'Life on Mars' mythology different in U.S. version

TCA -- Producers for ABC's "Life on Mars" said their biggest contribution to the show since the departure of executive producer David E. Kelley is moving the show from Los Angeles to New York City.

“There’s that early 1970s cop genre ... we’re trying to recapture that spirit,” says executive producer Josh Appelbaum.

The critics keep asking about differences between the show and the BBC version. The most interesting bit is that the show’s overall mythology will be different. In the BBC version, the protagonist asks, "Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?”

“There’s many more options than that,” Appelbaum says. “The good news is -- and I know people say this -- but we know exactly where this is going. We worked on ‘Alias’ we know the pitfalls of telling these extended mythological stories.”

One critic noted that the show’s time and date also set the series right at the opening of the World Trade Center. Appelbaum was vague about any plans to reference the location in the show.

“It’s certainly something we’re cognizant of and we’re paying attention to it,” he says.