In a completely unsurprising move, ABC has canceled the sci-fi/drama Life on Mars. If the desperate and oddly-placed rescheduling of the hiatus return episode didn’t clue us all in that there were problems afoot, subsequent episodes surely did. What is surprising and hopeful to those who followed the show thus far is that the series will wrap its underlying mystery of how and why Sam Tyler was transported to 1973.
The news of the show getting a proper burial isn’t that surprising to me. When I spoke with Life on Mars writers/producers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec last year at the ABC Family gathering at ComicCon, they told me flat-out that their deal with ABC included allowing the show to have a resolution, should it “for some reason” not get a return season. I have to wonder now if those guys (or ABC) never really had much faith in the series if they came to the table with a resolution already mapped out, “should” it get canceled. You mean “when” it got canceled, right?
The question I have is, will this series conclusion be the same one they envisioned from the start, or will it be an extremely toned down one from what we would have gotten, had the show lasted longer? I have to imagine we’ll be getting a very watered-down version of what happened to Sam, especially since we got a few WTF clues thrown in recently that may never be explained. For example, will we know if others were having the same experience as Sam? Is the man with the white rabbit cane involved? Is Windy a real person?
Without a major two-hour series ender, we may not get everything, but at least it’ll get a better burial than some other shows with a big underlying mystery ever got before getting the ax. Sadly for them, they had better in-between episodes than Mars had been putting out lately and, ultimately, didn’t get the treatment they deserved.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Mar 03, 2009 @ 10:02 EST5EDT
Say it isn’t so!!!!! It seems every show I like gets the ax. I loved seeing the old cars, clothes and hair styles. Brought back a lot of memories for me. Sam was easy to look at too!!
Boo! Now I know how all the Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone fans feel. I think this is the first time I actually care when a show gets cancelled so quick. I’m sure whatever resolution they give us, it will suck compared to what it could’ve been in a few seasons’ time.
“life on mars” is this year’s “journeyman”. i really liked both shows. what a shame!
I am very upset about this. I loved this show. What, gonna replace it with another crap reality show?
I’m fine with this. Let it have a conclusion and that’ll be it. Like a long movie with a good ending. I don’t see a problem there, I felt bored during some of the episodes to be honest. It wasn’t as good as “Journeyman”, for me at least. I’m glad they had a plan and Keith I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise considering where the show came from – two seasons of 8 episodes in the UK, which will result in more episodes produced in the US for a single season… I was wondering how they would manage to lengthen that without getting into trouble in the first place.
It’s not bad when a show has only one season and then ends with a well written bang and a good conclusion.
I agree. I would much rather have a proper send off than the “shh, maybe they won’t notice it’s gone *cough–Firefly–cough*” type. Watered down or not good TV doesn’t have to be dragged out for years.
Well, great….. why does every quality drama/series that interests me get the axe while the crappy ones drag on and on? Eli Stone, Journeyman, New Amsterdam…. Daisies, etc etc ad nauseum , ad infinitum.
Next I’ll hear they are cancelling Life, and that will really tick me off.
I was a Journeyman fan as well as Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies and so many others. I am sad they are going to cancel it but I am grateful that we will get a conclusion. I think one of my favorite things that Sam does is use 2009 names in 1973 for an alias. Think how useful that would be to a cop. LOL. I loved it when his captain came in with the hooker at the key party and he announced them as his friends George & Laura Bush!!! I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.