NETWORK: ABC
AIR DATE: October 9, 2008
STARRING: Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Jonathan Murphy, and Gretchen Mol
CREATED BY: Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg

If there were awards given to casting agents (and, really, there should be), whomever put together the on-screen team for ABC's very good new series Life on Mars would be a frontrunner. I was a big fan of the BBC version of this wonderfully unique and quirky take on the cop show genre, but even I couldn't have dreamed up a cast this perfect. First and foremost, Jason O'Mara seems instantly right in the lead role, a police officer named Sam Tyler from the 21st century who wakes up after a car accident to find himself in 1973. How does he know it's 1973? Well, the eight-track tapes, lack of cell phones, and a couple of things on the NYC horizon that are tragically no longer there kind of give it away. And that's just the beginning.

The fantastic catch to Life on Mars isn't just a time traveling fish-out-of-water tale - it would be easy to just write disco jokes - but mystery on top of mystery to enhance the culture clash. First, where exactly is Sam? Is he in a coma, as the occasional sounds of hospital noises like beeping and doctor's voice might imply? If so, how does he wake up? Second, Sam discovers that the serial killer case he was investigating in 2008, the one that put his girlfriend Maya (Lisa Bonet) in jeopardy, might actually have ties all the way back to 1973 that could help him crack it. Can Sam find out how to save Maya when he's not only 35 years away but possibly stuck in his own head? It's a brilliant idea and the kind of great part that many actors would jump at. Whomever chose O'Mara deserves some sort of prize. He nails every element of the character and actually improves a bit on the original. If there's justice in TV land, Life on Mars will make him a star.

Interestingly, most of the rest of the cast are already stars. Harvey Keitel looks right at home in 1973 as the gruff, unforgiving Lieutenant Gene Hunt, Sam's new boss in the 125th Precinct of 1973. Sam has to get used to a time when DNA and Amber Alerts couldn't help solve the crime and Keitel is note-perfect as the cop from that era of crimefighting. It could be because he is so closely associated with great movies of that period like Mean Streets, but seeing Keitel on the streets of '70s New York feels right. Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) always had the look of an actor of three decades ago, so he fits in perfectly as Detective Ray Carling and Gretchen Mol always reminded me of an older era of stars, so she was a brilliant choice for Annie Norris, a member of the Police Women's Bureau. I've long said that all television shows are only as good as their supporting casts. O'Mara may be fantastic in Life on Mars but he's matched by the best ensemble of any of the new shows I've seen to date.

If the cast and the concept aren't enough to get you to tune in to the premiere of Life on Mars, let me point out one more thing - you usually don't see design this tight on network television. We've all gotten used to pay cable shows like The Sopranos and Dexter looking like movies, but there's still something about the network shows that often looks like TV of yesteryear with their more simple sets and easily interchangeable design aesthetics. It's not purely because the show takes place in 1973 that Life on Mars looks like nothing else on television. It's a beautiful show with a pitch-perfect attention to detail. From the great music choices - Stones, Who, David Bowie (of course), and more - to the general color palette that bathes everything in a nostalgic brown light, Life on Mars is expertly designed, which goes much further than you might think in making a show work.

The premiere of Life on Mars is the best new show of the Fall. I'm disappointed to say that I've only seen one, so I can't go any further with the praise. We've all seen shows fall apart after one episode. I'm curious to see if Life on Mars develops into more of a buddy show like the original did. In that one, the '70s cop was nearly as major a player as the time traveling one, but it feels like Keitel is going to take a back seat to O'Mara in this one. I'm also curious how they can keep this one going for what I'm sure they hope is a much longer run than the limited BBC version. Will it be a show like CSI with a different mystery every week? How long can they keep it up? The premiere is fantastic and if they maintain the attention to detail, riveting supporting cast, and perfect lead performance, I think Life on Mars could be a hit. Stranger things have happened.