I kinda forgot one TV show.
On Sunday, I mentioned a few of the fall's new TV shows, but failed to mention "Life On Mars" from ABC. I tried watching the original BBC version of the program (oops, since it's the BBC, I should say "programme") and found that, despite an intriguing concept where a policeman in today's world suddenly finds himself in 1970s London, it didn't hold my attention. The American show moves to New York and adds a bigger budget, including a sensational cast led by Jason Mara.
And yet, despite the intriguing story and the remarkable ensemble of performers (including another fascinating performance from Harvey Keitel), the show just doesn't quite work. The pacing is nearly catatonic, the mysterious interludes where our hero struggles to learn why he's in the 70s are irritatingly opaque, and the police procedural stories tedious. The worst part is how condescending the show gets as Mr. Mara's Sam Tyler displays his "enlightened" views on civil rights, race relations, and womens' roles, among other things--in contrast to those benighted people of the previous generation. There's no thoughtfulness to this comparison of attitudes between the free-and-easy 1970s and the uptight times he came from.
It's really a shame this show doesn't work better.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Posted by
Gavin
at
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment