Life on Marzzzzzzz (a 20-second review)

As mentioned previously, "Life on Mars" made its debut last night. I'm not much of a prime-time TV person. But! I tuned in anyway. Was a little more curious about the show than I needed to be. So you know the premise: Present-day NYC detective finds himself back in time in "gritty" 1973 Manhattan.

And?

Eh. Or maybe Meh.

For starters, the lead fellow Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) is an annoying mix of Mel Gibson and, oh, Michael Sarrazin. Without getting into all the plot points, I understand the confusion...the anger...the feeling of helplessness that he felt, trapped in 1973 NYC while the eldest Cosby kid (Lisa Bonet!) is in peril in 2008.

Still! Think of the fun you could have! Porn in Times Square! Betting on sporting events that you already know the outcomes to! I don't know. Maybe check out some shows. Are the New York Dolls playing somewhere?

Savor the opportunity...revisit a now-vanished bar...go to the top of the World Trade Center (which they showed twice...)....Buy up a ton of buildings in Soho and become a real-estate baron!

Plus, I had so many questions...Did he travel back with money? They showed his East Village apartment...Where did he eat breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Why wasn't anyone smoking during the scene inside 7B? Why did all the extras look like players from a summer stock production of Hair?

OK, this was only the first episode...maybe all this is explored in the coming weeks. I'll give it a another shot next week.

P.S.
I'll leave the critique of co-star Gretchen Mol to someone more qualified ...