Cop Shows

I am not a big fan of cop shows. I don't watch and of the Law and Order or CSI shows. I don't even watch Reno 911. Recently, however, I have gotten hooked on two cop shows. The first was something I heard about while on my vacation to the British Isles. Life on Mars is about Sam Tyler, a British copper who after being struck by a car finds himself back in 1973. The combination of dry British humor and kitschy throw back styling won me over immediately. The interplay between Sam and his modern police procedures and his boss, who communicates more with his fists than his head, moves the story along as Sam tries to figure out just why he finds himself in 1973.

The second of the shows is both geographically and conceptually worlds apart, yet with striking similarities. Jack Carter finds himself just as much out of place as Sam Tyler does, only Jack does not have to leave 2006 to do so. Instead he finds himself in Eureka a city created proposed by Albert Einstein and run by the government, where the best and brightest scientific minds ply their craft building the weapons of the future and creating more than a few odd crimes and mysteries for Jack, a U.S. Marshal turned sheriff, to solve. In a sort of Columbo-esque sort of way, Carter seems to bungle his way through his investigations, revealing moments of brilliance that impress some of the resident minds and antagonizes others.

Both show are enjoyable fun and worth checking out.