I am – Hercules!!

Each of the Big Three networks premieres a show tonight based on a show airing overseas. NBC has “Kath & Kim,” and CBS has “The Eleventh Hour” and ABC has “Life On Mars.”

The tale of a New York cop magically transported by an automotive mishap from 2008 to 1973, “Mars” is particularly notable as the first ongoing TV series to star movie actor Harvey Keitel. Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) and Gretchen Mol (“Girls Club,” “3:10 To Yuma”) are along for the ride as well.

The pilot pushes a lot of the same intellectual ` buttons “Mad Men” does, reminding us of how thoroughly American life has changed in just a few decades.

Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec (“She Spies,” “Fastlane,” “Alias”) and Scott Rosenberg (“Gone In Sixty Seconds,” “Imposter,” “Kangeroo Jack”) wrote the script, and the best news is “Mars” is a great deal better than the trio’s last effort for ABC, the widely reviled “October Road.” The fact that this is one of the fall’s best pilots likely owes to the fact that the first episode adheres closely to the acclaimed British series’ premiere.

The not-so-good news is the “Road” team only has 16 British episodes to duplicate, and American series tend to run 22 episodes per season.

USA Today gives it three stars (out of four) and says:

… one of the best new hours of TV this fall — as it should be, considering it's a virtual scene-for-scene remake of a terrific British original. … And while we're worrying about the future, it seems fair to note that the network's replacements for David Kelley — who did the first version — are the producers of October Road, a show so badly written, it made you wish you were time traveling. True, this time, they copied well. Now let's see what they can create.

Entertainment Weekly gives it an “B-plus” and says:

… like Mad Men, makes a long-ago era feel both alien and nostalgic, like in the sweet moment where Sam wanders into a record store and just beams. …

TV Guide gives it and “8” (out of 10) and says:

… Captures the original series’ vibe nicely …

The New York Times says:

… strange and exhilarating …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… I'm not wholly convinced by the American "Life on Mars." Some of the new dialogue is overripe ("You're here to make me curse the day my father's sperm asked my mama's egg if it could have this dance"), and there's a tendency to explain the obvious. And, while I am happy to see Keitel grace TV with his presence, I'm not yet sure he's big enough, physically, for this part. I might be wrong about that. And I'll be following with interest to see where it all goes.

The Washington Post says:

… comes off as naggingly undistinguished. When you get right down to it, there's not much point in getting right down with it. … Both too little and too much seem to be happening … "Life on Mars" occasionally scores a nice bit of eerie spookiness, but the premise remains more party-pooper than mind-boggler. One hour of exposure to "Life on Mars" and you might indeed wish time travel were possible -- at least so you could travel back to the beginning of that hour and spend it some other way. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… surprisingly great, its pilot living up to the lofty expectations of the original. … If the ambition of the pilot continues, American television may get another remake right. We'll have our first hint this next week. In the meantime, enjoy the pilot. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… The show's pilot episode is nearly identical to the British original that aired on BBC America, right down to some shots and music cues. The new American version moves a little faster, which may sacrifice some of the subtlety of the original, but overall this first episode is a faithful adaptation. … Only time will tell if this version of "Mars" will fly. …

The Boston Globe says:

… not comedy, not psychodrama, not sci fi, but an intriguingly evasive blend of them all. … I love the fact that "Life on Mars" has arrived on the heels of "Mad Men" and "Swingtown." It's as if American culture is having a little check-yourself moment. By traveling back to the 1960s and 1970s, we're able to define and reassess who we are now. The smoking, the boozing, the overt sexism, the denial, the culture wars - they stare us in the face on these shows, signifying how far we have - and haven't - come.

Variety says:

… first-rate … Splendidly cast, handsomely produced and conceptually intriguing, the network's bid to create a procedural with a twist also faces a high hurdle -- call it the "Lost" conundrum, where viewers might grow impatient for some indication as to what's really going on. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… injects life into the police drama genre … exciting enough to make you swallow the premise and beg for more …

10 p.m. Thursday. ABC.

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