ABC's 'Life On Mars' Changes More Than Just Accent

The American version changes locations, moving the story to New York instead of Manchester, England. But that isn't the only changes being made.

"We talked to the creators of the BBC show and asked if we could change the mythology of Sam Tyler, and we got permission to do it," executive producer Josh Appelbaum told SciFi Wire.

Appelbaum and the other producers thought the BBC ending "felt a bit unsatisfying. So we made it a deeper mystery."

So, what was the original ending?

The BBC version of "Life on Mars" aired two years ago starring John Simm who would later play The Master in "Doctor Who," and revealed in the end that his character, detective Sam Tyler, was actually in a coma. His time-travel experience was nothing more than a dream.

But don't worry, the creators do know what is actually going on and hope to entertain and tease the viewers as they try to figure it out.

"By the second episode, [Tyler] writes on a blackboard the 13 options of what could have happened to him," Appelbaum said. "He could be in a separate plane of reality, two worlds at the same time."

Speaking of changes, after reviewing the pilot, ABC ordered an overhaul. ABC was probably disappointed to recently learn that their original pilot has been leaked onto the Internet.

There have been mixed reviews on that leaked pilot, which is not the version that will be airing on ABC. But, Appelbaum feels that the series will resonant with viewers because of the various "similarities in what happened in 1973 and today."

"There's an unpopular president. We're trying to get out of a war. There's a run on the gas prices, and we're going into some kind of a depression. It's tumultuous times," Appelbaum said.

Jason O'Mara stars as Tyler, an NYPD detective. "Life on Mars" will be aired on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET starting Oct. 9. It will also air on Global in Canada.

Talk about this story