In 2006, British mystery sci-fi, police procedural television show, Life on Mars made its debut. The show – which starred John Simm and Philip Glenister – followed the story of Sam Tyler, a Manchester police officer from the year 2006 who is inexplicably transported back to the 1970s.
Due to the success of Life on Mars, another series soon followed, this time titled Ashes to Ashes. This series was set during the 1980s, and followed a similar story, only with a new lead.
But if you’re not familiar with Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes you might be asking yourself how many seasons are there of each show, and is there a particular viewing order?! Well, don’t worry, because in this post I am providing you with all the answers and more.
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Understanding Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes
As noted above, the first series of Life on Mars hit British television screens in 2006, via the television channel BBC One. The first episode introduced all the major players of the series, including Sam Tyler, as played by John Simm, and Gene Hunt, as played by Philip Glenister.
In the opening instalment, Sam is a policeman working with the Greater Manchester Police force. One day Sam is involved in a car accident, which causes him to be knocked unconscious.
However, when Sam regains consciousness, instead of waking up back in 2006, he is somehow in 1973. Is he dreaming? Has he travelled back in time? He really doesn’t know.
Over the course of the episode, he finds himself teamed up with a no-nonsense detective chief inspector called Gene Hunt, and he’s quickly put onto a new case. But while he works diligently at his job, he tries to uncover the truth about his ‘time-hop’ in order to find a way home.
The first season of Life on Mars ran for eight episodes, and ended with the central mystery left unresolved. However, fans of the show weren’t left completely adrift, as the BBC announced a second series would soon follow, hopefully providing some much-needed answers.
Season Two hit screens in 2007 and picked up Sam’s story back in 1973. Once again, Sam was busy solving cases with Gene Hunt, while trying to find his way home.
But as promised, Season Two did provide answers. Rather than just being yet another season, Season Two was conceived as a concluding chapter, allow the show to come to a natural end, with viewers finally given the full truth about Sam’s predicament.
Hurrah! Sam’s journey was over. That’s it, right?
Well, with Sam’s story done and dusted, yes, Life on Mars was essentially over; but due to the popularity of the show, this wasn’t the end of the road. The creators had some new ideas, the BBC were keen to explore those ideas, and they both moved forward with a new story.
Rather than unpick the finale of Life on Mars, and try and stretch Sam’s story out even further, the show’s creators came up with a sequel show instead. This sequel show would follow a similar premise and incorporate some of the same themes and characters, but at the same time it would be something new and different.
The new show was called Ashes to Ashes, and followed the story of London police officer Alex Drake, as played by Keely Hawes. Ashes to Ashes hit screens in 2008, with the first episode introducing Alex and her world, while at the same time re-introducing Gene Hunt.
In this series, Alex is shot and knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she discovers she has been transported to 1981, where she meets Gene Hunt and finds herself experiencing a similar situation to the one Sam Tyler encountered.
Over the course of eight episodes, Alex tried to find her way back to 2008, but was unsuccessful. Once again, the series revolved around a central mystery that was left open-ended, and once again viewers were left wondering if she would ever make it back to her own time.
And did she?
Well, as with Life on Mars, this first season of Ashes to Ashes proved popular and after the first season came to an end, the BBC recommissioned the show for a second season in 2009. This season was also a hit with viewers, and as it didn’t conclude Alex’s journey, the BBC recommissioned Ashes to Ashes for a third and final season to air in 2010.
This final season was the last hurrah for Alex, with the final episode bringing her story to an end. It also provided a fitting conclusion for Gene Hunt, and helped to explore the fates of various characters that both Sam and Alex encountered.
In total, between Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, five seasons of television were produced, comprising 40 episodes. All five seasons were big hits with viewers and all these years on, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes still remain some of the best shows from the BBC.
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Watching Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes in order
If you have never watched any of Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes before, and you are only now just finding your way into this little universe, it couldn’t be simpler to follow along. All you need do is watch the shows in the order set out below, and you’ll have no problems uncovering the truth about Sam Tyler, Alex Drake, and Gene Hunt.
The viewing order
- Life on Mars: Season One (2006) – TV series
- Life on Mars: Season Two (2007) – TV series
- Ashes to Ashes: Season One (2008) – TV series
- Ashes to Ashes: Season Two (2009) – TV series
- Ashes to Ashes: Season Three (2010) – TV series
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes – I hope it has proved useful. For more posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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