David E. Kelley, the prolific writer-producer behind such era-encapsulating hits as "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice," wrote the script for the pilot to "Life on Mars," a new time-traveling cop drama from ABC. It's based on the BBC show of the same name, which already has a cult following over here due to its run on BBC America.
So, given its rarefied status plus the Kelley pedigree, "Life on Mars" instantly looked like a must-watch for any viewer's fall TV list. And it may prove to be a great show. But with its premiere still months away, the series has already suffered an exceptionally bumpy ride into the future, even by the Alice-in-Wonderland standards of television program development.
The network and producers are talking about tossing out the pilot and starting over. Or not; maybe they'll just tweak a few details. Some of the actors might get canned. Not necessarily, though. One thing we know for sure: Over the last few days, the decision was made to move the series out of Los Angeles -- in both its setting and its production -- to shoot on location in New York City, giving it a very different look.
Oh, and about Kelley? He almost certainly won't have anything to do with the show from now on. Well-informed people profess not to know whether he'll receive his customary executive producer credit or even whether his name will be on the pilot.
Really? Will Kelley talk to us about what happened?
He will? Great!
Oh, wait. He won't be available till after deadline? Uh, sure, we'll talk to his agent instead. Yes, we understand -- totally off the record.
Sigh.
The things we don't know about ABC's "Life on Mars" could fill more space, alas, than this column is allowed. And that's even after sources were asked nicely. We must say, everyone seemed calm, considering the circumstances, but also confused. Having to tiptoe so discreetly around so many sources' hot spots made us feel like we were investigating a ghastly sex crime instead of the origins of a TV pilot.
But in the end, we were able to cobble together a rough idea of what happened when a big-name producer in need of his next hit collided with headstrong, strike-numbed network executives riding the wave of multiple foreign TV hits crashing U.S. shores. The stakes are high, given that "Life on Mars" is ABC's only new drama entry this fall.
