This is, without doubt, the stupidest thing I have ever seen happen on a scripted TV show. It insults the intelligence of everyone, living and dead, who has ever followed the logical narrative arc of a television series. American producers took the show's British title—which referred to the 1970's Bowie song, to Sam's alienation in a strange new world, and, if I may get fanciful, perhaps even to the reddish-orange tint shared by the planet Mars and by '70s-era film stock—and interpreted it in the most droolingly literal manner imaginable. Just recalling this has compelled me to raise my hands from my laptop keyboard so I can use them to firmly slap my own forehead.

If you haven't seen it, it's well worth checking out the U.K. Life on Mars. In the end, it's not the high-wire premise that wins you over. It's the baggy, low-key vibe the show achieves in its quieter moments—leaving you feeling weirdly nostalgic for 1970s Britain. You'll want to pull on a paisley shirt, pop in a Bowie eight-track, and down lukewarm pints with Sam and Gene at their cozy, wallpapered neighborhood pub.

Right on! I loved the UK version so much that I couldn't bear to try out the remake. This Slate article nicely diagnoses the problem.

It's what I call MTV scoring: Find the most literal match between lyrics and what's happening on screen. Extra points for completely and without irony countering the intent of the original song. Like when Carnival Cruises used Iggy Pop's Lust for Life in their ads.