Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes

[Hero]

And probably a lot more expensive too.

[The Doctor]

I'm finding the show hard to judge as it's still mostly mining scripts from the UK version so it's constantly reminding me of the original. Which is not a fair criticism as it's aimed at an audience unlikely to have seen that version. I think I'll skip it for a while and check back on it further down the line as if it lasts a full season they'll be running out of old scripts they can re-tool before too long which is when it will likely become more interesting for me.

The tone has settled down a bit though. Fare less doom-laden than the UK version and a bit more going for the warm nostalgia vibe.

-Ralph

[legios]

Nov 30, 2008 18:28:49 GMT Hero said:

And probably a lot more expensive too.

Not to denigrate Philip Glenister, whom I have a lot of time for, but I should think that one Harvey Keitel is likely to be significantly more expensive than several Philip Glenisters.

Karl

[The Doctor]

US version canned, lasting 1 episode longer than the original.
www.airlockalpha.com/news426121.html

For the best really. It had a solid lead actor but didn't really give him anything meaty to do and the tone was far too lightweight, though it had its moments. Curious to see how it ends,

SPOILER: Click to show

though I hope it's not the sinister conspiracy that's been hinted at recently

.

Must pick up the UK version on shiny disc now it's pretty cheap. Have been hankering to see it again.

Looking forward to 2nd series of Ashes to Ashes though I seem to be one of its few fans!

-Ralph

[Hero]

I like Ashes to Ashes also, Ralph.

Do you have any idea when the 2nd series starts airing?

[The Doctor]

No idea.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

The last episode of the US version of Life on Mars has aired. For those who are curious, the series ends like this:

SPOILER: Click to show

Sam Tyler is actually an astronaut on a mission to mars in the year 2035. His team is on a 'gene hunt' for life on mars. While in some sort of suspended animation on the trip there, he thought he was a cop from 2008 who went back in time to 1973. When he wakes up in the spaceship Chris, Ray, Annie and Gene Hunt are there (who became cop characters in his dreams). 'Gene Hunt' is his father.

It really doesn't work at all in context and renders the whole series completely pointless!

-Ralph

[Dave]

WTF? is that a delayed April Fool's joke?

[The Doctor]

Sadly not. I watched it with my own eyes.

-Ralph

[Hero]

I saw it for myself. In all fairness, copying the BBC ending would have been too predictable.

===KEN

[The Doctor]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh, not sure. Few of the target audience would have been aware it was a remake of a show from the UK.

-Ralph

[Nigel]

Mar 3, 2009 20:20:05 GMT Hero said:

I like Ashes to Ashes also, Ralph.

Do you have any idea when the 2nd series starts airing?

This coming Monday at 9pm, which seems like stupid programming to me as they've put it up against Heroes on BBC2. Surely there's a large crossover of the programmes' audiences?


I haven't seen the US series and don't know how it ends, but apparently they were told early enough that it wouldn't be renewed and so they were at least able to make some conclusion. (Whatever that it, please don't tell me.)

[blueshift]

Apr 16, 2009 8:35:03 GMT Nigel said:

I haven't seen the US series and don't know how it ends, but apparently they were told early enough that it wouldn't be renewed and so they were at least able to make some conclusion. (Whatever that it, please don't tell me.)

HO HO HO you are in for a treat my friend

[The Doctor]

I'm finding the 2nd series of Ashes to Ashes quite disappointing so far. It seems to have ditched the wacky irrelevance of series 1 for a sort of 'lite' version of the 'harder hitting' Life on Mars.

-Ralph

[KnightBeat]

I'm the opposite - I'm enjoying it more than series 1. I no longer feel the urge to strangle the main characters for being smug.

[Nigel]

The US series started over here on FX on Friday. What a load of pants. It just didn't seem to work; it was a pale imitation of the original and didn't stand up on its own merits. Having seen the original, the characters were styled so closely to their UK counterparts that it seemed like a French and Saunders parody. Harvey Keitel seemed to be wandering around without a clue what was going on. I'm going to try to watch more episodes, though, just out of curiosity.

I'd be interested in seeing the first US pilot, as I imagine Colm Meaney playing Hunt more like Glenister.

[Philip Ayres]

Hope everyone enjoyed the finale last night. Did you stay for the post credit sequence ? Realise it's significance ?

SPOILER: Click to show

It was a clip from Dixon of Dock Green. George Dixon first appeared in the film, The Blue Lamp, where he's shot and killed. He then turns up in the TV Series alive & well

[Dave]

Saw the post-credit bit (credits are so short these days it hard not to), but wasn't fully aware of the significance of the clip. Until now. cheers Phil.

A good finale although I was a bit unsure immediately following it. I did like it but there were a few things that I was thinking 'hang on?' about - throughout the run not just this episode. But the more I think about it the more I like it.

One complaint

SPOILER: Click to show

The screams coming from the "hell lift" was overdoing it a bit methinks.

[primenova]

I need to rewatch it, missed the bit talking in that house.

But from the end it came across that something like this was going on

Gene is that guy who was near the scarecrow? but it is a story like Thor/Loki. Gene need to redeem himself by saving other soles to stop them going in that lift to hell. But does that mean all the others where real people who got killed? But how was it that it was just the main 2 who where aroudn with Gene from the start? Also the stuff at then end of ATA series 1.

[Philip Ayres]

Spoilerific Matthew Graham Interview

[The Doctor]

I had guessed some of the ending, but it still worked well for me.

-Ralph