We ’ve given youthe lowdown on the US remake of Life on Marsalready , and the word is out : It ’s going to need a small work . But we think that the problem goes a little deeper than just casting and script – We think that it ’s go to take some major surgery to make this late revamp work for an American audience . Maybe change the career of the clock time - lose hero … or even the identity of said Hero of Alexandria . diversify the scope of the show from cop dramatic play to slice - of - dated - life human interest . It sound extreme , I have sex , but fancy the meter - tossed cop recast as a brainy radiocommunication host , and the setting change to an public radio post in 1970s Chicago . After all , who could resist This American Life on Mars ?
https://gizmodo.com/easy-to-see-why-the-american-life-on-mars-needs-a-total-5018498
There are more advantage to bringing in Showtime and PRI ’s Ira Glass to asterisk in the John Simm role of the original British version than you may think at first . Not only would he make a welcome change from the overly conversant male leads of most TV dramas ( either quirky and cocky or haunted and dark ) , but he could bring his intimate This American Life opening way to give the show its very own classifiable , Rod Sterling - esque showtime in lieu of a claim successiveness . Each episode would open with Glass walking onscreen from just off camera , and lecture directly to the audience :
A young couple , walk along a busy Chicago street in the early evening . They ’re operate on a escort , going to see the first ‘ Rocky ’ movie , when they take a turn down a darkened side street , unaware of the danger that lurk therein . From ABC Television connection , this is This American Life On Mars . Tonight ’s episode in five acts . Act one : Oh my God , he ’s get a knife . Act two : Ira gets involved , in which I visit the immature distich in hospital after the stabbing . Act three : How does a radio host end up tortuous in so many murder eccentric anyway ? , where the titular question gets ask by my quality in a metatextual cognisance of the weakness of the show ’s premiss …
More significantly , going in such an unusual itinerary in full term of cast would free up the show ’s creators in term of focus : extroverted remake manufacturer David Kelley made his name by take striking concepts and slowly abbreviate them into uncomfortable , awkward sentimental comedy by preface ever - more unlikely type the longer his show extend ( See Boston Legal , The Practice , Chicago Hope and , well , almost everything he ’s ever done ) , and this format could give his successors the space to go as eldritch as any “ He ’s in a comatoseness / No , he ’s thirty years in the yesteryear ” idea needs without smothering it with frowning and police force procedural cliche ( contribute in Barry Sonnenfeld to manoeuvre and play up the sentimentality as much as the humor , and it ’s push Daisies in polyester ) . Also , by taking the show away from the cop genre , you not only severalise the show from the British original ( asthe creators of the original show would like ) while keeping the time - travel theme complete , but you also provide the high-pitched concept hooking that every US detective show indigence : “ he ’s a wireless host who fight down crime ” is gimmicky enough , even before you append in that whole clip locomotion affair .
There is , however , one small job with my plan . Ira Glass is n’t interested .
I got in feeling with him earlier this week , and pitched the whole idea thirstily . Surely , I project , if I could go to ABC with Ira attached , they ’d emphatically see the potency and greenlight the whole thing there and then . lamentably , Ira did n’t agree with me :
I have no interest in this project . I think I ’m not skilled enough a performing artist to come along in any show requiring period costumes .
Luckily , I have a Plan B : Does anyone haveTerry Gross ‘ email address ?
( Many thanks to Ira Glass for having a horse sense of humor about everything . Yes , that really was a quotation mark from him above . )
push Daisies
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