LifeonMars-related stories
Posted Sep 3rd 2009 2:08PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free, British TV
Is it cynical of me to question the wisdom of
NBC trying to adapt the British detective series Prime Suspect for American TV? It probably is, but after the disappointment of
Life on Mars (I know, some of you liked the ABC version, but I was not in that camp), I have worries about the way American writers and producers rework excellent British TV shows and suck the life out of them in the process.
What makes
Prime Suspect particularly of concern is that the British show had a great actress starring in it.
Helen Mirren has deserved every award -- Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe -- that she's received. As the tough-as-nails detective chief inspector Jane Tennison, she was simply amazing.
Continue reading NBC to adapt UK's Prime Suspect
Posted Apr 30th 2009 3:01PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, The Shield, Dexter, Reality-Free, Life on Mars
In the DVR era, I have this new problem/blessing that happens to me every year. I jump on board these shows and then just get too busy to keep up with them and they pile up and sit there on my DVR unwatched. As an example, I just finished "Chapter 5" of
John Adams last night; damn that's a good mini-series. But now that 99% of the network shows are wrapping up their seasons, I'm looking at three months of solid catch-up time.
I can also use the time to try out series I've always wanted to get into but just haven't for some reason or another; I'll use that "no time" excuse again. With more videos streaming online at Hulu (thanks ABC), seasons coming out ever faster on DVD and more vintage shows coming out the field is wide open. Of course, I'm probably taking on more than I can handle, but dammit I'm excited!
Continue reading What are you looking forward to catching up with this summer?
Posted Apr 15th 2009 11:04AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Interviews, Reality-Free
Harold Perrineau is worried. He's worried that viewers won't give his new show,
The Unusuals, a chance. He has a valid concern:
The Unusuals,
which just premiered, is on Wednesday nights at 10, on ABC; otherwise known as the post-
Lost timeslot (of doom).
ABC
is showing faith in
The Unusuals. After all, it's not stuck in the Friday night graveyard or anything. The post-
Lost slot is tricky though; shows generally don't do well there. It could be that the minds of everybody who watches
Lost are so blown, they can't even stick around for another hour of television. Whatever it is, the quirky cop show
Life On Mars recently died a sad death there. Will
this quirky cop show do better? Harold Perrineau certainly hopes so.
Warning: Spoilers ahead. We talk about plot points in the recently aired pilot, some spoilers for upcoming episodes, as well as the fate of Michael, Perrineau's character on
Lost.
Continue reading Harold Perrineau: The TV Squad Interview
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 10:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Programming, Cancellations, Life on Mars
You know how those wacky British like their shows in short bursts with beginnings, middles and ends? Well maybe that's what ABC is thinking of when they announce that
Life on Mars will finish its run with its 17th episode. They're promising a satisfying sense of closure, including answers as to why Detective Sam Tyler finds himself in 1973.
One theory that we're told can be ruled out is the coma that the UK original used to explain Sam Tyler's time travel. It would make the mystery kind of anticlimactic if they used the same explanation. We're also not told if Annie will finally punch Ray once and for all for being a misogynist bastard
The UK version of the series was an actual hit, but designed for the limited format completing two eight-episode runs. Meaning the US iteration, which is being canceled due to low ratings, will still run one episode longer than its successful predecessor. It was a creative decision to end the UK series after two seasons.
Continue reading Life on Mars promising closure in series finale (yeah, it's canceled)
Posted Feb 5th 2009 4:39AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Life on Mars
(S01E09) Finally, we get a continuation of the cliffhanger phone call ending from November! Mind you, it was kind of weird (notice that the song about the white room with black curtains played while Sam walked into a white room with black curtains). I wish they showed this episode first, as it was the better episode of the two and really showcased Michael Imperioli's talent as Detective Ray Karling.
Gene Hunt seems to be a big fan of 70's pop culture, as he keeps referring to it in his interview. Ray, on the other hand, keeps using the pseudo-profanity that Disney only permits. Ray also thinks of very colorful and amusing metaphors. It becomes cartoonish after a while. The episode also prodigiously used the slo-mo effect to the point where I thought they must have had to fill time.
