Life on Mars was a great series!

[crashwg]

I finished watching it a couple months ago now but I was just organizing my tv show collection and seeing it just reminded me that I should share with the world, or just the BYOAC community...

I'm talking about the US version of the show in case there was any confusion...

It originally aired from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009.  The DVD release is scheduled for September 29th but of course you can find the show on the internets in the usual places.

Here's a preview:
 
The series is only 17 episodes long and the writers had plenty of time to wrap the story up when they found out they only had one season to work with.

[J_K_M_A_N]

I didn't think they tied the old with the new enough. It was hard to tell if they were going to even use the new at all. (By old I mean 1970 whatever and new would be present day.)

I have not finished the series yet. I have them all but I am only up to like 10 or so. I liked the couple stories where he remembered something from his childhood or whatever and how to handle it but I didn't think they took enough advantage of that. At least not quick enough. I will have to continue on and see how it ends.

J_K_M_A_N

[Dr Zero]

The ending will leave in reeling! 


It was a very cool series that was much misinterpreted its kinda like the movie Fight Club where you have to see the end for it all to make sense then you want to watch it all over to see the little things you missed.

[Dartful Dodger]

The American version wrapped up the whole series in a feel good, happy ending in the last 3 minutes of the last show.

I really liked the British version.  I thought the American version had too much of a Hollywood ending.

Instead of watching the American version over again watch the British version.

[SithMaster]

The American version wrapped up the whole series in a feel good, happy ending in the last 3 minutes of the last show.

I really liked the British version.  I thought the American version had too much of a Hollywood ending.

Instead of watching the American version over again watch the British version.

Can I watch the British ending but see the American season and have it still make sense or are there more meaningful differences than just the ending?

[Dartful Dodger]

I skipped a lot of the American one because I thought it was going to be an exact copy, like what they did with the office, which is probably why you're asking the question.

I really like the British one, and if you have the time I'd recommend watching it, but if you watched the American one I'd reluctantly say, watch the first episode.  If you don't get hooked then skip ahead to the last one.

They’re more or less the same but the ending of the British one answers the heroes questions and leaves the viewer with some questions, where as the fairytale ending of the American one answers all of the heroes questions and leaves the writers/producers of the show with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

[SithMaster]

I skipped a lot of the American one because I thought it was going to be an exact copy, like what they did with the office, which is probably why you're asking the question.

I really like the British one, and if you have the time I'd recommend watching it, but if you watched the American one I'd reluctantly say, watch the first episode.  If you don't get hooked then skip ahead to the last one.

They’re more or less the same but the ending of the British one answers the heroes questions and leaves the viewer with some questions, where as the fairytale ending of the American one answers all of the heroes questions and leaves the writers/producers of the show with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

I haven't seen any episodes so watching the better version first is preferable (apparently that would be the British version).

[AtomSmasher]

I watched the American show when it first aired and personally I thought the ending was one of the worst endings I've ever seen in a tv show 

As for the majority of the show, it's basically a generic cop show that takes place in the 70's with a little scifi twist to it.  I can't say I'm a big fan of the show.

[Malenko]

prolly why it only lasted 1 season

[Dartful Dodger]

prolly why it only lasted 1 season

It's a one season show, because that's how it was written.  Unlike prison break, which was written as a 1 or two season show and then...
Season 1 escape from an American prison
Season 2 flee to Mexico
Season 3 escape from a Mexican prison
...
Season # escape from an island prison by being pulled on water skis over a caged shark.


If they continued Life on Mars, it would become as idiotic as prison break.

If you can I'd recommend watching the British version first, and remember I'm a "buy American/America #1" kind of guy.