52am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryDavenport
It's one of those shows that is a lot better than it sounds. Plus you can't help but love a show that has Bowie (Lif On Mars), The Move (Feels To Good), and Blue Oyster Cult (Stairway To The Stars) as part of it's soundtrack.

And McCartney (Live and Let Die), Cream (White Room), The Stones (Wild Horses), and Bowie again (Jean Genie) and I'm not sure what all else I've heard so far (I've seen the first 4 episodes thus far).

I'm really enjoying this, highly recommended. Marries a Groundhog Day/Quantum Leap vibe (but darker) with fun fun fun memories of 70s cop shows like Starsky and Hutch, Beretta, or Streets of San Francisco. Gene Hunt is my new hero! What a great alter ego Sam has dreamed up for himself (if that's how you care to interpret it).

DCI Gene Hunt: "You are surrounded by armed b****rds!"
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post #6 of 58
7/25/06 at 11:09am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Darrell, you must be in the UK. We have only had 1 episode (pilot) shown so far. It is on BBC America.

Or is there someplace else it is on?
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post #7 of 58
7/25/06 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I wish we got BBC stuff sooner in the States. Life On Mars s1 is already on DVD in the UK and they have already run s2 Dr. Who (and because I went to the webpage I already know how it ends (fortunately for me, spoilers don't bother me as much anymore).
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post #8 of 58
7/25/06 at 2:10pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott-S
Darrell, you must be in the UK. We have only had 1 episode (pilot) shown so far. It is on BBC America.

Or is there someplace else it is on?
The R2 dvd is out, and I'm multi-region/standard.

Also, fyi an American remake is already in the works, for better or for worse. David E. Kelley is producing/writing, trying to get it onto an American network fall 2007 schedule.

And series 2 is filming in Britain right now.
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post #9 of 58
7/25/06 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I think an American version will be more campy than gritty.
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post #10 of 58
7/25/06 at 5:19pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell Bratz
Also, fyi an American remake is already in the works, for better or for worse. David E. Kelley is producing/writing, trying to get it onto an American network fall 2007 schedule.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Boston Legal for the interplay between Shatner and Spader but I can't see his version of Life on Mars to be anything other than his usual boobies-centered soapbox. Ugh (and I am a guy who likes boobies and occasional soapbox action). That said, when I saw a couple of stills from the show they lead guy looked like Spader to me and I thought it was another show or movie that he was in. Hmm...

I DVR'd the show last night so I hope to have time to watch it soon. It sounds wonderful. Bless BBCA for making summer viewing enjoyable.
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post #11 of 58
7/25/06 at 5:39pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Another happy camper here. BBC America has helped rescue the usual dismal Summer reruns. I'm also hooked on the Saturday broadcast of the Sharpe series. So far BBCA has run far more two hour episodes than than I recall seeing on PBS 10 years ago.

Hex finishes this Thursday and will be replaced by Love Soup. It stars Tamsin Greig who I bacame hooked on after watching last years Green Wing.
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post #12 of 58
7/27/06 at 7:43am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell Bratz
The R2 dvd is out, and I'm multi-region/standard.
Does it have the original soundtrack or were there replacements?
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post #13 of 58
7/27/06 at 12:47pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I know this is stating the obvious, but trust me, the series is even more enjoyable if you lived in the Manchester area in the 1970s. The series is astonishingly accurate in a great many respects.

BTW, the writers have promised that they are going to flesh out a lot of the background story in the next series.
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post #14 of 58
7/27/06 at 4:47pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Wow! What a well done show. I finally watched it and was really impressed by all aspects of it. The use of Bowie was fantastic. Takes an already haunting song and gave some new context that really worked from it. I loved the contrast between police procedures between the decades. They did a good job setting up "the norm" for modern police shows and contrasted the hell out of it with the previous generation's stuff.

The relationship between Sam and his boss in the past is excellent. Their grudgingly growing respect for one another (though who knows how that will turn out based on next week's episode) will be a highlight of the show.

This is a good antidote to the more hollow and technical police procedulals in this country. While US police shows have their strengths, nothing, to me, beats a good Brit version. They tend to focus a bit more on the grit than the glitz and the personal vs. the procedural. I can't think of a better string of shows than Morse, Holmes, or Cracker. Add this one if they remain true to the premise.

I wonder how they will maintain the mystery of his situation throughout the season. It is clearly all in his head (isn't it?) so how will they maintain our interested in "the present" (2006) while they continue to delve into the past. Hmmm..

Anyway, a good find and highly recommended if folks haven't caught it. The pilot replays Sunday night if y'all missed it.

