London, Oct 10 (IANS) The remake of Emmy award-winning British science fiction and police drama TV series “Life on Mars” has got rave reviews in the US with its first episode itself.USA Today branded the series’ premiere Thursday night as “one of the best new hours of TV this fall”, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The series has a prime-time slot on the ABC network and it has remained unusually loyal to the original, which sees modern-day detective Sam Tyler sent back to the 1970s after a car accident.

Phillip Glenister, who plays Manchester and Salford police officer Gene Hunt in the original version, has been replaced by actor Harvey Keitel while John O’Mara plays time-traveling Sam.

Three-quarters of the dialogue remain the same and the plots are virtually identical. Viewing figures for the drama will not be available until the weekend.

The British version of “Life On Mars” recreated the grim realities of Manchester in 1973 and proved a surprise hit for the BBC. It had a regular audience of six million viewers and won several awards.

Writers of the series came up with a sequel “Ashes to Ashes” in February this year on BBC One, which sees Gene Hunt move to 1980s London.

 Subscribe to Entertainment News in a reader