The troubled Life on Mars American adaptation got a bit of good news finally. Michael Imperioli of Sopranos fame (Can't you just hear Adriana saying "Christofa"? It haunts me still.) is stepping in to play a '70s-style politically incorrect cop. Halle-freakin-lujah! I loved the BBC show, thought it was clever and quirky and had such a look about it. (Though I'm clearly a sucker for pretty looking period shows like Mad Men, Deadwood and Freaks and Geeks.) So all the news about changing showrunners, revolving casting and the other issues plaguing the show have had me more than a little nervous. In fact, I've been bracing myself for this to be the next Viva Laughlin or Coupling. The fact that Imperioli is joining the cast gives me a little hope (much more so than the fact that it is being currently helmed by the people that brought us such dreck as October Road) that they might actually be able to make this one fly. He played a cool detective on Law & Order and I can already see him and Jason O'Mara butting heads, so let's just hope no one is sent to sleep with the fishes.

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Tags: life on mars, michael imperioli