Phil

PS Growing in Manchest surely would have been a cool way to see the show but honestly, I live in a rust-belt Mid-western US city and they honestly have the same look and feel. The show captured that era very nicely.
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post #15 of 58
7/30/06 at 7:43pm
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I wish the Brits could see the BBCA version because I have to think a bit was cut out. There were several songs listed on the BBC's site that were not in the BBCA pilot.
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post #16 of 58
7/30/06 at 10:01pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I'm enjoying the show too.
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post #17 of 58
8/1/06 at 7:07am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
I wish the Brits could see the BBCA version because I have to think a bit was cut out. There were several songs listed on the BBC's site that were not in the BBCA pilot.
I was wondering this myself. I am guessing the US version of the show has been cut to fit in an hour time-slot with commercials. How long does each episode air in England?
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post #18 of 58
8/1/06 at 7:32am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

It definitely looked like a few scenes were cut. Or the editing is really strange. Even the opening scene started in a really strange place.

I think it is cut to allow all the extra (and I mean a lot) of commercials.

Anyone else think there were more commercial breaks than normal?

If I can find out for sure that it is cut down, I am going to abandon the show. I'll wait for it to show up on DVD. I hate watching a show that some network flunky edited down.

EDIT: I just watched a clip of last nights episode on the BBC website and can confirm that the show is cutdown for BBC America. The 3 minute clip was much longer (and more violent) than what was aired last night. This means I am out. I'll wait for the DVD.

Clip of Full Scene on BBC Website

Notice how many times the chief hits the suspect. The episode last night showed him hitting him 1 time. This clip shows him wailing on the guy.
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post #19 of 58
8/1/06 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I'll still watch the show but hope to buy it on DVD. For 8 episodes though it better be less than $30.
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post #20 of 58
8/1/06 at 11:15am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

I'm not watching on BBCA but it's definitely cut from what I've read other places. Original run time is about an hour (I'd say 58-59 minutes), so cuts on BBCA must be about equal to commercial length.

Sounds horrible.

And in answer to earlier query, I believe the DVDs have all the original broadcast music, but can't be certain.
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post #21 of 58
8/1/06 at 11:22am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryDavenport
I'll still watch the show but hope to buy it on DVD. For 8 episodes though it better be less than $30.

I wouldn't bet on that happening. BBC appears to have a policy of trying to make sure R1 releases list for amounts that don't make them a particularly better deal than what R2 people are paying domestically - they want to discourage people from Britain from importing cheaper versions from America or elsewhere (that may not be the best statement of the policy and I'm fairly sure there are exceptions, but I think that's the general cause/effect in place). I get the impression that if it costs them overseas sales, they're not too concerned about it.

So I'd guess about a $60 MSRP, maybe $50. Sort of like what you get with MI-5/Spooks.
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post #22 of 58
8/1/06 at 11:35am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

The show has been cut down by more than 25%. No wonder the editing seemed really haphazard.
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post #23 of 58
8/1/06 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Maybe the uncut versions will show up on PBS like Jonathan Creek.
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post #24 of 58
8/1/06 at 5:46pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

A friend had PAL copies from his friends in the UK. I just popped the DVDs into the PC and the episodes run from 59:00 for the first one to 57:30 for the second with several weighing in at 58:00 to 58:30 (this includes the "next on" segments at the end).
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post #25 of 58
8/1/06 at 6:29pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

That means there is at least 15 minutes cut from each episode.

That is more than 1/4 of the show cut out. Unaceptable.

I am not watching any more hour long shows on BBCA.
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post #26 of 58
8/1/06 at 8:03pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Got it on the DVR... Won't even bother watching it now.
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post #27 of 58
8/2/06 at 7:17am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

BBCA already shows some programs that are longer than standard length. Some of the sitcoms they give 40 minuites to. I assumed this was to show them original length and still get their comercials in. Why can't they do this to the hour long shows?

I had already stopped watching Hex because it was hard to keep up with and because the editing was confusing. Now I realize why that is. They had to remove 25% of it. Of course it is not going to make sense.

Well the bright side, this makes my tv viewing decisions easier now.
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post #28 of 58
8/2/06 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 

re: Life On Mars (UK)

We should all email BBCA to complain!
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post #29 of 58
8/3/06 at 7:37am

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Here is the place to email to complain to BBC America.

Quote:
Viewer Inquiries:
If you cannot find an answer to your inquiry on the site, please e-mail us using the form at viewerrelations.bbcamerica.com. Alternatively, you can send mail to P.O. Box 6266, Florence, KY 41022-6266 or call 1-859-342-4070. However, please be aware that, though all queries are read, due to the volume of responses we do not guarantee an individual reply.
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post #30 of 58
8/3/06 at 5:08pm

re: Life On Mars (UK)

Sent my complaint. I wonder why they don't just do this as a 90 minute show. That would be perfect. It is one less half hour show somewhere else but there has to be some flab that can be cut.

I shudder to watch Spaced for I hear they had to cut it and the music from it to air it over here. I have those DVD's so no worries. That might be the way to go for Life on Mars, too. Sadly, as I really want to see it NOW!!
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