Continue reading Life on Mars: The Dark Side of the Mook
Posted Jan 6th 2009 11:02AM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: House, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, Reaper, Reality-Free, Burn Notice, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten
Random House defines outrageous as
highly unusual or unconventional; extravagant; remarkable. It's as though they've been watching TV, and wrote their definition to fit some of the crazy characters on television shows today.
Oh, don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining. I love these larger-than-life characters, played to perfection by the talented actors who grace these roles. Some fit in perfectly with their surroundings, others stand out like a sore thumb amongst castmates. One thing they all have in common, though, is that watching them is pure entertainment.
Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker on The Mentalist)Jane doesn't quite have the social graces to blend into society, and that's why I love him. The frumpy suits, the obnoxious antics, and the constant pushing of the envelope make for some good TV. From card counting in the casino to reading Lisbon's mind; hypnotizing suspects to making a sandwich in a victim's home, Jane's done it all. Unconventional, to say the least.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Most outrageous characters on TV
Posted Jan 2nd 2009 9:00AM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
How can we enter a new year without celebrating the last year's best and worst TV? Not a lot of the new shows were impressive, but I've been entertained for the last year, so I can't complain.
In making out my lists, I realized I must be a half-full type of gal, because even my worsts aren't that bad, and I had a heck of a time coming up with them.
So, here are my lovin'-life, lovin'-TV best and worst lists for 2008:
Best new show -- Leverage Man, I love everything about this show -- the chemistry between the characters, the quotable quotes, the clever jobs, the flashbacks. It's the most entertaining hour on television right now. Thank you, TNT!
Continue reading Best and Worst of 2008: Debbie's list
Posted Dec 19th 2008 7:29PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, Saturday Night Live, Festivus, The Office, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Life on Mars, The Mentalist
Since I'm still new enough at TV Squad not to exist on the "Meet the TV Squad" page, this is my first Festivus. It's nice to be able to dig deep into my heart for all of my TV wishes in hopes that some internet fairy will grant them and make the television landscape just a little bit more awesome... for me, at least.
Without further ado, here is what I want for Festivus:
- Christina Hendricks and the rest of the Mad Men cast should guest-star on more shows. Ever since I started watching Mad Men, I've noticed Hendricks popping up places. She's on an episode of Without a Trace here, an old episode of Cold Case there... I love me some Joan Holloway and Mad Men isn't returning soon enough. I loved seeing Jon Hamm host SNL, and I'm super excited about his upcoming guest stint on 30 Rock. More please!
Continue reading All Kona wants for Festivus
Posted Dec 15th 2008 5:13PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, House, Video, Grey's Anatomy, Festivus, Chuck, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl, Fringe, Life on Mars, The Mentalist
...Nine foreign AmericansWith all of the starry-eyed, out-of-work Midwesterners who litter Sunset Blvd., one would assume that our television landscape would be similarly populated with corn-fed blonds. You would, however, be wrong. In fact, there are a ton of non-Americans who have come to Hollywood to take all of our primetime show-starring jobs.
What's fun for me is watching the shows to see who does a good version of an American accent, and who needs to spend a little more time with their dialect coaches. Below are nine stars who've jumped the pond to come to the good ol' U. S. of A.
Continue reading On the 9th day of Festivus, TV gave to me... - VIDEOS
Posted Nov 27th 2008 1:01PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, TV on DVD, OpEd, Cancellations, Friday Night Lights, TV Squad Lists, Pushing Daisies, Reality-Free, Life on Mars, The Mentalist
It's Thanksgiving morning right now and I'm sitting in my dad's kitchen watching people cook. I'm thankful for so many things this year, but since this is a TV site, let's talk about the things in TV that I'm thankful for--things besides the murder that the poor Detroit Lions are going to face at the hands of the Tennessee Titans today.
1. Netflix Watch InstantlyI've had Netflix basically since its inception, but with all of the TV that I watch, my Netflix movies have had a bad habit of collecting dust for months (I finally sent
No Country for Old Men back after about six months on top of my DVD player). Even though I've known about the Watch Instantly feature for a while, I've never actually tried it out. I just watched
Friday Night Lights Season 2, and let me tell you. it's so nice to just hit "Next" and have all of the episodes right there without having to change disks. Does that make me ridiculously lazy? Probably. I don't care.
