Parents' Guide to

Life on Mars

By Lucy Maher, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

High-concept British crime drama; teens and up.

TV BBC America Drama 2006
Life on Mars Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

HybridReviews
HybridReviews Adult
August 2, 2020
age 15+

A roaring success and alright for 15+ (sex scene is present)

Although there was only one sex scene showing bare breasts for only a short period, and many amounts of scenes that include violence, drugs, human trafficking and much more. The reason why I review this as 15+ is because it doesn’t matter what I think, it’s how mature your child is. But known there is sex and violence, it teaches you a lot. Sometimes forcing these types of concepts in kids heads can stop them from doing illegal activities in the future. Police in this show are from the 1970’s and it’s sequel Ashes to Ashes is set in 1980’s and are known for beating up suspects of a crime. Post autopsy’s are shown. But really you should watch it before your child does.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
LisaLH
LisaLH Parent
November 15, 2018
age 18+

Rating says no sex, but IMDB parents guide says there is

Rating says no sex, but IMDB parents guide says there is. From that site: In S1E4 a brief shot of a woman handcuffing a man to a bed and having sex with him is shown. Her bare breasts are visible for a couple of seconds. In another scene a woman describes a threat by two men to rape and then murder her. In S1E8, there is discussion of the production of pornographic films and three brief, rather indistinct shots of some of these pornos are shown, including a brief shot of bare breasts, and a shot of a naked man above a naked woman. No genitalia can be clearly seen.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In LIFE ON MARS, John Simm plays Sam Tyler, a successful young detective chasing down crooks in modern-day Manchester, England. When his girlfriend Maya (Archie Panjabi) goes missing, Sam sets out to find her, only to end up in a near-fatal car accident that leaves him unconscious. He wakes up in 1973 with the same name and the same job -- only now the detectives he's working with don't have 21st-century technological advances like cell phones and fine-tuned forensics on their side. In each episode, Sam must rely on his intelligence and wits to solve a crime, each of which he hopes will lead him to Maya. Making Sam's life miserable are his hardened, unprofessional (by modern standards) 1973 colleagues: new boss Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), who regularly bullies suspects; detective Ray Carling (Dean Andrews), who's suspicious of Sam and his way of doing things; and detective Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster), who's a little more willing to give Sam a chance. The one person Sam bonds with is police officer Annie Cartwright (Liz White), who helps him in his quest to discover the truth about his new life (could it all be a dream?) and catch Manchester's criminals.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (2):

Fans of procedural dramas will enjoy Life on Mars, since it takes the genre one step further -- not only is the lead solving crimes, he's solving crimes that will help him crack the larger mystery of his girlfriend's whereabouts. The show's violence level is more or less on par with American series like Law & Order; like most British imports, its humor is subtle and might fly over the head of younger viewers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the differences between life today and in the '70s. What's changed? What hasn't? Why is behavior that was acceptable then no longer OK today? How do you think you'd cope without the things you take for granted? What advances in technology do we depend on today that weren't available then? Before fingerprinting and computers existed, how did police do their jobs? How can advances in areas like forensic science help ensure that the right person is caught?

TV Details

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