But it was a Different ’70s Over There…

Word comes this week that the green light has been given for an American remake of the BBC drama Life on Mars for ABC, to be penned by Aly McBeal creator David E. Kelley.

True, recent American retreads of British programming have left much to be desired (Coupling, Cracker and Cosby/One Foot in the Grave come galloping to mind), but Life on Mars, the tale of a 21st century cop who finds himself working for a 1973 police force after a traffic accident, is quirky enough to have legs. As always, it’s better to check out the original British series first, so if the American one is pants, you at least derived something from the experience. And you can read an interview with Beryl Vertue, the producer who pioneered the sale of British TV  show formats to the U.S. and other countries, in the pages of 30 Years of British Television, due out in August.