# Life on Mars (2006)

> A modern Manchester detective wakes up in 1973 and must solve crimes with a brash, old-fashioned police team while puzzling out how he got there.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2827

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, science fiction, mystery
- Created by: Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah, Tony Jordan
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Noreen Kershaw, Joanne Froggatt, Lee Ingleby
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478942/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, abrasive, melancholic, darkly comic, tense

## What critics say

Acclaimed for its original premise, sharp scripts and strong performances that make a time-travel police drama feel fresh.

## Synopsis

Life on Mars (2006-2007) is a British time travel crime drama created by Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah, and Tony Jordan for BBC One. Detective Sam Tyler (John Simm), a modern Manchester detective chief inspector, is hit by a speeding car while chasing a serial killer and wakes up in 1973, facing a police station run by the blunt, combative Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Sam must work cases alongside Annie Cartwright (Liz White) and the rest of Hunt's team while struggling with outdated forensics, rough interrogation methods, and a city that feels alien to him. Each episode pairs a murder or criminal investigation with Sam's search for a way home and a clearer picture of how he arrived in the past. The show runs for two seasons and sixteen hour-long episodes, shifting between gritty police procedural work and a pointed exploration of masculinity, class, and the social changes of the decade. Its tone is abrasive, bleak at moments, and often darkly funny, with a moody, rain-soaked atmosphere. Fans of Ashes to Ashes, Luther, and Line of Duty will find resonance in its British police grit and its blend of genre mystery and emotional unease.

## Shows like Life on Mars

- [Unforgotten (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55562)
- [The Responder (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/117829)
- [Life on Mars (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/3545)
- [Bodies (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/151040)
- [Ashes to Ashes (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/1111)
- [Messiah (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/12329)
- [Prey (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54802)
- [Waking the Dead (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4617)
- [Life on Mars (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68360)
- [Hard Sun (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/63406)

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