Continue reading What Kona is thankful for
Posted Nov 21st 2008 12:00PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Watercooler Talk, Cancellations, Ratings, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Reality-Free
As you all know by now, ABC
failed to pick up three of its sophomore shows --
Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and
Eli Stone -- for a full season, essentially ending each after 13 second-season episodes (in other ABC news,
Scrubs will start on Tuesday, January 6, and
Life on Mars gets four additional episodes for its new post-
Lost timeslot, which starts on January 28).
Daisies and
DSM (and
Private Practice, which is being moved to Thursdays after
Grey's Anatomy in the "duh" move of the season) were both held back after the writers' strike last year and didn't come back until the fall. Seems like a logical thing to do, right? I mean, the shows had growing followings but still very modest ratings. ABC learned from the CBS
Jericho disaster that holding a freshman show for any period of time will sink the ratings. Turns out, though, that holding them for
even longer will sink the ratings even further. Who knew?
All sarcasm aside, though, ABC was in a tough spot. What could they have done differently? More thoughts after the jump.
Continue reading Did ABC make the wrong move with Daisies and Sexy?
Posted Nov 14th 2008 1:00AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Life on Mars
(S01E06) Gotta love that old school funk that the episode started with. I've been constantly commenting about how similar the individual plots and characters are to
the original British version of the show (which has been noticed in the feedback), but in this episode I saw a lot of the show coming into its own. Some of the plot differences even make more logical sense that the original version.
The attention to detail from the entire series is superb. Little bits like Sam's frustration with using an old style typewriter add to the flavor of the show. As usual,
Michael Imperioli gets the best lines. It wouldn't surprise me if he got a best supporting actor Emmy nomination for this role, despite its cartoonish nature.
Continue reading Life on Mars: Tuesday's Dead
Posted Nov 7th 2008 12:24AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Life on Mars
(S01E05) "Have you died and gone to moron heaven?" - Gene HuntWhat we had here, my friends, was a real theological episode. There were lots of references to angels, miracles, prayer and the question of whether or not Sam is dead. If so, is he in purgatory or hell or heaven? Does that explain his predicament? And is the old gray beard a vagrant or a heavenly messenger?
Overall, what I really thought made the show percolate was the teaming up of Sam and Clams. "Clams" we learn is Fletcher Bellow, Sam's mentor, and he pops up in the middle of a potentially explosive riot, with African-Americans going after Puerto Ricans when a little girl plummets from a rooftop at the hands -- or so it seems -- of Angel Ramirez.
Continue reading Life on Mars: Things to Do in New York When You Think You're Dead
Posted Oct 22nd 2008 5:11PM by Patricia Chui
Filed under: Video, Interviews, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Jason O'Mara is the star of the new ABC drama
Life on Mars, but the show features a few other actors who look even more familiar ... such as
Michael Imperioli, otherwise known as Christopher Moltisanti (or as I always think of it, "Christapha") on HBO's
The Sopranos.
O'Mara and Imperioli sat down for an
Outside the Box: Life on Mars interview to talk about the show -- which, at the time they taped the interview, was getting its pilot completely scrapped and redone -- and some other stuff, including guilty pleasure shows, their worst acting jobs ever, and what TV family they wish they could be a part of. (And no, Imperioli doesn't want to be a member of The Sopranos. Again.)
In this clip exclusive to TV Squad, it's again with the Sopranos! This time, O'Mara asks Imperioli about the difference between filming an HBO series and a network series -- and they ALMOST bust out the swear words. Darn it, maybe we should have given them some beer.
Watch Outside the Box: Life on MarsPosted Oct 17th 2008 12:31AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Life on Mars
(S01E02) I said it before and I'll say it again:
Life On Mars has a fantastic soundtrack. They also continue their use of yellow filter to simulate the dirtiness of New York City in the 1970's. When they go to scenes from 2008, the filter becomes blue. I wonder if the creators intended a deeper significance with that?
Continue reading Life On Mars: The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler
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