Yep! And Jacob (TWoP recapper) has an essay in it!

There is a very Due South-like element in Life on Mars. First of all, it's a fish out of water story. The protagonist is a present-day cop in search of a serial killer, who gets into an accident and wakes up in 1973 Manchester and finds that he's part of the police force of the city for some cracked reason. That's the Sci-Fi element. It's unclear whether he's hallucinating, if it's a dream, or if it involves actual time-travel at the beginning, but as the series evolves, it looks like Sam Tyler (the main guy) is physically still in 2006 in a coma, and the 1973 setting is either a constructed reality in his head/or a part of him actually did body-jump to the past, and a part of the ongoing arc is Sam trying to go home.

The buddy-cop part of the story is about the rapport that gradually develops between Sam and his immediate superior, DCI Gene Hunt, who's very much a product of that particular social milieu, who doesn't bat an eye about beating up a suspect to get a confession, planting evidence, who accepts bribes and drinks on the job and thinks nothing of making revolting sexist remarks, yet in the heart of hearts, is a good cop. There is all kind of clashing about different police technique, amusing meta commentaries about how reliant the contemporary police work is on the ultra-tech aspect of the forensics, runimations about the line between the truth and justice, etc.

Plus, it's brilliantly shot and scored with some of the most awesome '70's music ever recorded. I haven't seen a show this stylistically sharp in a long time.

Uhm. OK, I didn't mean to turn it into a pimping post, but I think Buffistas would grok it.

I've been meaning to check it out. It's on my list, along with The Office and Slings and Arrows.

The "special glass" line was frelling awesome.

Plus, it's brilliantly shot and scored with some of the most awesome '70's music ever recorded.

OMG the music! I have NO IDEA how they were able to afford worldwide distribution on any of it, but I'm really glad they did.

I love Life on Mars and the music is excellent.

That reminds me that Life on Mars is available from On Demand (Comcast), but Episode One is only available until this Thursday. I'll have to find a blank tape and record it tonight (after Eureka).

Kathy - they're having a LoM marathon on BBCA this weekend. (Sunday from 1 pm on.)

I read something that implied the music was different in the BBCA versions. With the cuts, I ahemmed but haven't watched it all yet.

The reactions I've seen to the cut versions on BBCA have been very near hysterical, and looking at the lists of cuts, I can see why.

I watched the first episode, and liked it, but I figure after increasing my Spooks love, to try and stick to the unsnipped.