ABC’s Life on Mars didn’t catch on with enough viewers and was unfortunately cancelled after one brief season. Sadly, tonight we had to say goodnight to the outstanding cast of Jason O’Mara, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol, Harvey Keitel, and Jonathan Murphy.
Thankfully, the show’s creators were given enough time to craft a true series finale. Executive producer Scott Rosenberg told Scifiwire, “Basically, this episode was always going to be the season finale, so we just switched things up towards the end. But we always wanted it to culminate with him and his parents… Amongst our favorite things that we did was always with his father and his mother. Every time we went to that well, it really worked for us. You’ll realize when you see it Wednesday night at 11:00, you’ll see that the whole theme of the entire 17 hours was all leading up to this. It was all about what we deal with in episode 17.”
Fellow executive producer Josh Appelbaum told Variety, “When you see you see the ending. as much as I think it’ll be wildly unexpected, it’s also sort of the inevitable. Even in the pilot there’s a lot of things that are leaning toward what the ending tells you. There were a million ideas thrown out early in the writers room, but when this one landed we all knew that was the one it should be.”
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Rosenberg concluded, “We’re not only answering the why of 1973 but more importantly, it’s what this whole journey was about for Sam — why it was these particular characters and this emotional landscape. It’s his emotional heroes journey that is answered by the end.”
So, what do you think of the series ending? It was a shocker to say the least. Are you happy to leave Sam and friends on the Martian surface?
Or, would you prefer to think that the Mars landing is actually a hallucination or another piece of Sam’s time travel mystery?
Image courtesy ABC.
Loved the show, great surprise ending, sorry it got cancelled.
I loved this show and will miss it terribly. All was well until the ending. Very disappointing. I would of rather Sam went back to 2009 or stayed in 1973. Was rooting for he and Anne from the beginning. ABC made a big mistake pulling the 125 from their roster. Come on HBO pick this winner up! No more ABC for ME!
I really liked the show. I watched each episode and was very pleased with the ending. All the clues came together and it gave us a good ending to the story. Harvey Keitel was great and I especially liked the last frame. The shoe!! Makes you wonder if all of that was reality or more of Sams hallucinations. Great Ending!!
I was a fan of ABC’s LOM but an even bigger fan of the BBC’s version. The way the American version ended was HORRIBLE. It seemed the writers took such an easy way out and put Sam on Mars. Wow..that’s so 3rd grade. Why wouldn’t they follow the lead of the great UK version and end it the same way? It amazes me that they could screw this up. The UK version made you think and really threw you for a loop. This ending was pure garbage. ABC canceling the show was bad enough, but did we have to be… Read more »
I loved that show it took me back to when i was a teenager they even got the color right but the way it ended was horrible. I will really miss that show.
What a great series. Don’t understand the lack of interest because it was a refreshing new approach to entertainment with many twists and turns. Looked forward to every episode, well acted. Reality TV is so dull by comparison. Gives the writers a chance to entertain. Life on Mars will be missed.
I work nights and watched it every week online on ABC.com. i am very upset by the abrupt ending. and i felt like the lack of money in the effects was an even bigger letdown. (even Annie’s wig was crap). i REALLY wanted to see more of their lives and follow them for years. look at all the crap shows that the putz tv watcher allows to cont. on ABC; ugly betty, makeover-home edition…..etc. come on. god forbid something come along that isnt the same old BS.
Read your comment Jonathan…LOL
What a stupid stupid stupid way to end that show? What were they thinking? It was fine up to the point when he wakes up in that Space ship and Gene Hunt ends up becoming his real dad? Are you kidding me? I would have rather seen him jump off a building after waking up from his coma in 2009 while his friends are in some kind of mortal danger in 1973 which in turn would make him go back to help all of them…Oh wait a minute that’s how they ended it in the British series.God I hope they… Read more »
Come on ABC…Sam passes out from an infection in the cut in his hand. He wakes up in the hospital with the LT and Annie at his side.
The great writing then continues on in the time slot of Nine central when you put Lost to bed for the season. There are so many storielines for your writers to pursue. Build a following. The when the Real Season Finale has to come around (3-4years from now), Write an incredible thought provoking ending.
I felt a certain affinity for this show, you see I was a security guard in 2037. I was injured in an elevator accident on the 120th floor of the Beijing Tower Hotel in Bakersfield California and woke up in 2007. Back in 2037, we consider “Life on Mars” one of the greatest pieces of literature derived from the previous decades before the Great Asian War. You’re going to see that all 14th graders will be required to watch all 17 episodes and both spin off series prior to graduating High School. That was one of President Obama’s first executive… Read more »
Last night, I dreamed that after Gene’s white shoe touched red soil, things went on the fritz again, and Sam was back in 2008. Missing 1973, he wrote his experiences down and sent them to DI Alex Drake, before jumping off the roof.
I could not believe the way they end “Life on Mars”. Who was the idiot who came up with that. It should have been left where Sam ended up with Annie and even had their own kid. Or even somehow he made it back to 2008, but was able to go back because of his feelings for Annie. Or something. ABC you really suck. You have cut off so many good shows, you don’t give them more than a year to build up viewers. You put them on a schedule that puts them in a position to fail. Before you… Read more »
I will miss this show! A very interesting ending though, considering the short timeframe to wrap it up.
Loved the show and – much as I was bummed to see it end – loved the ending. We knew all along it was all in Sam’s head, so to have him wake and see him still surrounded by the characters we loved so much was bliss.
And add my voice to the chorus of boos for ABC. Either stand by the shows you produce OR, as others have suggested, follow the BBC model of short-run shows with predetermined endings.
Whatever the case, I am thankful the show was aired at all. “Better to have loved and lost…”