Say It Isn’t So, Sam

To say that the final episode of ABC’s Life On Mars was disappointing would be a gross understatement. It just plain sucked. To think that everything that had transpired thus far in the series could have been wiped away with one fell swoop of the writer’s pen is a lesson for television watchers everywhere - hey, you waste too much time in front of the tube.

Oh, I get it, I get it. All this time the characters had actually been in a suspended state onboard a space ship cruising towards Mars. The events that made up the show were the product of Sam Tyler’s mind and space drugs or a short circuit in the gadgetry or something like that. Bobby Ewing could have dreamed up a better ending. The only thing the final episode justified was the name of the series, nothing more. Viewers, you have been duped. Sorry you wasted your precious time on this one.

No Life On Mars

Based on the British series of the same name, ABC’s Life On Mars, with its star-studded cast that includes Jason O’Mara, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli and Gretchen Mol was canceled after just one season. There will probably be DVDs available for Season One, but no posters. Though I enjoyed this show, I’m not that upset about the cancellation, mainly because I’ve been promised a thrilling conclusion.

An author who lengthened his novel by filling it with incidental events experienced by the protagonist probably wouldn’t make anybody’s bestsellers list. Yet, TV producers think that viewers will hang on through years of episodic unraveling in hopes of arriving at some kind of conclusion. These shows are not for me.

I mean, yeah, way back in a distant day, I managed to get all wrapped up in The Fugitive. Back then, I think everybody was. But that was enough for me. Ever since, every time I run into a show that denies me a weekly resolution, I say to myself “Oh, no, not another one of these.”

So, one season of wondering “What the hell’s going on with Sam Tyler?” is about all I can stand. If the final episode doesn't give me closure, maybe I can watch the British episodes online.